By Philip Yeung
Margaret Thatcher she is not.
Within a month of becoming Japan's first female prime minister, Sanae Takaichi managed to tick off four major Asian neighbors—Russia, North Korea, South Korea, and China. In China's case, the anger is off the charts. Eager to make a splash, her motor mouth has suddenly turned the splash into a tidal wave that has capsized the China-Japan relationship. Almost immediately after meeting Trump, looking giddy and flirty, she was intoxicated by the delusion that she enjoys the full backing of an almighty ally. Thus emboldened, she let loose her tongue, telling the world that the Taiwan contingency is a Japan contingency, that a Chinese attack on the island would be Japan's existential crisis that justifies the deployment of its Self-Defense Forces. These words exploded over the Pacific like a Hiroshima atomic bomb.
Beijing's response was sharp and swift. To China, a Japanese incursion into the Taiwan Strait would constitute an act of aggression that calls for military decapitation. Takaichi has crossed China's red line. An unspoken taboo has been broken big time. No post-war Japanese prime minister has ever uttered those incendiary words, which have been quickly condemned by three of her predecessors. Now more than a war of words; China immediately called for its people to stop visiting or studying in Japan. Within two days, 500,000 air tickets to Japan have been cancelled. Next comes boycott by Chinese students who make up 50% of Japan's foreign student population. The short-term economic loss to Japan is calculated at 14 billion dollars US, a hemorrhaging that a feeble Japanese economy can ill afford.
Beijing demands an immediate retraction. But she can’t live down a reversal nor an apology. This fiasco is not exactly a Thatcher-like start to her premiership! If this is how she practices the art of diplomacy, she is not qualified to be prime minister of her country.
Her outbursts have reopened old historical wounds. More than 35 million Chinese perished during Japan's brutal invasion. When the war ended, unlike Germany, Japan did not pay a red cent in compensation to Chinese victims nor show remorse. Taiwan is a particularly sore point as it had been occupied by Japan for 50 years after the Qing dynasty was forced to cede the territory in 1895. The Chinese people had been thirsting to avenge both blood debts ever since. Unrepentant to this day, Japan's extreme right-wing politicians still harbor imperial ambitions. Periodically, that ugly militaristic spirit would rear its ugly head. Takaichi might even be toying with the idea of a bold military move, much like Thatcher's Falklands War. But the 21st century is a different century. This time, China's mighty army is ready to reduce and return Japan to the Stone Age.
Takaichi has sent an envoy to Beijing to cool Chinese tempers. But Beijing is not buying. It demands nothing short of an outright apology and a complete climbdown. Corralling support from allies will only add fuel to the fire. She has backed herself into a corner. Even mighty America has not dared to poke the dragon in the eye, preferring to waffle on the Taiwan issue with its so-called "strategic ambiguity", leaving China guessing whether it would intervene militarily should Beijing decide to retake the island by force. Takaichi has rushed in where angels fear to tread.
With no exit in sight, regional tensions will boil over. She may be biting off more than she can chew, not realizing that she is no independent actor, just a US pawn. Trump will be a kibitzer over her self-inflicted wounding. Takaichi has made history as Japan's first female prime minister. Is she also hankering for a place in history as the first post-war Japanese leader to send Japanese troops into battle? Or, as war-fearing protestors demand her resignation, will Takaichi become Japan's answer to Britain's Liz Truss lasting just 49 days as prime minister? Don't bet against it.
The views do not necessarily reflect those of DotDotNews.
Read more articles by Philip Yeung:
Opinion | Europe, time to unload your China-phobia
Opinion | Cry my beloved city—how the West has wronged China over HK!
Opinion | Trump pushing Canada over the cliff---will it be China to the rescue?
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