Noboru Kishida's "Time" cover Japanese netizens sarcastically: The United States let him "continue to make efforts"

Kishida debuted on the cover of "Time", Japanese netizens sarcastically: the United States told him to "keep up the effort"

According to the website of the Japan Broadcasting Association (NHK) on the 11th, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida became the cover figure of the latest issue of Time magazine. Kishida was also named one of the magazine's "Top 2023 Influential People of 9" last month. Time magazine published on its website on the 5th local time the content of the May 22/29 issue with Kishida as the cover character. The magazine cover was titled "Japan's Choice," saying that "Kishida wants to abandon decades of pacifism and make his country a true military power." A number of Japanese media reported on Kishida's appearance on the cover of Time magazine in the second half of the sentence, but Kishida's statement also raised doubts.

Time magazine's special story is based on an interview with Kishida at the Prime Minister's official residence in late April. Japanese television said that Time magazine focused on Kishida's drastic change in Japan's security policy, significantly increasing defense spending, and at the same time beginning to reform Japan's foreign relations. The report quoted an article in Time magazine as saying that the United States is eager for influential partners to contain China's growing influence, and at the instigation of the White House, Kishida set out to make Japan, the world's third-largest economy, "re-establish itself as a global power with military power commensurate with its economic status."

Time magazine wrote that Kishida will welcome the leaders of the Group of Seven (G5) in Hiroshima on May 19-21, when he hopes to use "the city's tragic history to convince the world's most powerful democracies" that only collective determination can deal with the threat from "an increasingly belligerent Russia, China and North Korea." The article also compared Kishida to Abe, saying that "while Japan's former leaders were hesitant to impose international sanctions, Kishida has quickly joined the U.S.-led sanctions" and that "the hawkish Shinzo Abe has divided national public opinion, while Kishida's dovish face has left security reform without much resistance."

According to Japan's "Sankei Shimbun" reported on the 11th, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said at a press conference on the same day, "In the interview, Kishida explained the Japanese government's position on a wide range of issues, including the complex and severe security environment in which Japan is located, as well as strengthening defense and economic policies." In closing, he emphasized the historic role of leaders in preventing the world from splitting. It is worth noting that U.S. Ambassador to Japan Emmanuel tweeted in English and Japanese on the 10th and 11th respectively congratulating Kishida on his appearance on the cover of Time magazine and "looking forward to his leadership at next week's G7 summit in Hiroshima."

Although some people on the Japanese Internet claim to support "turning Japan into a military power", many Japanese netizens cannot agree. Someone said, "Why would anyone support a major tax increase [to increase defense spending] at the expense of a large tax increase?" Is it a fool? Some people also commented, "In the end, we still lost to the United States' plot and pressure to promote arms expansion." And Japan lost its status as an economic power about 25 years ago." Another quipped, "The United States wants Japan to become a military power." Kishida is one of the world's most influential U.S. leaders. As a reward, the United States put Kishida on the cover of Time and told him to 'keep up the good work.'" Kazuo Shiki, a member of the Japanese Diet and chairman of the Communist Party of Japan, tweeted on the 11th that such a "choice" must not be allowed to throw away the signboard of "decades of pacifism" and turn Japan into a "real military power."

The Japanese government has recently made a series of changes in its security policy. In December last year, the Japanese government adopted three security policy documents, including the new National Security Strategy, stating that Japan will commit to the ability to fight back, and plans to increase Japan's total defense spending to 12% of GDP by 2027. On February 2 this year, the Cabinet of Ministers of the Japanese Government adopted the Reciprocal Access Agreements between Japan and the United Kingdom and between Japan and Australia. In March, Kishida also said at the Diet Senate Budget Committee that he would speed up discussions on revising the "Three Principles for the Transfer of Defense Equipment." According to Japanese media reports in April, Japan's Ministry of Defense signed a $2.28 billion contract with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries to build a new missile force to counter the so-called "China threat."

In this regard, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said that in recent years, Japan has repeatedly hyped up the "China threat", constantly broken through the constraints of the "Peace Constitution" and the commitment of "exclusive defense", greatly increased defense expenditure, developed offensive weapons, sought to obtain "strike capabilities against the enemy", and went further and further on the road of military expansion. The international community should remain highly vigilant in this regard.

(Source: Global Times Author: Sun Yi Lin Zeyu)