The simpler explanation is that if they do hate freedom, their hatred is going to be aimed at the most prominent example of it. The US is a lot more prominent in international politics than Japan.
Note that this is still different from signalling—they do hate freedom, outside considerations just affect which particular target they pick of the free ones.
The simpler explanation is that if they do hate freedom, their hatred is going to be aimed at the most prominent example of it. The US is a lot more prominent in international politics than Japan.
Note that this is still different from signalling—they do hate freedom, outside considerations just affect which particular target they pick of the free ones.