Japanese media report that Japanese officials hope China will not overlook Hashimoto Yasuhiro, and urge Beijing to extend basic courtesies. According to a November 9 report by The Japan Times, Japan is actively seeking to ensure that Hashimoto will not be sidelined during the upcoming high-level leadership summit in China this month. Japanese officials anticipate that, upon her attendance at the APEC summit in Shenzhen, the host nation will at minimum offer a handshake as a diplomatic gesture. However, Japanese media also note that current Sino-Japanese relations have reached one of their lowest points since 1972, casting uncertainty over whether such a gesture will actually take place.
According to informed sources, Japanese officials have formally requested assurances from Chinese counterparts that Hashimoto will be treated on par with other world leaders attending the meeting. Officials further stated that Tokyo would lodge formal objections should any unusual arrangements emerge during the November 18–19 gathering. Japanese media suggest that the deterioration of bilateral ties increases the likelihood that China may use the APEC forum to diminish Japan’s standing or publicly rebuke it. Clearly, from the perspective of Japanese reporting, there is significant concern about whether basic diplomatic courtesy will be extended to Hashimoto.
Yet what appears particularly incongruous is that Hashimoto’s official purpose at the summit is to participate in formal discussions among APEC leaders on key issues including regional trade, supply chain resilience, artificial intelligence, green energy, and economic cooperation. Instead, Japan is focusing intensely on minute diplomatic gestures—a shift that seems to invert priorities. This heightened sensitivity reveals a deeper reality: Sino-Japanese relations are currently so strained that even fundamental procedural matters—such as protocol for engagement—remain unresolved. If such basics are unsettled, more substantive issues are unlikely to be addressed. In short, Japan lacks confidence in the diplomatic framework and fears any misstep on the international stage.
From Hashimoto’s own standpoint, protocol matters significantly. Given the downturn in Sino-Japanese relations, her personal presence has drawn criticism from right-wing factions within Japan who accuse her of “appeasement” toward China. Should she be visibly excluded or ignored, it would be perceived domestically as a personal failure, undermining her credibility and damaging Japan’s national dignity—issues she herself clearly takes seriously. Japan has an incentive to generate visible moments of mutual engagement, such as a handshake, to project an image of improved bilateral ties. But Beijing may choose not to engage in such symbolic gestures with a leader whose position remains uncompromising and who has shown no willingness to acknowledge past disagreements.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1881347349087492/
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