While agreeing with you, I also want to add this is why “Pax Japonica” carries such a significant weight in terms of Japan’s economic resurrection by looking beyond Asia-Pacific. The rivalry in terms of financial investments between Japan and the People’s Republic of China appears to recapitulate. Therefore, Japan’s only option, if it is to revitalize its economic markets, is seeking alternatives, be it Turkey, Europe, or the Middle East.

One advantage Japan-Turkey relations have over Sino-Turkish ones is the Uighur issue, which stems from the history of discord between Chinese authorities and the indigenous ethnic Uighur population in the Xinjiang region. The Turkish government condemns China every time new documentation or a record of the suppression of the Uighurs in the Xinjiang region, come up in the news, and so on. Therefore, Japan has a historical advantage of keeping Turkey as its constant partner, which is also why I mentioned the deeply-rooted historical relations between Japan and Turkey in my article.

For instance, the construction of the Honotlu Thermal Power Plant in the Turkish state of Adana is currently the most massive Chinese investment in Turkey. Moreover, trade cooperation between China and Turkey reached $ 23.6 billion last year, making China the third-largest trade partner with Turkey after Russia and Germany. Chinese investments in Turkey amounted to $ 2.8 billion last year and valued at $ 15 billion between 2005 and 2018. Last but not least, China aims to increase its investment with Turkey by an annual volume of 6 billion dollars in 2021.

Therefore, analyzing such data, it is incontrovertible that Japan has a strong rival to establish its dominance over Turkey, the Middle East, or the Caucasian market. Yet, this is why it should—more than ever—give importance to its investments in Turkey and collaborate in energy security with the country. Only then can Japan become among the top 3 or 5 trade partners of Turkey, enabling it to supply its energy via more affordable partnerships and have a more influential economic claim over the Middle East and the Caucasus.

Moreover, Turkey could be an alternative energy partner of petroleum and natural gas for Japanese government due to her exploitation right in the Black Sea and Mediterranean areas. And Japan may pay back by her soft power such as infrastructure constructions.

However, we have noticed that the Chinese government has also announced a “health silk road” to provide medical supports to Turkey government such as free masks supply and on-line meetings among medical professionals for pandemic containment, which decided by the telephone conference between the Chinese President Xi Jinping and Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in April.

Turkey has been closed to China recently, probably the economic stagnation and the IS terror problems have led Turkey to look for a powerful partner for cooperation. The investments form Chinese government and corporations in the field of energy, petrochemistry, mining etc., have raised about $5 billion dollars. And an enormous hydropower project has been contracted with the amount of $1.5 billion dollars between China Gezhouba Group Company and KAF Teknik Yapi in the end of March this year.

How do you look at it? No matter in Asia or in Middle east, to challenge the power of China seems to become the destiny of Japan.