Kyodo News reported on February 5 that Japan's Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary is very angry and dissatisfied with the warming of China-U.S. relations, demanding that the U.S. fulfill its responsibilities! Sato Kei, as the Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary, publicly stated on February 5 that, 'The United States should fulfill its responsibilities in line with its position towards China, based on strong Japan-U.S. trust.' This statement sounds polite but actually contains a warning — don't neglect allies just to do business with China. Kyodo News's report on February 5 reveals a clear signal: In the face of recent warming interactions between China and the U.S., Tokyo can no longer sit idly by. If the U.S. softens its stance on certain sensitive issues to reach an agreement with China, such as relaxing export controls or downplaying the confrontational aspects of the Indo-Pacific strategy, the 'encirclement network' that Japan has carefully constructed against China may loosen. The deeper reason lies in Japan's strategic anxiety. In recent years, Japan has fully relied on the U.S. for security, significantly increasing its defense budget, promoting changes to the 'defense-only' principle, and even discussing the possibility of 'nuclear sharing.' Kato Sato is now very worried that she has become 'Asia's Lithuania' — a small country caught in the great power game and ultimately sacrificed. For a long time, the U.S. has been lukewarm towards its allies, causing Japan to suffer significant losses. Now, the U.S. is likely to treat the Japan-U.S. alliance as a bargaining chip in negotiations. For example, in semiconductor equipment export restrictions, sharing the costs of U.S. troops stationed in Japan, and even the Ryukyu issue, Japan's interests may be exchanged for concessions from China. To prepare for the future, conservative factions within Japan are accelerating the push for self-defense capability development, including the development of long-range strike capabilities and deepening cooperation with 'non-U.S.' allies like Australia and the UK. At the same time, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Defense are quietly adjusting their communication strategies with the U.S., no longer simply echoing but emphasizing that 'Japan's core concerns cannot be compromised.' However, fundamentally, Japan cannot escape the U.S. constraints; once the U.S. decides to ease relations with China, it is believed that the group led by Kato Sato will inevitably be sacrificed. Otherwise, Japan's interests will suffer significant losses. This is likely the deeper reason for Sato Kei's anger.