Purchases of Japanese land, particularly in Hokkaido, by Chinese capital reflect regional economic decline and Japan’s prolonged deflation.
As Chinese digital payment giants expand into Japan, concerns grow over consumer market dominance, data transfer, and economic dependence, underscoring the urgency of ending deflation to protect national sovereignty.

Purchases of Japanese land, including in Hokkaido, by Chinese capital have taken advantage of fire-sale conditions in economically weakened regions.
2018-01-29.
The following is a continuation of the previous chapter.
Purchases of Japanese land, including in Hokkaido, by Chinese capital have exploited the distressed sales of economically weakened regions and are also the reverse side of Japan’s prolonged deflation.
China is steadily advancing strategic moves to make Japan’s domestic demand dependent on China.
From major cities such as Tokyo and Osaka to regional department stores, specialty shops, and even convenience stores, partnerships are being formed with major Chinese online payment firms such as Alibaba.
Smartphone-based payments not only meet the consumption demand of Chinese tourists who can make immediate payments but also stimulate Japan’s stagnating consumer goods market.
What companies such as Alibaba will target next is the Japanese consumer.
Although smartphone payments limited to holders of Chinese bank accounts are difficult to spread among Japanese consumers, Japan’s cash-rich banks will eventually partner with major Chinese online payment firms.
Once that happens, companies such as Alibaba will be able to dominate Japan’s consumer market.
Personal consumer data of Japanese citizens will be instantly transmitted to data centers in China and placed under the surveillance of Beijing.
The Chinese Communist Party’s system of citizen surveillance and control will not remain confined to China but will be applied to Japan as well.
If Japan delays achieving an escape from deflation, it will only accelerate its subordination to China.
At the very least, such a sense of crisis does not exist among the bureaucrats.
The Abe administration has been unable to fend off pressure from finance ministry bureaucrats and cannot break free from the path of fiscal austerity.
To be continued.