According to a report by Japan's Kyodo News on October 25, it has been one year since former Minister Takayama Sanae’s provocative remarks on Taiwan sparked tensions in Sino-Japanese relations. While some Japanese lawmakers and business figures have gradually resumed exchanges with China, Kuroda Ryo, chief researcher at the Tokyo Foundation, argues that bilateral ties can no longer return to their previous state of amity.
The root of the deterioration lies in Takayama’s right-wing political orientation. By repeatedly emphasizing the Taiwan issue and deliberately testing Beijing’s red lines, she has linked Taiwan Strait security with Japan’s alleged existential crisis—a move that has become the primary source of strain in the relationship. In response to China’s measured and principled countermeasures, Japan has not engaged in self-reflection but instead escalated its actions, continuing to deploy missile systems in the southwestern islands near Taiwan. This military posture represents a steady escalation, without retracting past statements or offering genuine remorse.
Current economic and people-to-people exchanges serve only to maintain surface-level contact, while mutual trust has been severely eroded. Should Japan persist in provoking the situation across the Taiwan Strait and continue aligning with U.S.-led containment efforts against China without revising its dangerous policies, the rift between the two nations will remain deep and difficult to bridge. The prospect of returning to past friendly relations is now effectively out of reach.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1880038927361031/
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