Former Defense Minister Onodera implicitly criticized the Ukraine issue.Japan and Taiwan will be the same as Ukraine.
2022-02-24
Category:Ukraine
Photo by Secretary of Defense (licensed under CC0 1.0 )
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Former Defense Minister Onodera appeared on Sunday's report on the Ukraine incident and expressed his opinion.
Main remarks by Onodera
The Trump era did not exclude military resources.Biden ruled it out.Putin believes that the United States is just a mouthful.
The same thing happened in Afghanistan.It also happened in Ukraine.It could also happen in Taiwan.
Zelensky not only wants NATO to protect him, but also to protect his country.This will win the support of other countries.This is true of Japan, too.
I don't think we can do much about economic sanctions because we couldn't do anything during the Crimean Peninsula.
Taiwan has no military alliance with the United States.Looking at the present situation in the United States, Taiwan will eventually be abandoned.There is a trend in Taiwan to get along well with China.
The Ukraine issue is similar to the Taiwan issue, and Taiwan has not even declared independence.Neither the U.S. nor Japan has even approved it.In this relationship, we cannot help but be skeptical about what kind of legal framework the United States will use to defend Taiwan.In the U.S. Taiwan Relations Act, except for the provision of weapons to defend Taiwan, only the ambiguous phrase "appropriate action" is written.
Taiwan belongs to China internationally.The United Nations also defines the People's Republic of China as China's representative government[ref ].Taiwan's independence requires the international community to declare Taiwan a state of independence, and the countries concerned recognize it.We can form an alliance for the first time after national recognition.If China attacks before that, which country will help Taiwan?
POINT Trump would not have ruled out military options in Ukraine and would have approved Taiwan's independence.President Putin easily recognized the independence of pro-Russian forces.
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Has Ukraine given up NATO membership? Zelensky says NATO is not ready to accept Ukraine.
Zelensky said he no longer wants Ukraine to join NATO.This is one of the reasons why Russia invaded its pro-Western neighbors.NATO also said it was not ready to accept Ukraine.He said on February 24 he was ready to "compromise" on the status of two pro-Russian territories that President Vladimir Putin acknowledged as independent just before the invasion.Zelensky told NATO members through an interpreter that he did not want to be president of a "kneeling country."
Western countries have consistently said they will not send troops to Ukraine.In response, Zelensky repeatedly appealed for NATO cooperation, but he calmly considered the current situation and thought it would be difficult to join NATO.At the same time, Zelensky is demanding Ukraine's security from both NATO and Russia, and how to achieve this will be a challenge.Have there been any examples of NATO-Russia agreements in the past?In other words, considering what would happen if one side broke its promise, we would have to be very cautious about the NATO-Russia deal.
In any case, the only solution is to protect Ukraine's security.How to achieve this is the key to solving this problem.In other words, Zelensky has begun to agree.
What kind of response will NATO and Russia make to President Zelensky's message?
Can economic sanctions stop Russia's war?The cause of the war has not yet been discussed.
President Vladimir Putin has no intention of stopping the war amid economic sanctions imposed on Russia.In a telephone conversation with French President Jacques Macron, he said, "We will not stop attacking Ukraine until Russia has achieved its goals."Many media outlets, including Japan, predict that Russia will eventually end the war due to economic sanctions, but this is not the case.What is needed mainly to wage war is weapons to fight, fuel to power them, and food for soldiers.If these are missing, it will be difficult to continue the war.The idea that it is economically disadvantageous and profitable is a prewar discussion.
I want you to remember Japan's past history.Japan was surrounded by ABCDs.This is a siege of A=America (USA), B=Britain (UK), C=China (China), and D=Dutch (Netherlands).As a result, Japan was blocked from ironwork, oil, and food, which were essential for the continuation of the war.What was the result?The Great East Asian War and the Pacific War began.The economic blockade is threatening the survival of the country, and Japan had been trying to build an Asian economic bloc by further promoting the idea of a "Great East Asian Co-prosperity Zone."The idea of a great East Asian co-prosperity zone was to expel Western colonial rule in Asia, and economic sanctions would compensate for the loss caused by developing the development of the great East Asian co-prosperity zone.
When it comes to weapons, Russia is one of the world's leading military powers, and there are a lot of weapons already manufactured.In terms of fuel, Russia ranked seventh in the world in oil reserves and overtaken Saudi Arabia in 2010 as the world's largest oil producer.In terms of food, Russia's grain self-sufficiency rate is 124%.In other words, what is needed to continue the war is mainly available in Russia.
Mining is also active, producing 32% iron, 31% nickel, 27% tin, 21% cobalt, and 14% uranium of global production, as well as copper, lead, zinc, aluminum, titanium, gold, platinum, and diamond.Moreover, exports of fuel and energy products, mainly oil and natural gas, account for two-thirds of Russia's total exports, and European countries cannot engage in economic activities without purchasing natural gas from Russia.Therefore, this part is not subject to economic sanctions.So, will this stop the war?
Even in the past, the only way to stop the war was to defeat the enemy or to eliminate the cause of the war.Economic sanctions did not stop Japan's military it had little resources at that time.
Looking at the current situation in Russia, it seems that they have no intention of stopping the invasion of Ukraine.Attempts to persuade Putin should continue, but it seems impossible to stop the march unless the fundamental problem would be solved.
Japan, the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom and the EU announced sanctions against Russia.The content is limited, not enough to corner Russia.
Sanctions include (1) suspension of visa issuance and freezing of property for two "Republic" , (2) prohibition of import and export of two "Republics", and (3) prohibition of the issuance and distribution of new sovereign bonds in Japan.
Before that Japan's Foreign Minister Hayashi announced Japan will do sanctions in line with the G7, but the sanctions are not very strong.
German Chancellor Helmut Scholtz said on Wednesday he would suspend the approval process for a new gas pipeline (Nordstream 2) in Germany and Russia.Nordstream 2 is a pipeline that imports natural gas from Russia in the future without going through Ukraine, but will be suspended.However, it is doubtful how effective the sanctions will be because the current pipeline is exported to European countries via Ukraine.
The sanctions announced by the U.S. government are very limited.Pro-Russian-controlled areas are prohibited from doing economic transactions with the U.S. It was not sanctions against Russia.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has imposed sanctions on five banks and three Russian billionaires, saying they will be banned from traveling to Britain.
The EU said it agreed to target 27 individuals and organizations that "play a role in weakening or threatening Ukraine's territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence."
In any case, it is not a comprehensive plan to corner Russia's economy, but a partial, limited, and future solution.
Russia was subject to economic sanctions over the Crimean Peninsula last time, and based on its experience and current economic relations between the U.S. and Europe, it predicted the size of the sanctions and decided to send troops to Donetsk and Lugansk.Territorial disputes will benefit the region permanently after its conquest.Crimea ,Donetsk and Lugansk have 3,796,000 people, and after all Russia will occupy their economy.
Economic sanctions against territorial aggression cannot be used as a countermeasure from the beginning.Unless Russia returns it, losses from economic sanctions will be recovered from the region.
How will the Ukraine issue end?What's the possibility of a Russian withdrawal from Ukraine?Is there a way to solve it?
What is the root of Ukraine's problem?At first glance, Russia, angry at Ukraine's commitment to the West, launched a military invasion, but this is essentially a matter of military demarcation.NATO included Ukraine in its group of "future participants" in 2008.Membership is subject to unanimity of the Member States.Among them, Zelensky, who strongly urged NATO participation, was elected president in 2019, strengthening his influence on Europe and the United States.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said at a press conference after an extraordinary meeting of the North Atlantic Council (NAC) in April 2021, "Ukraine has the right to apply for membership".Russia strongly criticized the USS (DDG-71) Ross, a U.S. naval missile destroyer, for entering the Black Sea on June 26 in the name of military exercises.
If Ukraine joins NATO, Europe's military demarcation line will be drastically changed.It is about 920 kilometers by land from Stapa, a city near the Romanian border, to Shotoska, a Ukrainian city near the Russian border.In other words, the military demarcation line will move at least 900 kilometers.NATO has repeatedly argued that this is Ukraine's intention, and NATO is on the side of accepting it.
For example, what would Japan say if Russia announced that it would build a large-scale military, naval and air base in the northern territories?Please, it can't be helped because it's Russia's right.I don't think so.The difference is that Japan does not take military action, but Russia tries to stop it by taking military action.This is Russia's mistake and to be criticized, but the war has actually begun.
The problem seems to be Ukraine's, but it is fundamentally NATO and Russia's.Joining NATO is own to Ukraine's will, NATO said it would not send troops to Ukraine, maintaining a third-party position.In a sense,NATO want to say this is not a NATO issue, but a Ukraine issue.Is that really the case?
What is the specific way to stop Russia's invasion?Currently, the world is imposing economic sanctions on Russia.How likely is this to stop Russia?It is said that the ruble has plummeted, but it has fallen by about 20 percent.Russia's main industrial structure is resource trade, making it more difficult to default than that of processing trade-oriented countries.The key is how long Russia's economy will last, but what is the time axis?
Anti-war demonstrations are taking place around the world.While they are effective in calling for a coalition of liberal countries and arousing international public opinion, the key is how much they can influence Russian public opinion.Russia is not a country with freedom of expression, and anti-war protesters in Russia are being arrested one after another.Only the Russian people can oust Putin.But Russia's next presidential election will be 2024.
Ukraine is negotiating a ceasefire with Russia. Will this stop the war?One of the conditions Russia is proposing to Ukraine is "demilitarization."I don't think Ukraine will drink this.And, as mentioned above, it is doubtful whether Ukraine is an opportunity for Russia and a negotiating partner.Russia has always said the problem is NATO's expansion to the east.
If this is a matter of military demarcation, who is involved?That is NATO and Russia.The most fundamental solution is to reach a truce agreement through consultations between the two parties and Ukraine.But NATO will not change its position as a third party.International public opinion is moving toward anti-war movements based on sympathy for Ukraine, but another direction for international public opinion is to bring NATO to the negotiating table, regardless of whether it is good or bad.
Ukraine is not a NATO member, so I understand that Western countries will not participate in the war, but will they never sit at the negotiating table?If not, there is a high possibility that the invasion of Ukraine will not stop.
Ukrainian military shelling of Russian military clergy ? just a false bombing, or is the battle moving into the next phase?
The Russian Orthodox Church said on the 25th that a Russian military cleric was killed in a rocket attack from the Ukrainian side near the Ukrainian border in the southwest.
Will the war enter the next phase, or is this just a false bombing, or is it an intelligence war by Russia?Ukraine is currently defending itself.This is a defense against Russian aggression.When the Ukrainian attack is directed across the border at Russia, the situation enters the next phase.A defensive battle is a war of attrition that fights against an enemy who has invaded the country while suffering domestic damage.The fact that Japan does not allow anything other than self-defense is assumed to be such a battle.Although their military facilities, towns and infrastructure are destroyed, the enemy territory remains intact, so the fighting naturally becomes inferior.If the U.N. attacks Russia this time, it will be a phase of a clear all-out war.
After Zelensky's speech to the U.S. House of Representatives, Biden announced that he would provide Ukraine with 100 attack drones.If attack drones and missile attacks are carried out on Russia in the future, Russian civilians will be killed in large numbers.And there will be many changes in public opinion in Russia.It is worrisome how public opinion in Russia will change when its own citizens begin to suffer from the damage.
The longer the battle, the more disadvantageous it is.Japan's inferiority in the Pacific War was partly due to its inability to attack the U.S. mainland at all.
