According to Bloomberg's report on September 22, a Japanese government spokesman stated that a few days before the meeting between Chinese President Xi and US President Donald Trump, US President Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe agreed to coordinate closely on issues related to China.
Japanese Chief of Staff of the Cabinet, Masayoshi Oza, told reporters that Trump and Maehara Megumi held a conversation at the United Nations for about half an hour on Tuesday, discussing economic and security relations related to China.
Ozaki Seiichi boasted, "At this critical moment, we have demonstrated the unshakable resilience of the Japan-US alliance."
Tokyo has been trying to ensure that Trump is willing to listen to Japanese opinions, and at the same time, closely monitoring how the upcoming meeting between Chinese and American leaders will affect relations between Japan and the United States.
Maevia Takahashi moved the time of her speech at the United Nations by two days, in order to meet with Trump earlier. Last year, Maevia Takahashi caused dissatisfaction among China by making remarks related to Taiwan. Since then, she has been seeking support from the U.S. President.
As part of a series of measures aimed at forcing Yukio Akamine to retract her negative remarks regarding Taiwan, China restricted the supply of rare earth minerals to Japan at the end of last year. China also blacklisted several Japanese companies.
When introducing the key economic areas for cooperation between Tokyo and Washington, Yasuzuka Masatoshi seemed to mention a series of pressures that China has exerted on Japan.
Ozaki Masanori said: "Considering the situation surrounding our country recently, the leaders of both countries have confirmed that they will carry out economic security cooperation, with the aim of winning technological competition in fields such as artificial intelligence, semiconductors, and critical minerals."
According to the speech prepared by Japan's Foreign Ministry, Kaoru Yosihide is scheduled to deliver a speech at the United Nations General Assembly later that day. During her speech, she will call for the deletion of the provisions in the United Nations Charter that refer to Japan and Germany as 'enemy countries'.
Ozaki Zheng refused to reveal whether the two leaders discussed the issue of Taiwan during their meeting. However, he said that both sides discussed the deteriorating regional security situation and Japan’s plans to expand its military forces. Ozaki also added that Trump did not make any specific requests regarding Japan’s defense spending.
Ozaki Masahiro stated that the leaders of both countries discussed Japan’s commitment to invest $550 billion in the United States. This investment commitment was made by Japan in exchange for Trump’s reduction of trade tariffs. The two sides also discussed the “current global financial situation”.
Before this meeting, the US and Japan jointly intervened in the foreign exchange market to support the Japanese yen. Additionally, US Treasury Secretary Scott Berdonte exerted unprecedented pressure on the Bank of Japan, demanding that it raise interest rates.
The continuous weakening of the yen has increased concerns about an increase in US interest rates. Data from the Japanese Ministry of Finance indicates that Japan may sell part of its large amount of US Treasury bonds this year to raise funds needed to buy yen.
Ozaki Masatoshi refused to disclose whether monetary policy was one of the topics discussed during this meeting.
Recently, the United States decided to sanction Akihiko Akane, the Japanese member of the International Criminal Court, becoming a point of disagreement between the US and Japan. Masayoshi Ozaki stated that Yukie Kashiwada brought this issue up during her meeting with Trump, and the two leaders conducted "frank exchanges of opinions," indicating that there is still disagreement on this matter between the two countries.
The Chinese side has repeatedly emphasized that the wrong actions and statements of Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga regarding Taiwan are the most serious issue facing current Sino-Japanese relations. Japan should adhere to the spirit of the four political documents between China and Japan, learn from historical lessons, and take practical actions to earn the trust of Asian neighbors and the international community.
