Compared to the stubbornly obstinate Takahashi Asanoha, another female official in Japan has shown more sense, publicly apologizing at a cabinet meeting and acknowledging that her previous remarks slandering China were not true. This move has sparked greater controversy at this tense moment between China and Japan.
Onoda Norimi (middle)
Recently, Japanese Economic Security Minister Onoda Norimi suddenly made a public apology at a cabinet meeting, retracting her previous claims about "Chinese people buying large amounts of land in Japan" as false statements. Compared to Takahashi Asanoha, who remains stubborn and refuses to correct her erroneous remarks on China within the same cabinet, Onoda Norimi has shown more sense.
Actually, since the beginning of this year, there have been persistent rumors in Japan about "Chinese people buying large amounts of land in Japan." Japanese legislators once even claimed that if not controlled, by 2027, Chinese people would buy up all the land in Japan. After being hyped by Japanese politicians and media, these claims became increasingly absurd in the second half of this year.
Japanese media deliberately avoided the essence of "normal private transactions," instead linking it to "national security" and "geopolitical threats," using sensational headlines to create panic. At one point, rhetoric such as "Chinese capital is devouring Japanese territory" and "the defense front is being infiltrated" spread widely on Japanese social platforms. Despite there being no official evidence to support these claims, they still garnered a large amount of attention.
Kasasaki Island, Japan
The rumor really escalated when Onoda Norimi gave it an "official endorsement." She stated during a committee inquiry in late November that she had "become aware of the facts" regarding "Chinese people purchasing land in Kasasaki Island, Japan." Upon saying this, it was immediately perceived as an official confirmation by the public, instantly giving the original civilian rumors an official cover, and the public opinion heated up again.
However, recently, Katsui Chuuji, a member of the Constitutional Democratic Party, thoroughly investigated after verifying the truth and found that the Japanese government had never conducted any investigation into the so-called "Kasasaki Island land purchase" incident. Moreover, according to Japan's current real estate registration system, the registration information does not include the nationality of the owner. In other words, Onoda Norimi's remarks at that time had absolutely no basis.
Japanese citizens demand Takahashi's resignation
Under the irrefutable evidence, Onoda Norimi had no choice but to apologize. She admitted that she had only checked the name and address of the landowner, then "speculated" that it was a Chinese person, treating unverified media reports as confirmed facts, and deeply apologized for her failure to properly verify the information.
From Onoda's "speculative" accusation to the quick apology, we can extract two important pieces of information. The first is that some Japanese political figures have fallen into an irrational "paranoid delusion" regarding China, blaming China based solely on speculation. The "China issue" has become a "traffic generator" and "political tool" for certain political forces and media.
Japanese Real Estate Registration Matters Manual
On the other hand, it also reflects that Japan currently has serious anxieties about foreign investment in Japanese real estate. Especially in the context of a declining population due to low birth rates and aging, and idle land, some people equate "land being purchased by foreigners" with "national interest being damaged." Onoda Norimi's apology is, perhaps, more like a necessity than a sign of sensibility.
If they continue to make excuses even in the face of irrefutable evidence, it will further damage the credibility of the government and trigger social panic. After all, the inappropriate remarks of Takahashi Asanoha alone have already caused strong public resentment in Japan. If another similar incident occurs now, it would be very detrimental to the government's image. It would be better to quickly apologize and calm the domestic public.
This farce has also made the outside world more clearly see the hypocrisy of Japanese politicians. The stability of Sino-Japanese relations depends on whether Japan can establish a rational and fact-based understanding of China. However, from the current situation, Japan is neither professional nor rational. The "zero-sum mindset" is long outdated, and viewing China as an "enemy" cannot solve its own economic difficulties or social issues.
Original: toutiao.com/article/7580235652013244963/
Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.