Biden's arrogance shown by hamburger lunch: the truth of US-Japan relations

The Japan-US Summit Meeting held in Washington on April 16th. There is a flood of commentary on talks and joint statements in Japan, the United States, and China. Some media in Japan and the United States have different evaluations by 180 degrees. You can't read the truth unless you have a lot of literacy. Under these circumstances, there is one that clearly shows the discomfort of the US administration of Biden toward the Suga administration. It was a one-on-one meeting that doubled as lunch, with a hamburger on the table that was clearly too big for Yoshihide Suga's small mouth. Furthermore, during the previous Prime Minister's visit to the United States, as a matter of course for diplomatic ceremonies, former President Trump welcomed former Prime Minister Abe, who arrived at the White House, at the front door. But Biden refused that too. This overly explicit rudeness and cold treatment may be evidence that the preliminary talks of the Japan-US summit have ended unsuccessfully. In other words, it is believed that the Suga administration hasn't lose its consideration for the Xi administration due to the Taiwan issue, which is China's greatest core interest, and caused the Biden administration to be disappointed.

US President and Hamburger Lunch

How much treatment is it to provide Japanese people with a hamburger equivalent to a box of rice-balls for lunch with the leaders of a country that has traveled all the way from the Far East? It wouldn't be possible without a good deal. While raising the summit meeting, which was the first face-to-face meeting since taking office, as if it was a proof of "the highest priority on Japan ," he acted as if he would return his palm when he entered the White House.

Both leaders have taken the vaccine twice, no matter how much the corona is in the midst of it. It was said Mr. Suga had completed the PCR test just before he entered Washington. Nevertheless, because they covered the mouth with two thick and hard masks, it is equivalent to saying "don't eat". Moreover, Biden published the photo on the left on his Twitter account. After the World War II  among Japan' prime ministers who visited to the United States so far, no one received so much of insult like Mr. Suga.

Soon after finishing a joint press conference, Biden left White House to enjoy  a golf play with  friends  for the first time since taking in office. Considering that President Eisenhower improvised after a meeting with Nobusuke Kishi, who became prime minister after being released from the war criminals and visited the United States, Biden's behavior is strange.

At the time of the meeting with Philippine President Joseph Estrada (then) who visited the United States in July 2000, President Clinton offered a hamburger for lunch and treated him coldly, Philippine English newspaper reported. There was a clear reason for the cold treatment of the popular Filipino president. Estrada voted rejected ratification of the treaty on the survival of US military bases in the Philippines in September 1991 when he was a senator. In the end, the treaty was not ratified by a large number of vetoes, and the US military would be completely withdrawn from the Philippines by the end of 1992.

In response to the military gap created in the South China Sea, China enacted a territorial waters law in 1992, claiming that almost the entire South China Sea was its own territorial waters. Since then, the dispute for sovereignty with Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, and Taiwan, and fought with Vietnam started. Then 20 years after it becomes the era of Xi Jinping , China had constructed three military artificial islands on the reefs  of Spratly Islands that the Philippines claims sovereignty over. Today, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and the Netherlands responded to the call from the United States and advanced to the western Pacific Ocean to form a siege network for China. Military tensions with China are rising rapidly.

In addition to this, considering that the Filipino side had requested a visit to the United States for two years since Estrada took office, it was understandable that Clinton accepted Estrada reluctantly and treated it coldly. Is Mr. Suga's political behavior comparable to Estrada?

Are you resentful at the Suga administration, which sticks to "consideration for China"?

After the meeting, President Biden, who appeared in the White House garden for a press conference, said at the beginning, " Yoshi and I had a private time with lunch and tea. I'm really happy to welcome such an intimate and good partner. I think. " The face of Yoshi (Prime Minister Suga) = photo = towards Joe (President Biden) looked stiff and awe-inspiring. Dissatisfaction with the cold treatment did not appear in the face, and even a slight sense of relief was seen in the rugged look.

What did you feel relieved about? The reason is that the Japanese side was able to stick to the insistence on the Taiwan issue, which would determine the deterioration of relations with China.

The Suga administration does not seem to assume that "the United States will seriously defend Japan if Japan-China relations are in the worst situation." One commentary said, "The declining United States is running out of room. US is doing her best about the own country. As far as she blame China, it's dashing to take leadership, but if China decides to do it, that is, the Taiwan Strait or If we look straight ahead at the military clash over the Senkaku, it will be a "shattering". " The Suga administration seems to have decided that "excessive devotion to the United States is dangerous. In particular, they  will protect the position and interests of the Japanese business community, which has been unable to stand without coexistence and cooperation with China, as much as possible."

It seems that the reason why the initial visit to the United States was postponed for one week is that Japan did not succumb to the demands of the United States for a more in-depth stance on "Taiwan's stability (= Taiwan defense)". Although the preliminary discussions were unsuccessful, the US side reluctantly invited Mr. Suga to the White House because he could not cancel the announced schedule for visiting the United States. If you look at this, you can understand the background of Biden's extremely rude treatment of Suga.

The New York Times digital version of the article, published on April 16th, briefly but accurately described this process.

"The subtext of the meeting was responding to China’s influence and its aggressive actions in the Indo-Pacific and beyond — which Mr. Biden regards as one of the key challenges of his time in office. And it was a careful dance, with Japanese officials wary of being drawn into the tensions with Beijing over Taiwan, the South China Sea and the rapid split between the West’s open internet and a Chinese government-dominated closed one"

In addition, there are the following articles that pierce the core.

"It is Mr. Biden's true intention to leave the Chinese issue to Japan. Mr. Biden sent the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Defense to Japan in advance and made arrangements with Japan at the administrative level. challenge it, "such as to obtain the confidence of the Japanese people in lip service, substantially the East China Sea issue in the strategy of the United States to throw a round in Japan and interviewed it. US-Japan diplomatic sources, but rather in-depth with respect to per the It seems that there was prior consultation, and it was difficult. "

I think this view is mostly straightforward. Behind Biden's lip service that "the United States protects Japan with an iron wall," he learned from China, which claims that "the Senkaku Islands are part of Taiwan," and integrated Taiwan and the Senkaku. Perhaps the scenario of imposing it on Japan as a "matter of East China See", retreating the US military, and not covering it with mud was hidden. The Suga administration seems to have strongly resisted this in advance consultations.

Step on the tiger's tail

After returning to Japan, at the plenary session of the House of Representatives on April 20, Takashi Midorikawa of the Constitutional Democratic Party stated, "The joint statement mentions Taiwan for the first time in 52 years and" promotes a peaceful solution to the cross-strait issue. " "What will be different from the past?" Answered Prime Minister Suga.

"This is to clarify Japan's conventional position of expecting that the problems surrounding Taiwan will be peacefully resolved through direct dialogue between the parties, as a common position between Japan and the United States , and the Taiwan Strait. It has significance for peace and stability. "

In response to the question, Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker Makoto Oniki said, "President Biden regards China as the 'most serious competitor' and has expressed a strict stance. What kind of exchanges took place?"  The need for frank dialogue with China "was emphasized.

Kan administration has taken the position " to expect it to be resolved peacefully by direct dialogue between China and TaiwanThis position does not make changeThis is the core of friction and friction with the US side.

"Peaceful solution through direct dialogue" means "do not use force." If you read it more deeply, it can be seen as a statement of determination that Japan will devote itself to dialogue and will not be involved in the use of force over Taiwan. Moreover, in the joint statement, he even stepped in to " make this clearer as a common position between Japan and the United States ." The US government official may be angry at Mr. Suga's response to the Diet after returning to Japan.

The Suga administration has stepped on the tiger's tail.

During his stay in Washington, he was immediately "retaliated" against the new corona, which is the key to the rise of the administration.

 

Note : Please refer to the above-mentioned “Top emphasis given to Japan” that further distorts Japan-US relation. It's a trap."