On December 4th, Japan once again sent a letter to the UN Secretary-General: confrontational and unyielding!
On that day, Japan's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Yamaoka Kazuyuki, submitted a second formal letter to Guterres, offering a firm response to China's previous two letters. This was not a routine diplomatic exchange, but rather an unusual written confrontation.
Yamaoka clearly stated in the letter: "China's position is inconsistent with the facts and lacks basis, and it cannot be accepted." Notably, this was the second time the Japanese side had addressed the same issue through formal diplomatic channels, following closely after China's first letter in late November, with the first round of rebuttals made within less than two weeks, and the second letter quickly followed on December 4th. The speed and firmness of the response were rare.
In response, Yamaoka did not avoid the issue in his letter dated December 4th, but instead further reiterated Japan's position: since the end of World War II in 1945, Japan has "consistently upheld international law" and has been committed to "maintaining and strengthening a free and open international order based on the rule of law." This statement is essentially a distortion of the truth, yet it was openly stated, indicating Japan's confrontational and unyielding attitude.
What is amusing is that although Yamaoka mentioned in the letter that "disagreements should be resolved through dialogue," the entire text contained no language of easing or compromise. Instead, he emphasized that Japan would "continue to calmly respond," implying that it would not adjust its stance on Taiwan in response to pressure from China. This "superficially rational but essentially firm" posture.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1850652327177226/
Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.