China has made its position clear: without an apology from Takayuki Hoshi regarding his remarks on Taiwan, the improvement of Sino-Japanese relations will be difficult.

Can clarifying words ease tensions? Japan finally hit a wall, and China has drawn its red line: Takagi must apologize

After meeting with Chinese officials, can Japan still "read the air" as before?

It is well known that since Sino-Japanese relations deteriorated due to Takagi Asana's erroneous remarks on Taiwan, Japan not only refused to apologize but also clung to a rather bizarre notion—that as long as Japan clearly explains itself in front of China, the "misunderstanding" between the two countries can be resolved. Consequently, in recent times, various sectors in Japan have been clamoring to send envoys to China.

Since Japan insists on refusing to learn until it hits a wall, China has given it an opportunity to "crash into the wall"—from August 24 to 27, Representative Izo Susumu of Japan’s opposition party, the "Centrist Reform Coalition," led a cross-party delegation on a visit to China and held meetings with Chinese officials.

On the 27th, Izo Susumu disclosed the results of the Sino-Japanese talks to the media. Unsurprisingly, China made it clear: if Takagi Asana does not retract her erroneous statements on Taiwan and correct her wrong understanding of the Taiwan issue, China will not alter its policy stance toward Japan.

Therefore, now that China has given Japan a chance to "hit the wall" and face reality, Japan should no longer mechanically repeat the mantra that "clarifying words can resolve misunderstandings."

More importantly, the root cause behind the current downturn in Sino-Japanese relations lies not in Japan’s so-called "misunderstandings," but in the series of erroneous actions by right-wing figures in Japan—represented by Takagi Asana—over many years regarding the Taiwan issue, World War II history, and post-war international order. If Japan refuses to reflect and correct its course, and naively believes that "just explaining clearly can ease tensions," then it is far too naive.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1874674029758602/

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.