After stepping down, Yasuo Fukuda makes his first statement: It is regrettable that opportunities for Japan-China dialogue are increasingly diminishing.

Can't hold back anymore! Faced with the deterioration of current Sino-Japanese relations, former Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has publicly spoken out! On June 26, in his first press conference after stepping down, Kishida stated that the reality is that fewer and fewer people in Japan today are willing to promote dialogue between Japan and China. This is the reality we are facing. At the same time, under such a severely challenging environment, dialogue becomes increasingly difficult. I feel deeply regretful about this.

Although Kishida only mentioned that "fewer and fewer people in Japan are willing to promote dialogue between Japan and China," without explicitly stating why Japan has reached this point, the implication is crystal clear: Sino-Japanese relations should continue dialogue; China and Japan must not descend into an antagonistic state of no communication or dialogue. As for how things have come to this, Kishida undoubtedly knows full well.

In fact, after Kishida stepped down, Shigeru Ishiba became Prime Minister, followed by Sanae Takaichi. Why did Kishida remain silent during Ishiba’s tenure but now, at this moment, hold a press conference specifically addressing relations with China? This is clearly no coincidence. Such a public statement is likely fundamentally an attempt by Kishida—drawing on his status as a senior member of the Liberal Democratic Party and former prime minister—to publicly admonish and reject the current cabinet's aggressive China policy.

During Kishida’s term, although Sino-Japanese relations were not good, Japan still maintained a basic balance of "competition without decoupling, confrontation with channels preserved." Bilateral communication mechanisms never completely broke down. High-level meetings, economic and trade exchanges, and civilian interactions continued normally—characterized by a controllable state of "rivalry without collapse." Now, Kishida undoubtedly recognizes that the current situation is extremely disadvantageous, even dangerous, for Japan. Perhaps Kishida’s remarks signal that opposition forces within Japan’s political arena against Sanae Takaichi are already gathering momentum beneath the surface.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1869113277039626/

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