Chinese State Media Slams Japan's 52 Trillion Won US Investment as Political 'Pledge of Allegiance'

Revealed in interview with China's Global Times
Rising anti-Japan sentiment in China draws attention

China's state-run media has strongly criticized Japan's announcement that it will invest 36 billion dollars (about 52 trillion won) in the United States.

On the 18th, the state-run Global Times, citing an interview with Xiang Haoyu, a senior research fellow at the China Institute of International Studies' Department for Asia-Pacific Studies, characterized this latest investment decision in the U.S. as the product of "political calculation."

Researcher Xiang pointed out that this move came at a time when Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's re-election, the launch of a new cabinet, and her planned visit to the United States all coincided, arguing that it was a "carefully choreographed piece of political timing." He assessed that the Japan-U.S. alliance is under strain due to U.S. tariff pressure and the broader "America First" policy line. Against this backdrop, Prime Minister Takaichi needed to highlight Japan as "the most reliable ally" and "the largest investor" ahead of her trip to the United States.

Yonhap News Agency

Regarding this investment, Xiang argued, "This is not a simple economic package but is closer to a political 'pledge of allegiance'." He explained that by translating the investment pledge into concrete projects, Japan aims to win favor with the U.S. government, secure future political support and geopolitical bargaining power, and thereby stabilize the foundations of the new cabinet.

He added, "Economically, large-scale capital outflows and industrial relocation could exacerbate the hollowing-out of domestic industry, and socially, they could worsen job losses and insufficient domestic investment," noting that "politically, it is being packaged as a success in reshaping the resilience of the alliance, but in reality, the Japanese economy is becoming more vulnerable to U.S. domestic policy and economic cycles, creating a long-term risk of losing economic autonomy."

Earlier, the United States and Japan announced that Japan plans to invest 36 billion dollars in three projects: a gas-fired power plant in Ohio, an oil and gas export facility in the American Gulf (the Gulf of Mexico) in Texas, and a synthetic diamond manufacturing facility in Georgia.

This is the first phase of the 550 billion dollars (about 800 trillion won) in investment in the United States that Japan pledged under the trade and tariff agreement it concluded with the United States last year.