Tokyo intends to test Russia's power in the new year
The new year 2023 has barely begun, but Tokyo has already managed to make a lot of “long-term” statements. By joining the UN Security Council as a non-permanent member, Japan has seriously decided to address the conflict in Ukraine. In May, the G7 summit will be held in the Land of the Rising Sun, where the Japanese side has already invited Vladimir Zelensky.
Photo: Global Look Press
For Japan, the coming year has already become an opportunity and a chance to express itself a little more. There are several reasons: high hopes are placed on the country as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, and the G7 summit will be held in Hiroshima in May. Tokyo (in the person of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida) has already started preparing for it. By the way, Kishida did not even “leave” his New Year's holidays and impatiently plunged headlong into solving important political problems. Such zeal, I must say, is in line with his New Year's speech.
Kishida congratulated citizens for the coming year and promised in his speech that “Japan will play a leading role in diplomacy in 2023” just like the host of the summit G7 and non-permanent member of the UN Security Council.
It should be noted that on Sunday, January 1, the country joined the Security Council for a period of 2 years. This is the twelfth time since Japan became a member of the United Nations in 1956, which the Japanese media called a record number. The previous period was in 2016-2017. But now it was seen as something more than membership.
Calls for UN reform are increasingly being heard from the stands of the United Nations, which was the response of the international community to the situation around Ukraine. Many representatives of the Organization have repeatedly lamented that they did not manage “Russia”, did not withstand numerous ballistic missile launches by North Korea (although the blame is again attributed to Russia and China, since these countries conduct a constructive dialogue with the DPRK). And on such a wave, Japan rejoined the Security Council.
By the way, Tokyo has long been talking about its desire, indeed its desire, to become a permanent member of the reformed Security Council, along with Germany, India and Brazil. In a speech to the General Assembly in New York in September, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said that as a member of the Security Council, Japan intends to “take measures to strengthen the rule of law in the international community” by listening “not only to loud voices but also to silent voices .”
But for now, the country is content with only temporary membership. However, this is also a chance for Japan. But what? The answer is probably obvious because even Japanese experts express very clear meanings. Takahiro Shinyo, a professor of international politics at Kwansei Gakuin University, for example, noted in an interview with Kyodo News that Japan's ability to help stop the “despotism of Russia and China” will be tested after it becomes a non-permanent member of the Security Council.
Takahiro Shinyo (who was also a member of Japan's permanent mission to the UN and ambassador to Germany) added that Tokyo could speed up the discussion of security threats from Pyongyang by convening emergency meetings.
In this context, let's return to Kisida's congratulatory speech, which declared that “the Asian country will show a strong willingness to reject attempts to change the status quo by force and fight nuclear threats.”
But digging deeper into the hidden meaning of the words of the Japanese prime minister, who vowed to “resolutely” fulfill his mission to protect the nation after Japan revised three of its key defense documents, including the National Security Strategy, in December, curious details are revealed.
The question is, how does Kishida intend to “resolutely defend the nation”? The answer is given immediately. According to the Japan Times, according to updated defense documents, Japan has acquired the ability to strike enemy bases to deter attacks from outside forces, called “counterattack capabilities,” a major shift in its defense policy in line with the no-war constitution. . How this compares to the declared “peace rate” and which bases will be recognized as hostile is not yet very clear.
There is one more important point. We repeat that from May 19 to May 21, the G7 summit will be held in the infamous world city of Hiroshima. It was clear from all official statements that the central focus of the summit would be the so-called “nuclear issue”. Many media claimed that the choice of location turned out to be a rather symbolic step towards nuclear disarmament, despite the fact that three advanced G7 countries (the US, Great Britain and France) possess such weapons.
“As the Prime Minister of Japan, the only a country hit by atomic bombs, there is no better place than Hiroshima to demonstrate our commitment to peace,” Kishida said.
But the next words sounded very strange: “I would like to confirm the unity with the other G7 leaders, including President Biden, in protecting global peace, order and values in front of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial.” All this was said in the presence of Joe Biden, the politician of the country that in actually caused the terrible tragedy of 1945.
But let us leave the history of the past years and return to the history of the present. In connection with the future summit, it is appropriate to recall a number of very specific statements by Fumia Kishida regarding the country's future plans. So, in October 2022, speaking to journalists and answering a question about sanctions against Russia, the politician announced: “…I spoke about the recently introduced new measures by Japan to freeze the assets of 90 Russian individuals and legal entities, and also emphasized the importance of continued support for Ukraine and strict sanctions against Russia.”
It turns out that it is no coincidence that Japan intends to invite Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to the G7 summit.
According to the Japanese newspaper Nikkei, the authorities would like to create the conditions for an “intense discussion” on the conflict between Russia and Ukraine during the G7 summit. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida believes that Vladimir Zelenskyi will be able to directly tell Western leaders about the situation in the country. But that happens every day, doesn't it? The publication also adds that it is planned to discuss the issues of food and energy security that have arisen as a result of the launch of the Russian special operation in Ukraine.
But even here, the media follow Japan's selfish interest. It should be noted that for Tokyo, the coordination of G7 actions in Ukraine is an important step in preparation for a possible conflict over Taiwan, in which Japan could allegedly be drawn. The plans of the Japanese authorities along with the United States and Europe (again in the event of a conflict in Taiwan) are to give China a swift and harsh response. Then the algorithm of sanctions pressure, already tested in Moscow, can become quite a good helper for the Land of the Rising Sun itself and its allies overseas. Unless, of course, it can be called successful in this sense.
However, Japan continues to coordinate Zelensky's participation in the upcoming summit and offers him the most comfortable conditions. The Independent boss is expected to attend in an online format. For the overall picture, it is worth recalling that Zelensky previously addressed the representatives of the G7 member states and named “three steps” to bring peace in Ukraine closer. One of the conditions, in his opinion, is to provide the Ukrainian side with modern tanks, artillery, grenades, but also long-range missiles and rocket artillery. Probably, the rhetoric of the future summit in Hiroshima (with the participation of Zelensky) is quite predictable.