In 2004, Australia uncovered China’s secret plan to divide the U.S.–Australia alliance and reduce Australia to a vassal state. Kadota Ryusho’s Hanada column exposes how the COVID-19 crisis revealed Japan’s dangerous overdependence on China, the refusal of Japanese corporations to withdraw, and the growing threat posed by technology transfer, the Thousand Talents Plan, and military applications of Japanese innovation. A critical warning that Japan is now at a historic crossroads where freedom and democracy are at stake.

Australia learned of the existence of a “U.S.–Australia division and Australian vassalization plan” at a secret meeting held in August 2004 by then-General Secretary Hu Jintao, based on information provided by Chinese defecting diplomats and intelligence officers.
June 30, 2020
The following is from the serialized column by Kadota Ryusho, titled “Businesspeople and Researchers Who Will Destroy Japan,” published in the monthly magazine Hanada.
Hanada is a magazine that must be read not only by Japanese citizens but also by people around the world.
Those who have not yet subscribed should head to their nearest bookstore immediately.
This is because genuine, substantial articles like this one are published in abundance.
And yet the price is only 950 yen, including tax.
Since January of this year, for five months, I have done nothing but pursue COVID-19, conduct interviews, and compile my findings into manuscripts.
I have recently published Pandemic 2020 through Sankei Shimbun Publishing.
Through all the work I undertook, what I thought about most was that Japan’s businesspeople and researchers would eventually “destroy Japan.”
I kept wondering whether these people believed that “it does not matter if their mother country disappears,” so long as they could make money, profit, or fulfill their ambitions.
For citizens, it must have been shocking that as China’s economy came to a halt due to the spread of COVID-19, Japan’s economy simultaneously came to a standstill.
Although we were aware of the dependence, few imagined that the dependence on China had reached “this extent.”
Taking the situation seriously, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe convened the Council on Investment for the Future on March 5 and said:
“For goods with high added value whose supply chains rely heavily on a single country, we will aim to restore production bases to Japan, and for those that do not fall into this category, we will seek diversification of production bases to ASEAN countries and others so as not to depend on any single country.”
This declaration of intent was demonstrated as government policy when 220 billion yen was included in the FY2020 supplementary budget as subsidies to promote the return of production bases to Japan.
In other words, it was nothing other than a government directive: “Withdraw from China.”
However, I was astonished when I saw the results of a survey conducted by JETRO the following April targeting companies operating in China.
In a survey by the East China Japan Chamber of Commerce with questions posed to 710 member companies, an astounding 90 percent responded that they had “no plans” to change their supply chains or production bases.
As the anti-Japanese riots sparked by the 2005 history textbook incident and the 2012 anti-Japanese demonstrations following the nationalization of the Senkaku Islands clearly showed, companies operating in China have always incurred significant damage whenever “something” happened.
But what is now unfolding across the world is entirely different from the temporary disturbances triggered by political developments or incidents seen in the past.
China has become a hegemonic state beyond control.
Trampling freedom, human rights, and democracy, and boldly using force to change the status quo, this monster must now be confronted by the international community to protect universal values.
Australia, which is demanding an independent investigation into COVID-19, is facing blatant retaliatory measures such as the suspension of beef imports, increased tariffs on barley, and the halt of Chinese tourism to Australia, yet shows no sign of faltering.
What lies behind its stance is a firm determination and conviction that “if we lose here, it will mean the death of freedom and democracy.”
So, what about Japan?
Despite the policy made clear by Prime Minister Abe, Hiroaki Nakanishi, Chairman of Keidanren, said the following at a regular press conference on June 8:
“Japan needs to maintain good relations with China, which is an important market. Keidanren will continue to hold active dialogues with the business communities of both countries and contribute to economic development through initiatives such as the Belt and Road and the Free and Open Indo-Pacific.”
This statement reflects a merchant’s mindset of “as long as we make money,” showing no awareness of global trends, government intentions, or the universal values that should be upheld by people in a free society.
But the global movement is frightening.
The United States has already strengthened its monitoring of companies providing China with technologies that can be used for military purposes.
Of course, Japanese companies are not exempt.
Among the targets is Toyota Motor Corporation, which boasts consolidated profits of two trillion yen.
Noticing the possibilities of Toyota’s fuel-cell technology and seeking to apply it to drones, China has gained Toyota’s cooperation, and Toyota is attempting to contribute to China through joint research with Tsinghua University.
But if Toyota’s fuel-cell technology were used to greatly extend drone flight ranges and serve as powerful military assets—either as weapons or reconnaissance—how would the United States respond?
One only needs to imagine swarms of drones flying over Japan or the United States.
And we must not forget that such technologies have been realized by individuals brought into China under the “Thousand Talents Plan,” which invites top foreign researchers and university professors to China with extraordinary treatment.
Living in high-rise apartments equipped with heated pools and gyms, and provided with beautiful secretaries dispatched by the Public Security Bureau, these researchers joyfully produce results for China.
And the point of contact enabling this is the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science.
Even if Japan’s complacent business and academic circles come to regret their actions, it will not be enough.
The recurrence of a disaster akin to the former Toshiba Machine COCOM violation incident is already “almost upon us.”
Those who do not understand that this is a turning point in history—and who align themselves with forces that trample freedom and human rights—deserve to be condemned, and condemned severely.