Hong Kong media: How Kishida Fumio made Japan gradually move towards a more friendly attitude towards China

Source: Global Times

Hong Kong's South China Morning Post article of January 20, original title: How Kishida Fumio gradually moved Japan towards a more friendly attitude toward China Japan's new Prime Minister Kishida Fumio may become the first Japanese national leader to not visit Washington in the 10 months since the Cold War. Japan's new Diet will run until June 15, after which Kishida must participate in the House of Councillors elections. His schedule is tight, including responding to the outbreak. Kishida wanted to avoid the fate of his predecessor, Yoshihide Suga. The latter took time to visit Washington during a congressional session last year, when a surge in COVID-19 cases (in Japan) led to a decline in his approval rating and eventually resigned.

Kishida Fumio infographic. Image source Visual China

In contrast, with a high degree of uncertainty about the future, Kishida should focus on economic growth. The Nikkei index more than doubled in the nine years to 2021, but real GDP grew by only 0.5% per year, and the gap between rich and poor widened. One of Kishida's campaign promises was to promote the distribution of wealth among all Japanese. He also pledged to be carbon neutral by 2050. Japan must increase its sustainable energy use from 18 percent in 2019 to more than 70 percent in 2050. As a result, Japan needs to import more graphite, rare earth metals, copper, nickel, zinc and lithium. China's current production of graphite accounts for more than 60% of global production, rare earths account for 60%, and zinc accounts for 30%. According to the International Energy Agency, China also dominates the refining and processing market for these six key minerals. As a result, Japan may be inclined to strengthen trade with China, which is also supported by the Federation of Japanese Economic Groups and many Japanese companies.

Of course, the U.S.-Japan alliance remains strong. But with Tokyo still uncertain about U.S. commitment to Japan, Kishida wants to focus more on peace in Asia, including with China. Japan needs to get out of the "lost decades" and regain political and economic confidence. But regional tensions mean it needs to build bridges with the two superpowers. The question, however, is whether Japan can harness two sturdy, tall horses at the same time. The answer is "no," but Kishida has begun to approach China calmly and skillfully.

For example, less than 24 hours after the U.S. Senate passed the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, Toshimitsu Motegi, secretary general of Japan's Liberal Democratic Party, shelved a resolution condemning China. In addition, Japan has decided to send The President of the Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee and senior parliamentarian Seiko Hashimoto to attend the Beijing Winter Olympics, so it will not join the US diplomatic boycott of the Winter Olympics.

Kishida has other key issues to address. The most intractable is the dispute over the Diaoyu Islands between China and Japan. He appointed Tetsuo Saito, a member of the Komeito Party, who was accused of being too pro-China, as the head of the department overseeing the Japanese Coast Guard. The Coast Guard's budget for 2022 is 222.1 billion yen ($1.94 billion), up just 0.45 percent from the previous year, suggesting that Japan does not want to exacerbate the problem. In addition, Japanese Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshinori served as president of the Japan-China Friendship Parliamentarians' Union for more than three years — stepping down last year to "avoid unnecessary misunderstandings."

There are rumors that because of Kishida's pro-China attitude, the Biden administration is also less enthusiastic about welcoming him to Washington. Maybe it's true. But Japan understands that it is currently at a turning point. In Japanese cuisine, a plate of sashimi consists of sashimi and side dishes such as shredded radish and parsley. The U.S. and China are now on the same sashimi plate. As we all know, Japanese people eat sashimi, not side dishes. (The author Sakai Yoshihiro is a professor at Chubu University in Japan, translated by Qiao Heng)