Former senior executive of the Japan Self-Defense Force: The bottom line of competition with China includes the first island chain

(Central News Agency, Tokyo, 24th, Comprehensive Foreign News Report) Keihide Yoshida, Japan’s former chief of staff and current president of the Japan Defense University, advocated at the “Mount Fuji Dialogue” today that there are three undeniable bottom lines in competition with China, including the first island chain connecting Okinawa, Taiwan, and the Philippines.

"Nihon Keizai Shimbun" reported that the Japan Center for Economic Research (JCER) and the Japan Institute of International Studies (JIIA), a think tank of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, held the 13th "Mount Fuji Dialogue" in Tokyo today to discuss international issues.

After Yoshida stepped down as the chief of staff of Japan's Ministry of Defense (equivalent to the chief of staff) last year, he became the president of the National Defense University, which trains Self-Defense Forces cadres.

He attended the "Mount Fuji Dialogue" today and discussed with other negotiators the security and economic issues related to relations with China at the "Japan-US Alliance" themed forum. He advocated that there are "three red lines" (non-negotiable bottom lines) in competition with China, including "the first island chain connecting Okinawa, Taiwan, and the Philippines", "the function of nuclear deterrence", and "the advantages of Western countries in the field of advanced technology."

Yoshida argued that U.S. involvement in the first island chain, including the Korean Peninsula and Taiwan, is indispensable. The "Acheson Line" of defense in Asia revealed by the United States in 1950 did not include the Korean Peninsula and Taiwan, which allegedly gave North Korea the opportunity to invade the south.

In addition, Yoshida used artificial intelligence (AI) and other fields as examples to analyze. China's strength in three fields is gradually approaching that of the United States, and in some fields it has even surpassed the United States. He believes that Japan "cannot be reduced to a subordinate function in U.S.-China relations" and emphasizes the need for Japan to cooperate with the United States and play a proactive role.

Randall Schriver was the Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Indo-Pacific during Trump’s first presidential term. He pointed out during the symposium that threats to security are not limited to pure military warfare, but also include political warfare, information warfare, legal warfare and other hybrid warfare across multiple fields.

Schriver explained that the first island chain is far away from the United States and is increasingly difficult to maintain. Therefore, he advocated "the need to propose a concept similar to the "enhanced version of the first island chain"" and called on all countries to strengthen multilateral cooperation.

Japan’s former national security chief Okano Masaki said when referring to the Japan-U.S. alliance during the discussion, “It’s not just about its stability, it’s time to think about how to improve its sustainability.” He also predicted that even after the Trump administration ends, the U.S. trend of requiring allies to share more responsibilities will continue. Okano also advocated that "there cannot be a security vacuum in Asia" and believed that deepening Japan-US relations is indispensable.