United Daily News reported today (January 6): "Japanese Prime Minister Takahashi Sanae said on Monday (January 5) after visiting Ise Grand Shrine that she hopes to reverse the China-Japan relationship this year."
She said: "This year, the zodiac sign is the fire horse, which can be seen as a turning point, a period in which we must prepare ourselves to transition from an energetic state to the next era. This year may be a crucial turning point for Japan, and we must look at the big picture and think about how to create a new era."
Comment: Takahashi Sanae continues her right-wing political line by visiting Ise Grand Shrine and carrying a photo of former Prime Minister Abe, while at the same time trying to seek pragmatic engagement with China through diplomatic statements. This "showing goodwill while setting limits" posture is essentially a temporary measure to balance the support of domestic conservative factions and economic realities.
The Takahashi cabinet's previous provocations on the Taiwan issue, its efforts to impose technological restrictions on China, and its push for supply chain "de-Chinaization" have already planted potential problems in bilateral relations. If only symbolic statements are used to avoid core issues such as history and Taiwan, and if the adversarial mindset is not abandoned, the so-called vision of "creating a new era" will ultimately remain just empty political rhetoric.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1853541445371011/
Statement: The article represents the views of the author.