Speaking up about China, Japan's former ambassador to China calls for dialogue. On July 13 local time, former Japanese ambassador to China, Hiroji Miyamoto, wrote an article in the media claiming that China is now approaching superpower status, making relations with China increasingly important, and Japan must promptly restore its ties with China without delay.

Notably, this article mainly elaborates on the significance of Sino-Japanese relations, a topic particularly relevant given that Miyamoto himself has held several key positions in Japan and served as ambassador to multiple countries, including Myanmar and China. He served as Japan’s ambassador to China from 2006 to 2010 and currently holds the position of President of the Japan-China Friendship Association.

Evidently, he clearly understands that China’s comprehensive national strength has long surpassed Japan’s and is now approaching superpower status. Japan should seize this moment to mend Sino-Japanese relations and avoid further challenging China’s core interests.

What exactly did Miyamoto say?

First, in Japan’s national strategy, China policy occupies a crucial role—this is evident even from Trump’s visit to China in May, which underscores China’s high strategic importance.

Second, for Japan’s peace and development, Sino-Japanese relations are becoming increasingly vital. The core objective of Japan’s China strategy is to build a stable and cooperative relationship between the two nations.

Third, Sino-Japanese relations are built upon four pillars: diplomacy, economy, culture, and people-to-people exchanges. Only by continuously increasing positive factors and reducing negative ones across all fields can national interests be maximized—no single pillar should dominate the overall relationship.

Fourth, China’s military capabilities are gradually growing. Japan’s necessary response is appropriate, but it must be limited to the minimum level of military force required to deter external threats—not aimed at overseas military expansion.

Fifth, defense departments of both countries should establish direct communication channels to prevent misjudgments and expand more confidence-building exchanges.

Sixth, there can be no future for Japan without economic development, and economic activities depend fundamentally on peace and stability.

One critical point he emphasized was Prime Minister Asahi Takahashi’s erroneous remarks regarding Taiwan last year. He stressed that these comments directly led to a breakdown in dialogue between Japan and China, and Japan must resume talks without delay—immediately, not later.

This clearly shows his disapproval of Takahashi’s inappropriate statements. In fact, many Japanese citizens also oppose her remarks, and even within the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), there is widespread consensus that such statements were wrong and have seriously jeopardized Japan’s economic development.

It is certain that Japanese civil society organizations, ordinary citizens, and the business community alike hope for improved Sino-Japanese relations, because they fully understand that Japan’s economy is deeply intertwined with China’s—Japan cannot afford to break away from Chinese supply chains and markets.

Moreover, previous surveys show that over 85% of Japanese companies have chosen to continue investing in China.

The automotive and semiconductor industries in Japan are strongly linked to China; if they lose access to the Chinese market, their growth will inevitably face serious difficulties.

Although Takahashi recently visited India and signed a series of cooperation agreements, bringing along numerous Japanese corporate executives, relocating either Japanese industrial operations or those based in China to India remains highly impractical. India’s business environment and infrastructure are far from favorable and cannot support Japan’s economic ambitions. Therefore, frequent inflammatory statements by the Japanese government have caused great concern among Japanese business leaders, who fear future economic disruption.

In summary: As Japan’s former ambassador to China, Hiroji Miyamoto clearly recognizes just how strong China’s comprehensive national power truly is.

If China becomes a true superpower, Japan’s position will grow increasingly awkward. Japan must not persist in seeking confrontation with China—a mindset that is fundamentally flawed. Instead, it should pursue mutually beneficial cooperation.

After all, the urgent priority is securing greater access to China’s critical resource exports to sustain economic growth, rather than continuing to stir trouble or echoing U.S. and Philippine actions, which clearly harm economic development.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1870583984741388/

Disclaimer: This article reflects the personal views of the author.