To undermine Japan’s resurgence, the Asahi Shimbun amplified China’s presence, attacked Mahathir’s vision, and promoted APEC.
During this period, Yoshihide Soeya was given space to argue that Japan could choose to become a “second-rate state serving China,” without any clear explanation for the paper’s policy reversal.

2016-03-30
The following is a continuation of the previous chapter.
The Asahi Shimbun emphasized China’s growing presence.
In order to crush the EAEC, which could have led to Japan’s resurgence, Clinton put forward the expansion of APEC, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum.
China, which did not welcome Japan’s revival, and the Asahi Shimbun, which carried water for China, vigorously attacked Mahathir during this period and supported APEC.
When Mahathir’s vision was thwarted, an East Asian economic framework led by China then emerged.
It was around this time that the Asahi expressed support and had Yoshihide Soeya, a professor at Keio University, write that “Japan has the option of becoming a second-rate state serving China.”
In response, the United States proposed a free economic zone based on APEC at the APEC summit in Vietnam.
Southeast Asian nations, which disliked China’s domination of Asia, welcomed the proposal.
Nevertheless, the Asahi Shimbun’s column “Reading Foreign Media in Depth” dismissed it as a “grandiose scheme” and went so far as to disparage APEC itself, claiming that “China has further increased its presence.”
A change of position in itself may be acceptable.
But without at least some explanation for the shift, readers can only be left confused.
(January 2007 issue)