Lol are they wargaming the PLA of 1990s? I really hope there are sane japanese leaders who don't believe this
The Japanese act like a reluctant lapdog.
They do not want to get involved, but due to having treaty agreements with the United States they are obligated to do something, at least when asked to.
Every time something develops, the Japanese stay silent. Then a few days later they might say something. That is not the reaction of someone who cares. That is someone going through the motions, because they were told to do so.
Remember Chairman Mao, the goal was to evict the Americans from East Asia. Even though no one says anything, this is the biggest split I have ever seen between the Americans and their allies in South Korea and Japan. Economic interests used to be in complete alignment. Now they are diverging sharply. That is a real split in terms of national interests.
1. National strength still rests on economic health. If we do not believe that, then why did the West sanctioned Russia the way it did.
2. The problem for South Korea and Japan is that there is nowhere to turn. They can turn away from China, but big hairy deal as far as the Chinese are concerned. Turn away from China for America then Chinese companies start cranking up the import substitution. Hence the big trading deficit those two have now with China. Trade is the life line for those two. Hence the caution and foreboding from those two.
3. The only Asian countries who are a problem right now are India, who is out gunned and Philippines who are too weak.
4. It always comes back to Taiwan. More military pressure will be applied.
5. That is why the West do not understand China, and it has reached the point where the Chinese don't even care about it anymore because people like Biden or Trump too dumb to know any better. If Chairman Mao was alive today, then how would he try to evict the Americans from East Asia? Surround Taiwan with the military, put the screws to Korea and Japan economically, and just play along with the low level political games from India and Philippines as they too weak to muster up anything else.
While all that was going on, echoing of Chairman Mao, a major war breaks out in Europe.
War and pandemic can have a tendency to accelerate current trends.