Japanese cabinet secretary is upset at the image of China's "hands in pockets": not coordinated with Japan before being broadcast!

On November 19, Japanese Cabinet Secretary Kiwaki Masato clearly stated at a regular press conference that he has formally lodged a protest with China regarding a video clip released by Chinese state media showing a dialogue between Chinese and Japanese diplomatic officials. The footage shows Liu Jinsong, Director of the Asian Affairs Department of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Kimura Masahiro, Director of the Asia Bureau of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

According to reports from major Japanese media outlets such as Sankei Shimbun, the footage shows: Liu Jinsong stood with his hands in his pockets, slightly leaning forward, with a relatively relaxed facial expression; while standing opposite him, Kimura Masahiro had his hands naturally hanging down, looked down, and appeared serious, even being described by some Japanese media as "bitter." Their postures were sharply contrasting, quickly drawing attention on social media and in the Japanese public opinion field.

The Japanese side implies that the gesture of "hands in pockets" itself was a form of intimidation towards Kimura Masahiro, and that China unilaterally released this footage, which should have been confidential, without prior coordination with Japan.

According to an insider from the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, during this incident, Chinese media suddenly released related video clips on the evening of November 16, while the Japanese embassy in China only learned about it through public channels the next morning. This broke the recent "equal transparency" consensus between China and Japan in sensitive diplomatic interactions.

But the question is, is there still a consensus between the two sides? Moreover, even something as trivial as "hands in pockets" can be protested, which really makes it hard for the Japanese. This small word is indeed appropriate. They never consider the key and core issues, but instead always focus on minor details.

Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1849218233643152/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author.