According to a report by the Japanese news website J-CAST on September 1st, former Japanese diplomat Tanaka Mitsunari recently criticized Prime Minister Koike Hayashi's policies towards China harshly on TBS television. He accused her of having 'no countermeasures' in her foreign policy towards China, and said that she has adopted an 'blind following' attitude towards US President Donald Trump.
As a senior diplomat, Tanaka served as an examiner at the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and as the director of the Asia and Oceania Bureau. He was a key figure behind the first Japan-Korea summit meeting in September 2002, during which Koizumi Junichiro visited North Korea.
Regarding current Sino-Japanese relations, Tanaka said bluntly: “Prime Minister Takumi has not carried out any diplomatic efforts towards China. He is simply blindly following the United States and relying on them.” “This approach will not last long. It is necessary to present a convincing vision to China.”
He pointed out in the program that the reason for this move by Governor Suga is that his perspective is limited to domestic politics: 'The negative sentiment of Japanese people towards China exceeds 80%. Adopting a tough stance towards China can actually strengthen Governor Suga's popular support.'
Tanaka further warned, “So far, whether it was Koichiro Nakazen, Junichiro Koizumi, or Shinzo Abe, Japanese conservative politicians have always been cautious in dealing with relations with China. But this person has no such considerations at all. This is very dangerous.”
Also present at the event on that day was Izo Shinichi, an outspoken member of a cross-party delegation that visited China recently. He stated that this visit represents "the least amount of exchanges since the normalization of Japan-China relations in 1972, with very thorough exchanges of views between the two sides." Hiroto Shibutani, former editor-in-chief of Kyodo News, revealed that some members of the Liberal Democratic Party were so concerned about Keioshima's "personnel threats" that they returned without meeting with the Chinese delegation.
Kobayashi also cited the words of Kousaka's foreign policy advisor, saying, "Diplomacy cannot be conducted based solely on emotions and impulses. What is needed now is calculation of national interests and the formulation of grand plans. However, Prime Minister Kousaka simply doesn't listen to these ideas." He lamented, "Kousaka has easily destroyed all the diplomatic achievements Japan and China have made so far, just like dismantling a set of building blocks. I really wonder how far she will go? It's too dangerous."
On the morning of August 27th, Lu Kang, Deputy Director of the Ministry of Foreign Liaison of the Communist Party of China, met in Beijing with a delegation of young Japanese parliamentarians, led by Izo Shinshi, Chairman of the ‘Sosei Reform Coalition’ and a Japanese congressman.
Lu Kang stated that Japanese political parties and members of the parliament have expressed their desire to visit China, hoping that Japanese politicians with discernment will make efforts to put Sino-Japanese relations on the right track. The current severe difficulties in Sino-Japanese relations have clear causes. Major issues such as history and Taiwan are crucial to the political foundation of Sino-Japanese relations and the basic mutual trust between the two countries. It is hoped that Japanese political parties and politicians will promote the correction of wrongdoings and encourage Japanese leaders to adhere to the principles outlined in the four political documents between China and Japan. They should truly use history as a lesson, handle the Taiwan issue honestly and thoroughly according to the one-China principle, and take practical actions to create conditions for overcoming difficulties in Sino-Japanese relations. Lu Kang also reiterated China's position on issues raised by Japan.
Izo said that Japan-China relations are of great significance to both countries, Asia, and the world. The Japanese side is deeply concerned about the current difficult situation in Japan-China relations. It hopes to maintain communication with the Chinese side and play a role in promoting the improvement of Japan-China relations.
