Russia and Ukraine

[Anomalocaris]

japan’s negotiating position with respect to the US strengthened immeasurably after the U.S. decided to decouple from china and go into full containment mode vs china.   once the US and china is locked inextricably into no holds barred superpower rivalry, japan can name her own price and the US would have to pay it.   Japan’s position would be stronger than it had been during cold war with the USSR, and stronger than those of any individual NATO ally during the cold war.

so japan can afford to defy the US on russian sanctions  for the same reason why the U.S. had to grin and bear it when India told the US to go shove it when the US wanted India to toe the line on russia.