Japan doesn’t need US prodding to view China as a threat. The rise of Huawei and other Chinese tech companies is a direct threat to Japanese tech companies. When Huawei rises, other Japanese companies suffers in market share.If true, the fall of Japan is very shocking indeed. Make sense why Japan has been acting like Trump U.S. towards China and South Korean. Tech trade dispute with SK and trying to withdraw companies out of China. I think part of Japan down fall is being under US economic and tech control, reinforced by their security dependence on US. SK can see this and is treading cautiously, not easy nor comfortable to be surrounded by these three biggest economies.
Without tech exports what good is Japan.
Also Japan has looked to the west since the 1800s. Japan’s fate is tied to the west by choice.
SK on the other hand has more potential to be a future ally of China.