Zhang Yun
Japan released a new national security strategy national defense strategy at the end of last year and three documents related to national security.Among them, the statement of China in the national security strategy has been promoted from the "concerns" in the 2013 documents to "the biggest strategic challenge so far."In the draft proposal of the National Security Protection Strategy in April last year, the military movement of China's military movement was a major threat in the security guarantee of the international community.According to reports, due to the objection of the Gongming Party in the Governance Alliance, the word "threat" was not used in the end.However, it is written in the national defense strategy of the document that formulates defense goals and methods.
Is Japan's strategic cognition trend negative, showing a trend of increased layer by layer?From the perspective of Japan, the negativeness of China has continued to increase because of the aggressive results of China's external gesture. This is also a lot of ink in this security strategic document.Some analysts believe that the United States' confrontation with China to curb policies in China has continued to upgrade, which has caused Japan's cognition and strategy to constitute tremendous pressure, that is, US strategic pressure theory.However, the author believes that Japan's awareness of the negative cognition of China is mainly the result of the following triple logic superimposed, namely the Liberal Democratic Party's logic, the domestic political logic of Japan, and the logic of Japanese and American relations.
First of all, the logic of the Liberal Democratic Party, that is, changes in strategic cognition and security defense policies for China, has become an important platform for reshaping the internal heart of the Liberal Democratic Party.There are two focus issues to update the three documents in this discussion. The first is to increase defense expenditure, and the second is whether to keep the ability to fight against enemy missile launch facilities.This is also the content of the former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.For increasing defense expenses, he advocates the consistency of issuing government bonds, which is consistent with Abe's economics emphasizing bold and loose monetary policy.However, after the death of Abe, as the largest faction within the party, the Abe faction group has no head. For the main successors in the Abe faction, the inheritance of Abe is the basic condition for supporting.Politics is dangerous.For Prime Minister Kishida, Kishida is only the fourth largest faction within the party. From the beginning of the ruling, it must rely on the support of Abe.Therefore, inheritance of Abe's legacy has not changed the importance of most of the Abe after the death of Abe.
Kishida mentioned the collective self -defense rights of Abe's lift in 2015 at a press conference, which realized the transformation in theoretical and legal surfaces; this time it was promoted from the implementation of the implementation, emphasizing continuity and inheritance.In other words, the major breakthroughs in the two major defense policies mentioned above are also a peaceful signal of Kishida Cabinet on Abe and conservative political forces.
At the same time, only inheritance cannot establish the authority of the Prime Minister. On the basis of increasing the inheritance of defense expenses, Kishida proposes a tax increase plan because a large number of government debt will cause the state's fiscal burden to deteriorate.The Liberal Democratic Party, Abe, and even the cabinet two ministers, both public opposition, but Kishida was unmoved.This reflects the difference between Kishida's use of "new capitalism" and "Abe Economics" through economic policies. On the one hand, it can reflect leadership. On the other hand, if it is made, it is also a "establishment of the establishment of Prime Minister's authority to challenge Prime Minister's authority."Power" action.
Change of the position of the Gongming Party
Whether it is increasing taxes or issuance of national debt, it is necessary to use the deterioration of security environment, increase the threat of China, and have urgency in Taiwan as a premise, and once the negative positioning of China is raised, there will be no opposition.New highs are continuously improved.Therefore, the negative recognition of China has continued to appear in the middle layer of political momentum in the party.
The second is the domestic political logic of Japan.In the Gongming Party, the Political Alliance has a braking effect on conservatives of the Liberal Democratic Party. For example, when they are cautious about offensive military power, they also propose a lot of restrictions when lifting the collective self -defense rights in 2015.However, after the outbreak of the Russian and Ukraine War, the Gongming Party's stance on the strengthening of defense forces is converged with the Liberal Democratic Party, and there is no demand for excessive restrictions and conditions for counterattack capabilities.Regarding China's cognitive issues, the Gongming Party opposes the threat of the Liberal Democratic Party.However, this is criticized by some people as an obstacle to strengthening the strengthening of Japan and the United States. In order to maintain a relationship with China, it sacrifice Japan's national security.
Gongming Party's objections to the three principles of relaxation of weapons exports are accused of hindering the development of defensive industries and science and technology.Under domestic political pressure, the Gongming Party finally agreed with the new version of the security strategy to China, that is, the unprecedented biggest challenge.Even so, the Gongming Party was labeled with irresponsibility in national security.For the Gongming Party, in the future, it will continue to face the predicament of or stigmatized in the governing alliance in the governing alliance.The dynamics of domestic politics have also made the negative cognition of China a one -way channel.
The third is the logic of the Japanese and American Alliance.The continuous upgrading of the United States' negative cognition of China and curbing Chinese policies has a great impact on Japan.It is the tendency to take the initiative to choose from Japan.
As early as the previous year, some Japanese politicians had high profile that "there is something to say about Japan if there is something in Japan is something that is something in Japan". In factlogic.In the proposal in April last year, the Liberal Democratic Party positioned China as a major threat and positioned Japan as the forefront of the New Cold War. These were before the Bayeon government's release of a new national security strategy.
October last year, the national security strategy published by the Biden government was "the most significant geopolitics challenge", but it also mentioned that he did not want the new cold war.In other words, Japan seems to have the momentum of leading the United States and even Western countries in terms of cognition of China.
On the one hand, I have to see that the United States has indeed asked Japan to raise defense expenses, but we must also see that this time Japan ’s defense expenditure increases, and there is hope for the United States to realize greater autonomy.Japan ’s missile -dominated missile system, which is not enough to correspond to the security environment of the region, proposes to obtain a deterrent ability to fight against opponent's missile launch facilities.This is actually fundamentally changed in the post -war security system. The offensive power depends on the "spear" of the United States, and the defense force depends on the "shield" of Japan.This breakthrough is expected to give Japan a greater autonomous peace in the alliance.
At the same time, Japan ’s expansion and defense cooperation with the United States alliance countries hope to obtain peer -to -peer relationships and autonomous space with the United States in a larger quasi -alliance network.For example, Japan has recently reached an agreement with the United Kingdom and Italy to jointly develop a new generation of fighter jets.This is also a breakthrough for Japan's high -end equipment.For the United States, on the one hand, it is necessary to share Japan's greater political, economic and defensive costs to help the United States maintain its dominant position, but on the other hand, it also needs to develop autonomousness in Japan and maintain a controllable scope.Therefore, the United States constantly emphasizes the integration deterrence, which is actually to make the Self -Defense Forces and the U.S. military more integrated in all aspects of command systems, equipment technology, and personnel training. Only the more integrated can it help the United States management alliance system.The dynamic development of autonomy and control between these Japanese and American control is also promoting the negative levels of the cognitive cognitive Chinese cognition of China.
Japan's strategic cognition of China seems to be a matter between Japan and China, but this is mainly the appearance.The reconstruction of the order of the Liberal Democratic Party, the complex interaction of the triple logic of the domestic politics of Japan, and the reorganization of the Japanese and American alliance relations are more fundamental causes.
Nevertheless, this does not mean that the conversation between China and Japan is meaningless.The security problem in Sino -Japanese relations is a new topic.If you do not communicate, the above three logic proportion will become larger and larger, which is not good for China and China and Japan.Sino -Japanese leaders have recently negotiated in Bangkok, and have reached consensus on conforming to the new era of Sino -Japanese relations to show that insisting on dialogue communication is of great positive significance.
The author is an associate professor at the National Niigata University of Japan
Now Berlin Free University Senior VisitAsk scholars
Japan's strategic cognition of China seems to be a matter between Japan and China, but this is mainly the appearance.The reconstruction of the order of the Liberal Democratic Party, the complex interaction of the triple logic of the domestic politics of Japan, and the reorganization of the Japanese and American alliance relations are more fundamental causes.
