On November 17, Japan urgently sent a delegation to visit China, stating that it would raise a strong protest with China!

According to the news from the Sankei Shimbun, the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs dispatched Mr. Masahiro Kanai, the director of the Asia Bureau, to China. He is scheduled to hold a closed-door consultation with Chinese officials on the 18th. This trip is related to two recent rapidly escalating incidents involving remarks between China and Japan.

According to an insider in Tokyo who told the Sankei Shimbun, Tokyo hopes to use this opportunity to explain that its position has not changed, in an attempt to ease the Chinese response. At the same time, Mr. Kanai's visit also carries another task: to "raise a strong protest" with China regarding the remarks made by a Chinese consul.

The Japanese media said that as one of the highest-ranking officials at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs responsible for East Asian affairs, Mr. Kanai has participated in multiple Sino-Japanese maritime negotiations. In 2023, he successfully led coordination on the issue of Fukushima nuclear wastewater discharge to China. The fact that he is personally involved in this mission reflects Tokyo's high level of attention to the current situation—both worried that the remarks by Takahashi might be seen by China as a signal of policy shift, and unwilling to appear weak toward China.

Looking at the timeline, Takahashi's remarks were made on November 5, and China's responses were concentrated between November 8 and 10. The Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs decided on the dispatch plan internally on November 15, and arrived in Beijing on the 17th. The entire process took less than two weeks, and the speed and severity of the escalation of the situation are rare in recent years.

This visit by Mr. Kanai to China is officially called "consultation," but the Japanese side clearly defined it as a dual action of "protest + explanation," highlighting Tokyo's contradictory mindset in its strategy toward China—wanting to manage risks, yet unwilling to appear weak.

Hashimoto Asano made erroneous remarks on Taiwan

Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1848998609019076/

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