New foreign minister of japan – We all agree that Japan is among the most pronounced of China hawks in the Indo Pacific, right? So, do strategically calculated decisions – which might seem out of sync with the trend of growing Japanese activism against China – warrant immature commentary by the media and self-appointed foreign policy analysts? No, they do not. The problem with a section of global media and the entitled coterie of foreign policy ‘experts’ is that they cannot fathom how Japan has made a 180 degree turn when it comes to its China policy. From being a pacifist nation that did not want a military for itself to now becoming a country that will be the first to wage war on China in case Beijing invades Taiwan – Tokyo has come a long way.
Now, Japan’s commitment to take on China and fight it out with the Communist nation is being questioned once again. At the centre of this unwarranted speculation is Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s choice for a foreign minister of japan. Kishida has chosen internationally known Yoshimasa Hayashi as new foreign minister of japan.
Who is Yoshimasa Hayashi?
Hayashi is perhaps one of the most qualified foreign minister Japan has ever had. He is a graduate of the prestigious University of Tokyo and holds a master’s degree from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Hayashi is incredibly fluent in English and has in the past served in Washington as an aide to Rep. Stephen Neal of North Carolina and Sen. William Roth of Delaware. More recently, he has been a frequent speaker at U.S. foreign policy events. Within Japan, Hayashi has a very diverse portfolio. He has served as the country’s economy minister, farm and fisheries minister, defence minister and education minister.
Son of former Finance Minister Yoshiro Hayashi, the younger Hayashi has served as chairman of the Japan-China Friendship Parliamentarians’ Union, a cross-party group that promotes good relations with Beijing. His chairmanship of a parliamentary group that supported friendship between China and Japan is at the centre of contention surrounding his appointment as foreign minister by Fumio Kishida.
Is Yoshimasa Hayashi a China Dove?
No, he is not. If at all, Hayashi is a very ardent supporter of the United States and its involvement in the Indo Pacific. But here is why Hayashi has been tapped in as foreign minister by the new Prime Minister of Japan: the man has many friends in China; he knows China in and out; he knows what to expect out of China in the next few years and; he has unprecedented knowledge of how to deal with China diplomatically, without ceding any space to the Communist nation.
Hayashi has not shied away from addressing the elephant in the room. After he was appointed foreign minister, Hayashi on Monday called his deep knowledge of China an asset in confronting Japan’s powerful neighbour. He said, “We do need somebody who knows China. We cannot be ‘panda huggers,’ but in China there is a saying: ‘Know your enemy and know yourself, and you can fight a hundred battles without danger.’ It’s always better to know your counterpart well than not to.”
On Thursday, during a press conference, Hayashi pledged to safeguard universal values as well as the peace and stability of Japan and other parts of the world in the face of China’s military build-up and assertive territorial claims. He said, “We are seeing more serious challenges to universal values, which have sustained peace and the stability of the international community, and the international order.” The new foreign minister also addressed the issue of China trying to unilaterally change the status quo, saying Japan will “argue what should be argued, and ask China to behave responsibly.”
According to a senior Japanese government official quoted by Nikkei Asia, “If anything, it will be more difficult to take a conciliatory diplomatic stance with China” under a minister seen as pro-Beijing.”
Going Soft on China A Luxury Japan Can’t Afford
Unless the Japanese leadership has lost its mind and turned into a suicidal bunch of sadists, the country’s anti-China activism will continue. Japan has entered a phase where individual leaders can no longer influence the direction which the country takes in its dealings with China. If Japan is to survive as a nation, it must prepare for a conflict with China from now itself. Japan is not faced with a choice. It is faced with an imminent war.
Read more: All hail the Samurais – Japan is changing its pacifist constitution, finally
So, China does not have much reason to celebrate. If at all, it needs to be worried. A man who knows China’s ins and outs has just been made a foreign minister in Japan. If Sun Tzu were alive today, he would die just out of fear of what Fumio Kishida has done. He has made a man who knows the enemy, in charge of Japan’s foreign policy.
And then, efforts seem to be afoot to further dilute Article 9 of the Japanese constitution – thus taking the country even farther away from its pacifist approach. Chinese student spies are being targeted by Japan regularly. Japan is stepping up defences around the Senkaku islands. It has committed to defending Taiwan when China invades it. Japan is partnering with Taiwan on multiple levels and across several fields. So, China’s woes vis-à-vis Japan are anything but over.