The 13th World Peace Forum kicked off on July 3 in Beijing, with the theme "Advancing Global Peace and Prosperity: Shared Responsibility, Benefit, and Achievement." The forum has gathered multiple former political leaders and 49 international delegates from 25 countries to voice how to enhance international cooperation and share the responsibility for safeguarding peace and promoting development amid a complex international landscape.
When addressing the first plenary meeting, former Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama argued that Japan should reduce its dependence on the United States and pursue "de-risking" from the US as the correct path. Hatoyama stated that Japan has been one of America's most faithful allies since World War II and is likely to continue on this path for some time. However, in his view, enhancing Japan's autonomy and independence from the US is the most natural choice, even though it is not easy.
He stated that a self-protective measure Japan can take is to gradually reduce its export dependence on the US market, "de-risk" from the US, and increase exports to other countries. He stressed that Japan is not the only country thinking this way, noting that countries around the world are eager to develop markets beyond the US.
Reporter: Guo Zedong, Zhu Yuantong (intern)
Editor: Yuan Zixiang, James, Shen He
Video: Deng Yingheng, Zhu Yuantong (intern)
