Japan's club membership brings risks to region: China Daily editorial

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's surprise visit to Ukraine on Tuesday, which was announced hours before his appearance on a train to Kyiv was recorded by media cameras, has grabbed more attention than his previous stop, a two-day visit to India.

He is the last of the G7 leaders to visit Ukraine, as well as the first Japanese prime minister to set foot in a military conflict zone since World War II.

Kishida seems intent on leading his country across the threshold into the arena of military conflicts by acting as a pawn of the United States.

Japan is not only an active participant in Washington's "Indo-Pacific" strategy and the Quad mechanism, both of which are aimed at containing China, but also, as the new "Indo-Pacific" initiative Kishida proposed in New Delhi indicates, a fecund hen ready to lay its own anti-China eggs.

Since its Constitution prohibits it from providing arms, the generous financial aid Japan has provided Ukraine with, second only to that of the US, not only shows Tokyo's enthusiasm to follow Washington's line but also signals to the other G7 members that it is no less committed to the cause than they are.

The intensive diplomatic agenda of the Japanese leader since early this month — he has met with the leaders of the Republic of Korea, Germany, India and Ukraine — could have had practical value if he had acted as a responsible broker of peace. He could have contributed to easing regional tensions in East Asia, maintaining the integrity of global supply chains, strengthening solidarity in the Asia-Pacific region and calming the situation in Europe.

Instead Kishida has done the opposite. His government is taking full advantage of Japan presiding over the G7 summit in May to act as a procurer touting for customers for the US' anti-China tavern, inviting the ROK and Indian leaders to the gathering of the rich club. That's an invitation Seoul and New Delhi, both big-time dreamers, cannot resist. It is disappointing that these countries share the same self-abasement psychology believing that only by aligning themselves with the West can they be regarded as first-class members of the international community.

Tokyo's willingness to serve as a springboard for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to enter the Asia-Pacific, or to take the lead in forming an "Asian NATO" on behalf of Washington can be attributed to that ingrained mindset as well.

It is clear that Japan cares more about the West's acceptance of it than regional countries' feelings and interests. Its neighbors were regarded as stepping stones for it to join the club of the West in the past, and they still are today. That being said, considering what Washington has instigated in Europe, the extent to which the Kishida government has shown its willingness to do Washington's bidding deserves caution by those giving an ear to its words and vigilance from the rest of the region.