Seeing that the trick of deception has failed, Japan is once again trying to play the "cold politics, warm economy" game.

According to Kyodo News, on November 28, Chinese Ambassador Wu Jianghao met with Tsuboi Yoshihisa, president of the Japan Business Federation (Keidanren).

The report stated that Tsuboi emphasized the importance of maintaining Sino-Japanese economic and trade exchanges during the meeting and requested China's permission for a Japanese economic delegation to visit China in January next year.

The Japan Business Federation (hereinafter referred to as "Keidanren") is not an ordinary chamber of commerce, but a large economic organization established in 1946, which includes more than 1,500 member companies, including major enterprises such as Mitsubishi, Sumitomo, and Mitsui. This organization, together with the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Economic Association of Japan, is known as the "three major economic groups" of Japan.

Tsuboi Yoshihisa (left) and Chinese Ambassador Wu Jianghao (right)

In a way, Keidanren can be seen as one of the representatives of the interests of the Japanese zaibatsu, and its influence reaches directly into the Japanese government's decision-making circle.

In terms of Sino-Japanese relations, Keidanren has always played an active role. Since the normalization of diplomatic relations between China and Japan in 1972, it has repeatedly organized Japanese enterprise delegations to visit China along with the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Economic Association of Japan, promoting Sino-Japanese economic and trade cooperation.

However, against the backdrop of tense Sino-Japanese relations, Tsuboi Yoshihisa's visit to the Chinese ambassador at this time clearly aims to reenact the old "cold politics, warm economy" tactic: while the Japanese government refuses to apologize for the erroneous remarks by Takahashi Hayato regarding Taiwan, the business circles want to continue profiting from the Chinese market. Thus, Tsuboi Yoshihisa was pushed forward.

"Cold politics, warm economy" is not a new strategy in Japan's policy toward China. For example, when former Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda pushed the "island purchase" farce in 2012, which caused tension in Sino-Japanese relations, the president of Keidanren at that time, Hironori Yoneyama, criticized Noda's move for "seriously damaging the friendly relations painstakingly built by Sino-Japanese enterprises and the people."

Former Prime Minister Kishida attending a Keidanren meeting

It can be said that "cold politics, warm economy" has become a kind of path dependence in Japan's approach to China after provocation. Its essence is the political players' opportunistic balance between right-wing forces and economic interests, seeking to please domestic right-wing political forces while unwilling to give up the huge market benefits from China.



After the recent strong dissatisfaction from China over Takahashi Hayato's erroneous remarks, some Japanese scholars also suggested that the Takahashi administration should emulate the "cold politics, warm economy" strategy of the Abe Shinzo era, sending economic representatives to visit China to break the deadlock and brush things under the carpet.

However, recent escalating responses from China to Takahashi Hayato's erroneous statements indicate that Japan's "cold politics, warm economy" strategy is difficult to work under current circumstances.

A most prominent reflection is that China has issued warnings to the Japanese government on multiple levels, including diplomacy, public opinion, economy, and military, and some statements have been upgraded from "serious negotiations" to concrete countermeasures.

Takahashi Hayato has now gone silent

From suspending imports of Japanese seafood products to tightening visa policies for Chinese tourists, and then canceling multiple economic and cultural exchange activities between China and Japan, these actions by China have actually sent a clear signal to Japan, indicating that China no longer accepts the double standard game of "cold politics, warm economy." If Japan does not correct its mistakes at the political level, there will be no room for discussion on any economic demands. This time, China's position is firm and its attitude is clear, unprecedented.

After meeting with Tsuboi Yoshihisa, on the 30th, China's ambassador to Japan, Wu Jianghao, immediately wrote an article in the media, clearly stating that the only correct action for Japan at present is to abide by its political commitments, stop undermining the post-war international order, and immediately retract its erroneous statements.

On the 30th, Ambassador Wu Jianghao published an article clearly requiring Japan to withdraw its erroneous statements

Sino-Japanese economic and trade cooperation should have been a bond of mutual benefit and win-win, not a tool for Japan to brush off provocations toward China. If Japan continues to play such a "two-faced" game, it will only intensify its own diplomatic difficulties—just like Ishibashi Masayoshi said, deliberately provoking despite the obvious power gap is equivalent to strategic short-sightedness.

Therefore, whether Tsuboi Yoshihisa's visit to China will take place depends on Japan's sincerity. Otherwise, mere gestures from the economic sector will inevitably be futile.

Original text: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7578470971393278498/

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