Japan should leverage its alliance with the U.S. to counter China＊s threats rather than seeking quick compromises alone that will lead to long-term losses, according to an outspoken Japanese lawmaker whose entry into China has been banned.
If Beijing signals wielding rare earths restrictions as a weapon, Tokyo should hint that it could join forces with Washington to curb China＊s access to semiconductor-making devices over which Japan retains supremacy, according to Hei Seki, a Japan Innovation Party lawmaker.
Seki sees slim chances for China to use that card like it did more than a decade ago against Japan, as the two nations verbally spar over Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi＊s recent remarks on Taiwan. Many nations now see Beijing＊s dominance over the critical minerals as problematic and a full-scale trade war with Japan will worsen China＊s economic standing given its fragile trade truce with Washington.
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