The following is from a feature article in the January issue of WiLL, a monthly magazine, published on November 26, titled "Irreverent Komeito! They crushed Sanae Takaichi's defense budget GDP of 2%.
It is from a unique conversation between Masayuki Takayama, the one and only journalist in the postwar world, and Rui Abiru, an editorial writer for the Sankei Shimbun, one of the best journalists in the world.
It is a must-read for the Japanese people and people worldwide.
Constitutional revision, condemnation resolution against China, 2% defense spending quota
The Komeito, a drag on the LDP, is necessary, isn't it!
The emphasis in the text except for the headline is mine.
The following is a continuation of "The LDP had Takaichi.
The Limits of Kochukai Politics
Takayama
Both the newspapers and NHK missed the story a lot. One of the main reasons for their omission was probably their dislike of the Communist Party, but they also couldn't see the people's will.
The voters wanted to hang on to the spirit of the Liberal Democratic Party, which Takaichi had briefly shown them.
That was the will of the people.
That is why I thought that the Kishida administration, which won the general election, would continue to push Takaichi to the forefront, but I was wrong.
Looking at the lineup of the second Kishida cabinet, I feel uneasy.
Takaichi is still in the party's inner circle.
Toshimitsu Motegi has been appointed to replace Akira Amari as secretary-general.
The pro-China Yoshimasa Hayashi filled the vacant post of foreign minister.
These appointments do not have the crispness and freshness of Takaichi.
I'm sure many voters tilted their heads and thought, "Oh, it's just the "LDP that can't take a stand" coming back.
Abiru
I feel the same uneasiness.
Foreign Minister Hayashi is a cautious person, so I don't think he will say or do anything so extreme that people will say, "Look, he's pro-China.
However, he has served as the chairman of the Japan-China Friendship Diet for two consecutive generations. He has expressed his support for China's "One Belt, One Road" plan, a vast economic zone, and for Xi Jinping's visit to Japan as a state guest.
Rather than Mr. Hayashi himself, I wonder if Prime Minister Kishida is in any way responsible for appointing Mr. Hayashi.
Takayama
The appointment of Hayashi as a foreign minister could be seen as lacking in international common sense.
It will have an impact on Japan-US relations and Japan-Taiwan relations.
Abiru
Prime Minister Kishida says, "Minister Hayashi has studied in the U.S. and is a knowledgeable American," but there is no doubt that he is also a "knowledgeable Chinese.
How does this look to the United States, showing a willingness to fight totalitarian forces such as China and Russia?
And how will China react to this?
Takayama
The year 2022 marks the 50th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between Japan and China. Is there a concern that Xi Jinping's visit to Japan as a state guest may resurface?
Abiru
However, Xi Jinping has refrained from traveling out of Japan due to the corona disaster, and there are rumors that he is afraid of being assassinated.
In addition, Japanese public sentiment is unlikely to be in a welcoming mood now that China's problems are erupting worldwide.
The Kishida administration could be over in a flash if it goes ahead with the visit, so the possibility of a state visit to Japan is unlikely.
Takayama
According to a joint survey conducted by Asahi and the Taniguchi Laboratory of the University of Tokyo, "many of the candidates of each party in the lower house election do not feel friendly toward China" (Asahi Shimbun, October 29, 2021).
In a general survey, 90.9% of respondents said their impression of China was "not good" (Japan-China Joint Public Opinion Survey, released October 20, 2021), higher than Korea.
Abiru
Meanwhile, the Beijing Winter Olympics are scheduled to be held in February 2022. A major decision will have to be made as to whether or not government officials will boycott attendance at the opening ceremony.
Takayama
Perhaps as a quid pro quo for Hayashi's appointment, former Defense Minister Gen Nakatani has been appointed as assistant minister for human rights.
Abiru
Mr. Nakatani has been working diligently on human rights issues, including establishing the Non-partisan Diet Members' League for Human Rights Diplomacy.
On the other hand, in July, former Chief Cabinet Secretary Yohei Kono was invited as a lecturer at the LDP Central Graduate School of Politics, where Mr. Nakatani himself served as the director.
Mr. Kono is the head of the pro-China faction, the creator of the Kono Statement, and the one who sent a congratulatory telegram to the Chinese Communist Party on its 100th anniversary, the party responsible for suppressing human rights.
Takayama
In 2015, Hajime Funada, the ruling party's top secretary (Liberal Democratic Party) for the Constitutional Review Committee of the House of Representatives, recommended Yasuo Hasebe of Waseda University as a witness to the Constitutional Review Committee.
Hasebe, a constitutional scholar under the tutelage of Asahi, became a big problem within the LDP when he declared that the exercise of the right of collective self-defense was unconstitutional.
Nakatani is doing the same thing.
Abiru
Mr. Nakatani calls himself a "liberal," but he is not very wise regarding the current situation.
When I wrote in my Sankei column "Kyokugen Gomen" (November 11) that "Mr. Nakatani may need an assistant in charge of historical awareness issues," I received a message directly from Mr. Nakatani in an e-mail from a fellow reporter to the effect of "I will keep this in mind" (laughs).
Takayama
You don't know how serious they are. I don't think Hayashi and Nakatani will take a strong stand against China.
Abiru
That concern continues to smolder. A veteran politician said, "We can see the limits of the politics of the Kochi Kai.
This article continues.
