Japan’s Takaichi targets Chinese ‘coercion’, US ties in first speech after landslide win

Highlighting Chinese “coercion”, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s first speech in parliament since her party’s landslide victory indicated that managing Tokyo’s relationship with Washington would be a priority, according to analysts.

Takaichi on Friday said Beijing’s growing “coercion” was driving the island nation to be “strong and prosperous” and that “Japan faces its most severe and complex security environment since World War II”.

“China is intensifying its attempts to unilaterally change the status quo by force or coercion in the East China Sea and the South China Sea, while also expanding and stepping up its military activities in the areas surrounding our country,” she added.

Analysts said Takaichi was walking a fine line to ensure she had the support of US President Donald Trump ahead of her visit to Washington next month.

On the one hand, Tokyo understood Trump’s expectation that Japan had to shoulder greater responsibility in countering China in the region. On the other hand, Takaichi attempted to hedge her stance by calling for “mutually beneficial relations” with Beijing, according to analysts.

With her ruling conservative coalition now holding more than two-thirds of the seats in parliament after the February 8 snap election, Takaichi has paved the way for increasing Japanese defence spending, expected to reach 2 per cent of GDP by the end of March.

South China Morning Post