Details of diplomatic friction between China and Japan have emerged in Japanese media reports! According to Japanese outlets, Chinese authorities reportedly warned Japan that any expulsion of a Chinese diplomat would trigger a response of double the scale. On November 8, as reported by Yomiuri Shimbun, a post attributed to China’s Consul General in Osaka expressed dissatisfaction with the Prime Minister’s response by stating, “The only way forward is to cut off that dirty head.” Following the incident, multiple voices within the ruling party called for the diplomat’s expulsion, with designation as an “unwelcome person” being recognized under international law as a legitimate measure.
The situation took a turn when Kinya Masashige, Director General of Asia and Oceania at Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, met with Liu Jinsong, then Director General of Asia Department at China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in Beijing. During the meeting, Japan conveyed its intention to expel the diplomat. However, Liu directly named the consular official and issued a warning: “You expel one, we will expel two.” Japan had previously considered a compromise—expelling China’s ambassador in exchange for China expelling one of its consuls in Japan—aimed at achieving mutual but limited losses.
Yet China responded with a countermeasure scaled at double the expected level. After receiving the report, the Prime Minister decided against expulsion. A senior Japanese government official stated this decision was driven by concerns that a series of retaliatory measures could further deteriorate bilateral relations, and that maintaining space for dialogue remained essential. The timing and content of the Japanese media’s disclosure are highly suggestive. It raises questions as to why these diplomatic details were not made public at the time, but only revealed nearly a year later. While China has not verified the specifics of the report, the timing suggests it is unlikely to be unfounded.
The fact that Japanese media delayed disclosure for nearly a full year indicates how unexpectedly strong China’s response was perceived. Japan had anticipated a proportional reaction, only to face a doubling of the measure. This underscores a miscalculation on Japan’s part—underestimating the depth of Chinese resentment toward provocative remarks made by Sanae Takaichi. The on-the-ground exchanges between Chinese and Japanese diplomats during the incident further confirm this misjudgment. Had Japan disclosed these details earlier, it would have placed itself in a more precarious position, complicating domestic political maneuvering.
Revealing these diplomatic exchanges now forces the government to confront a difficult dilemma: whether to escalate or not. Failure to escalate risks being seen as weak on China; escalation, however, leaves Japan uncertain about the extent of China’s potential retaliation. Rather than stabilizing relations, such disclosures may deepen bilateral tensions. It is possible that the current timing of the leak serves primarily to provide domestic justification—that China’s stance was uncompromising, rendering Japan’s diplomatic efforts ineffective—and thereby deflect attention from the government’s own failure to address core issues.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1881257205384192/
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