＜prologue＞
I started a blog called “The Baby Boomer Generation’s Miscellaneous Blog”（Dankai-sedai no garakutatyou:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳） in July 2018, about a year before I fully retired. More than six years have passed since then, and the number of articles has increased considerably.
So, in order to make them accessible to people who don’t understand Japanese, I decided to translate my past articles into English and publish them.
It may sound a bit exaggerated, but I would like to make this my life’s work.
It should be noted that haiku and waka （Japanese short fixed form poems） are quite difficult to translate into English, so some parts are written in Japanese.
If you are interested in haiku or waka and would like to know more, please read introductory or specialized books on haiku or waka written in English.
I also write many articles about the Japanese language. I would be happy if these inspire more people to want to learn Japanese.
my blog’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳 | 団塊世代が雑学や面白い話を発信しています
my X’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多帳（@historia49）さん / X
<Added March 17, 2020>
A G7 videoconference was held to discuss countermeasures in response to the spread of the novel coronavirus pneumonia (COVID-19). This was the first time that a videoconference was held, and I believe this is exactly the format that should be used for future G7 and G20 meetings.
I don’t think the G7 and G20 need to be held annually, but if they must be held annually as a past tradition, wouldn’t it be better to hold them via videoconference, which is both effective for preventing infection and less expensive? We’re living in an age where teleworking is encouraged, after all…
If this international videoconference were broadcast globally via satellite, I believe the entire world would understand how pointless such meetings are. While the leaders of each country and their entourages will likely be disappointed that they no longer have the “joy” of their annual overseas trips…
There are many things in the world that I think are unnecessary. I believe the House of Councillors is one example, but there’s also another annual international conference. Examples include the Davos Meeting, held every January in Davos, Switzerland, and the G20 Summit, which changes location each year.
Is there really any point in holding the G20 Summit, an expanded version of the G7 summit, every year? I’m sure I’m not the only one who thinks it’s a “meeting for the sake of meetings” or a “useless meeting” that produces no results.
1. Powerlessness Exposed at the 2020 G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting in Saudi Arabia
The G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting was held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on February 22-23, 2020. Perhaps due to the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak at the time, China was absent, and the G20 meeting failed to come up with any concrete measures to combat the virus.
I believe China should have apologized to the other countries for its delayed initial response to the COVID-19 outbreak and provided an explanation of the current situation.
This inadvertently exposed the G20’s powerlessness and hollowness, which makes one question the purpose of the meeting.
2. What is the G20 Summit?
(1) G20
“G20” stands for “Group of Twenty,” a group of 20 countries and regional alliances, including the seven G7 member states, the EU, Russia, and 11 emerging nations.
(2) G20 Summit
The G20 Summit began in 2008 and has been held annually.
However, criticism has long been leveled at the G20 Summit, arguing that it lacks a charter, clear mandate, or enforcement power. It continues to hold costly summits every year despite reaching no conclusions.
Even in the United Nations Security Council, when issues arise between liberal nations like the United States and communist nations like Russia and China, the five major powers often use their vetoes, resulting in indecisive meetings.
(3) The Limits of the G20
Thomas Burns of the Canadian think tank, the Centre for International Governance Innovation, said, “The G20 was established as a forum for cooperation, but the problem is that the G20 may no longer be able to fulfill that purpose.”
The G20’s fundamental purpose is to maintain global economic stability, but President Trump’s “America First” trade war with China has left the global economy fraught with uncertainty.
It is extremely difficult for many countries with diverse interests, not just President Trump, to come together and reach an agreement. This explains why negotiations like the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) were so difficult, and why President Trump withdrew from the TPP in favor of bilateral trade negotiations.
However, I believe one of the reasons for this situation is the decline in American prestige, or conversely, the rapid rise of China and the increasingly blatant struggle for hegemony between China, Russia, and the United States.
3. The Meaninglessness of “International Conferences”
This current struggle for hegemony between the United States, China, and Russia is like the Three Kingdoms period in the “Romance of the Three Kingdoms.” In times like these, it’s hard to imagine that an “international conference” gathering numerous nations would lead to a sensible conclusion.
We are undoubtedly entering a “Second Cold War.” While the First Cold War was a conflict between the “liberal camp” led by the two superpowers, the United States and the Soviet Union, and the “communist camp,” the Second Cold War has seen China join the fray. Moreover, both Russia and China are strengthening their “authoritarian regimes.”
Going forward, Russia will likely once again accelerate its nuclear and space development programs and increase pressure on Japan from its illegally occupied Northern Territories. China will further strengthen its military buildup, building military bases in the East and South China Seas and threatening Japan and other Southeast Asian nations.
Like Sanada Masayuki during the Sengoku period, Japan needs to calmly assess the trends of its neighboring countries. I believe that we need to be able to navigate our way around Russia, China, North Korea, and South Korea with the help of the United States, under the strong Japan-US alliance. Otherwise, Japan’s territorial integrity will be in jeopardy.