Fumio Kishida, the new Prime Minister of Japan, made his first call with US and Australian leaders on October 5. Experts say they will continue their pro-American and anti-Chinese approach during their tenure.
Mr. Kishida had a 20-minute conversation with President Joe Biden with a foreign leader for the first time since taking office the day before.
“We have confirmed that we will strengthen the Japan-US alliance and cooperate toward a free and open Indo-Pacific,” Kishida told reporters. “We also confirmed that we will work closely on issues related to China and North Korea.”
Biden said he reaffirmed US commitment to defend Japan, including Article 5 of the Japan-US Security Treaty, which gave Asian countries defense obligations. This article applies to the Senkaku Islands, which China also calls the Senkaku Islands.
On October 4, Biden sent Kishida Congratulations message, In his parliamentary elections, he called the Japan-US alliance the cornerstone of peace, security and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific and the world.
Prime Minister Kishida also met with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on October 5 and welcomed the creation of AUKUS, a new framework for security cooperation involving Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States. The two leaders opposed economic coercion and unilateral attempts to change the status quo in the East China Sea and South China Sea.
Mr. Chen Wenjia, Vice Chairman of the Japan Society of Taiwan, said Mr. Kishida will continue the pro-American, pro-Taiwan, and anti-China strategies that followed Shinzo Abe’s era.
Chen said the new prime minister would strengthen relations with the United States and make the national security issues involving China more stringent. This was in line with the anti-CCP sentiment popular with Japanese civilians and the LDP.
Kishida previously saidDeep alarmIn an interview with Tokyo-based Nikkei Asia on September 5, Beijing’s aggressive behavior at the diplomatic and economic level. The then prime minister revealed that if he succeeded in the Japanese leader election, countering the Chinese administration would be a top priority for his government.
Meanwhile, Mr. Chen said that he needed to flexibly deal with foreign countries because he pushed forward with the “Reiwa Income Doubling Plan.” Reiwa is the current era of the Japanese calendar. Mr Chen warned that he would take into account the issues of the Chinese market and North Korea’s nuclear weapons in particular.
Yujen Kuo, Managing Director of the Taiwan-based National Policy Institute, expressed a similar view on foreign policy in an interview with The Epoch Times on September 29.
Mr. Kuo said Mr. Kishida will support Taiwan in participating in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and other international organizations.
So far, Mr Kishida has been skeptical about whether China is suitable for joining the CPTPP trade agreement. First press conference October 4.
“We need to determine if China can meet the high standards required by trade agreements,” he said. “It’s still unclear if that’s possible.”
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Frank Yue is a Canadian-based journalist in The Epoch Times, covering news related to China. He also holds a master’s degree in English and literature from Tianjin Foreign Studies University in China.