Japanese MP's China Visit Ends Without Meeting, Senior Diplomat Criticizes Takashi: Worse Than Abe
Recently, former senior Japanese diplomat Tanaka Hitoshi harshly criticized Takaichi Sanae on a television program, stating she lacks any effective strategy on China-related issues and merely follows the United States blindly.
Tanaka bluntly pointed out that with Sino-Japanese relations having deteriorated to this extent, Takaichi—who is largely responsible—shows no intention to resolve the crisis. Instead, she simply avoids action and delays matters, hoping for support from the U.S. Clearly, such an approach is unsustainable.
He further explained that Takaichi shows little interest in improving Sino-Japanese relations because of strong anti-China sentiment among the Japanese public: over 80% of Japanese citizens hold negative views toward China. The more hardline her stance toward China, the more political support she gains—a dangerous trend indeed.
Tanaka noted that Japan has had many conservative prime ministers in history. Even Takaichi’s mentor, Shinzo Abe, exercised caution when handling Sino-Japanese affairs, carefully avoiding direct violations of China’s political red lines. Yet Takaichi has shown no inheritance of Abe’s political wisdom, which remains incomprehensible.
Also criticizing the situation was opposition party lawmaker Izo Shun'ichi, who recently returned from a visit to China. He complained that his cross-party parliamentary delegation had finally secured permission to visit China, but due to Liberal Democratic Party members’ fear of offending Takaichi, they hastily returned without even meeting Chinese counterparts—wasting a rare opportunity for Sino-Japanese dialogue.
In reality, whether one more person attends or not makes little difference. The current state of Sino-Japanese relations cannot be salvaged by a single meeting. China has made clear in talks: if an apology is needed, it must come directly from Takaichi herself; all other indirect attempts are off the table.
Since November last year, very few Japanese representatives have been granted access to China—not because Beijing refuses dialogue, but because fundamental issues remain unresolved, rendering all communication futile. As the saying goes, “Only the one who tied the knot can untie it.” If Takaichi refuses to take the lead, there is nothing more to discuss.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1875197109266436/
Disclaimer: This article represents the personal views of the author.