The following is from Yoshiko Sakurai's regular column in today's Sankei Shimbun.
This article also proves that she is a national treasure, a supreme national treasure defined by Saicho.
It is a must-read not only for the people of Japan but for people around the world.
Japan Rebuilding Invisible Grand Strategy
I am concerned about the Kishida White House.
He claims to be a cabinet of listening and decisive policy-making in response to emergencies, but is he listening or decisive?
While he claims to be taking over former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's policy of rebuilding Japan, I wonder if he is losing sight of the central axis.
One example is security.
The three security documents, including the National Security Strategy, were put into a splendid form in December last year, and all that remains now is to implement them.
China is our "greatest strategic challenge," and we will meet it with our collective national strength and in cooperation with allies and comrades.
To this end, we will raise defense-related expenditures to 2% of gross domestic product (GDP) by FY2027.
The White Paper on Defense released at the end of July stated that the proper budget includes the defense-related budgets of other countries.
The defense budget for FY9 totals about 11 trillion yen, about 9 trillion yen of which is pure defense spending and about 2 trillion yen of which is spread across other ministries and agencies.
The White Paper on Defense, which expresses the political will to materialize the three documents, reveals a picture of Japan being driven by the fast-moving international situation.
Looking at Europe and the United States, more than 2% of GDP is needed.
While the development of military power is a top priority, the weaponization of the economy has become the norm, and the importance of economic security has increased.
It is necessary to take the second step as soon as possible.
Our country's absolute lag in security is evident in our laws.
The foundation of the administrative, legal system is Business Law. Still, Shigeru Kitamura, former Director General of the National Security Bureau, points out that this set of laws, under which the government regulates private businesses from the perspective of security, development, etc., has little to do with the security perspective.
The construction of critical infrastructure facilities such as electric power, railroads, and water supply systems are all carried out following the respective business laws. There is no concept of adding the element of security that is natural in other countries.
The Economic Security Promotion Act enacted last year created four systems, including one for ensuring the safety of crucial infrastructure.
While this will make up for the deficiencies in the Business Law, which needs a security perspective, there is also a significant hole here.
One example is the data center, an important area not covered by the Business Act.
Data now forms the foundation of the nation as an organism.
If the data centers are destroyed, Japan will be forced to cease functioning, but the current Economic Security Promotion Act does not address this issue, so a revision is necessary.
The U.S. and Europe are now trying to regulate investment in China.
It is not in Japan's national interest that investment funds flow into China and support the Chinese economy.
From this point of view, the Economic Security Promotion Act should be further strengthened urgently.
It is the role of the prime minister to issue directives and propose a grand strategy further to strengthen the framework of Japan's system toward China, but he has yet to be able to do so.
Does he mean to say he is being modest toward China?
The Abe administration, supported by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida as a key cabinet member, has taken steps to improve the nation's defense individually.
First, the Specified Secret Protection Law was enacted in 2013 to enable the country to manage information.
Next, the Security Law broadened the scope of defense force operations and made it possible to exercise the right of collective self-defense.
In addition, when everything was linked to the military, an economic group was created in the National Security Bureau to promote economic security.
Each time the Abe administration launched a new system, its approval rating declined.
After several desperate battles, our country is now a little closer to normalcy.
But our fight is not over, and it is only getting tougher.
Our country is in the midst of the highest concentration of missiles and nuclear weapons on the planet, and we are still at a precarious distance from them.
Despite our desperate efforts to strengthen our military, we are still in a vulnerable position, even if we think about it for the next few years.
That is why we must become a nation, a society, and a country that can express its strength in all aspects.
Shigeru Kitamura recalls that Mr. Abe devoted much of his time to intelligence briefings, examining the situational awareness that is the premise for various policies.
Deep analysis of the situation is a source of strength.
China's Xi Jinping regime is currently in the midst of turmoil.
The key is to read behind China's messages.
We must look closely at their strengths and weaknesses and always deal with them as equals.
Never beg.
I can't help but wonder if Prime Minister Kishida has any intention of defending our nation's national identity.
The LGBT issue.
Prime Minister Kishida ordered the submission to the Diet of a bill to promote the utilization of radiation therapy for LGRT and other sexual minorities in conjunction with the G7 Summit in Hiroshima. Still, he was of the opinion that it would not be passed into law.
But in no time at all, it became law.
With none of the G7 countries having LGBT-specific laws, why did Japan, which has traditionally been more tolerant on this issue than other countries, have to create such a law?
The U.S. and Europe have reflected on their overzealous measures and are backtracking.
Why did Ambassador Emanuel force the Japanese government to enact a similar law when the U.S. itself, which has been overtly pressuring the Japanese community, is unlikely to do so due to opposition from the Republican Party?
Why did Prime Minister Kishida not persuade Japan to avoid enacting the law based on Japan's national character and traditions?
We must assume that because he had little understanding of Japan's national character, he could not refute the U.S., which did not understand our country's real situation.
As a Japanese citizen, I am highly disappointed.
This kind of thing creates a strong sense of incongruity in countries' relationships.
It is highly unwilling to be pressured into enacting laws outside our culture and traditions.
In particular, allied nations are a community of common destiny.
The relationship should be mutually beneficial and positive for the U.S. and Japan, but this incident has left me with a strong sense of discomfort.
It is a stain on Kishida's diplomacy.
I have another complaint.
It concerns the behavior of his son.
The photo of a few young relatives at the prime minister's residence did not seem like the behavior of a family from the upper intellectual class, one of Japan's most representative families.
I wonder if the prime minister realizes that he has disappointed many people by showing them the reality of an elite family that has produced a succession of prime and cabinet ministers.
This disappointment, I believe, also led to the question of what Japanese values Prime Minister Kishida holds dear.
