Tokyo, Sept. 18 (Jiji Press)–The reshuffled cabinet of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi faces some daunting diplomatic challenges, such as responses to a potential rapid pivot in U.S.-China relations. A major goal of the new Takaichi cabinet, launched Thursday, is maintaining a stable relationship with the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, which has been unpredictable in terms of diplomacy. With the closely watched summit between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping to be held next week, Tokyo is hoping to beef up its communication with the U.S. side. Despite such an aspiration, the U.S. government’s sanctions on International Criminal Court President Tomoko Akane, a Japanese national, will likely be a thorn in Tokyo-Washington ties. Meanwhile, Japan’s relations with China remain frayed following Beijing’s backlash toward Takaichi’s remarks last November regarding a possible contingency over Taiwan. Trump and Xi are expected to hold a meeting in Washington on Thursday next week, and the two are slated to meet two more times within this year. The U.S. leader is apparently aiming to gain a concrete economic result in the Thursday meeting, ahead of the U.S. midterm elections in November. Japan is worried about the possibility of being sidelined if the United States and China forge friendlier ties, a drastic change from the two countries’ soured relationship that resulted from their trade war just last year. A potential Trump-Xi agreement could affect Japan’s security and economic policies. “The United States and China growing too much closer would be problematic,” a Japanese government source said, apparently concerned over the unpredictable nature of Trump. Takaichi will travel to the United States next week to attend a U.N. General Assembly session. During the visit, she hopes to exchange views with Trump and share their views on their countries’ policies on China. In-depth discussions, however, could expose differences in views on the ICC and other sensitive issues. The United States has added Akane to its list of those under sanctions and has voiced a desire to dismantle the ICC, despite not being a member of The Hague-based organization. Takaichi, who has highlighted the importance of the rule of law, supports the ICC. Amid growing calls from both the ruling and opposition parties in Japan for demanding the withdrawal of the sanctions and lodging a protest to the United States, the prime minister faces a challenge of upholding the principle of the rule of law while maintaining Japan’s alliance with Washington at the same time. Japan-China relations have cooled following Takaichi’s Taiwan remarks, with China piling pressure on Japan, including on the economic front, and leaving almost no room for dialogue. Takaichi is trying to look for an opportunity to hold talks with Xi on the sidelines of a summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in China in November. Still, a senior Foreign Ministry official said, “We aren’t in an environment where we can set up talks.” Japan’s relations with Russia have remained stalled as well. Tokyo has been struggling to take fresh actions against Moscow after Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Etorofu, one of the northwestern Pacific islands at the center of the two nations’ long-standing territorial dispute in August. The islands, seized by the former Soviet Union from Japan at the end of World War II, are controlled by Russia and have long been claimed by Tokyo. Tokyo’s lack of decisive measures against Moscow reflects its concern over any possible impact on its energy procurement from Russia at a time when the Middle East situation remains unstable. Some within the Japanese government have voiced frustration, with one official saying, “We can’t just sit back and do nothing (over Putin’s visit to Etorofu) given that it’s about our territory.” END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
