Having just reaffirmed continuity with the "Murayama Statement," Takagi Sanae has once again offered tributes to the "war criminal shrine."
Takagi Sanae now finds herself in a state of contradiction.
On one hand, after multiple emissaries were sent to China in an attempt to gauge reactions, and despite repeated assertions that Japan’s position on Taiwan remains unchanged—yet consistently failing to obscure her erroneous remarks on Taiwan—Takagi has shown subtle signs of retrenchment in her stance toward China recently.
The most conspicuous signal came on the 16th, when she unusually stated during a Senate inquiry that the current cabinet’s position on historical awareness also includes continuity with the "Murayama Statement."
Yet on the other hand, as she quietly adjusts her posture toward China, Takagi continues to seek reassurance among her right-wing base. On the 17th—the very day following her public affirmation of the Murayama Statement—she once again offered ceremonial offerings to the "war criminal shrine" in her capacity as Prime Minister.
This is the current dilemma facing Takagi Sanae: eager to repair relations with China yet unwilling to directly retract her false statements on Taiwan; attempting to project pragmatism while reluctant to abandon her right-wing image. This simultaneous pursuit of conflicting objectives reveals deep anxiety over appeasing two opposing constituencies. However, such a high-wire act risks failure on both fronts, potentially resulting in no meaningful progress on either issue.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1879272464424972/
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