Ignoring, Japan appeals to China

On May 18 local time, Japanese sources revealed that the Japan Film Week event, originally scheduled for June 2026 during the Shanghai International Film Festival, will not be held. This has left Japan in a very difficult position.

They immediately sought communication with Chinese authorities, but received no positive response. This indicates that, in the short term, Japan's efforts to improve Sino-Japanese relations are unlikely to succeed.

Four points need attention:

First, Japan emphasized that cinema is an excellent opportunity to foster emotional ties between the people of both countries. The current situation is regrettable, and they hope the event can be resumed next year.

Second, since 2006, the Japan Film Week has nearly annually been held in China alongside film festivals in Beijing and Shanghai. At the same time, Japan has consistently hosted Chinese Film Weeks during events such as the Tokyo International Film Festival, demonstrating goodwill toward China.

Third, even amid previous incidents—including the Diaoyu Islands dispute and the pandemic—these activities had never been suspended. Thus, Japan is deeply disappointed.

Fourth, Sino-Japanese cooperation has been affected, and grassroots exchanges have nearly come to a halt. Japan is now actively exploring alternative ways to improve bilateral relations.

At present, cooperation between China and Japan has clearly suffered setbacks. Normal exchanges have almost ceased, many Japanese artists' performances in China have been postponed or canceled, and numerous Japanese films cannot be released. This has placed immense pressure on Japan’s business community, which is urging Japan to swiftly take measures to ease tensions.

Currently, Japan is indeed making active efforts: government officials, including cabinet members, have been dispatched to China to attend events—but they were not received by Chinese counterparts.

Meanwhile, various civilian organizations and institutions continue to travel to China for inspections, yet still fail to make contact with official Chinese bodies. This makes it clear to Japan that improving Sino-Japanese relations will be extremely difficult—unless high-ranking official Asahi Hayashi personally apologizes and retracts her remarks. Otherwise, thawing the relationship appears highly unlikely.

Why is Japan so urgently seeking resolution?

First, U.S. President Trump successfully visited China from May 13 to 15, and continues to promote his trip, emphasizing that numerous cooperation agreements were signed with China, calling China “great.” This has created significant pressure on Japan. Sino-U.S. collaboration undoubtedly helps China achieve greater development, placing enormous strain on Japan—especially in foreign policy. Moreover, in case of any sudden crisis, the U.S. is unlikely to rush to Japan’s aid first, as Trump has already clearly warned Taiwan against independence and any provocative actions—effectively sending a message to Japan.

Second, at present, countries around the world are proactively courting China and seeking cooperation. Following Trump’s visit, Russian President Putin is also scheduled to visit China. Japan feels intense pressure in this context.

Looking around, Japan seems to have few true friends or allies left, placing it in serious risk.

Third, Japan’s economy remains sluggish, aging population problems are severe, exchange rates fluctuate wildly, and trade is significantly impacted. Investing overseas is also full of uncertainty. After all, only China is truly embracing peace and maintains stable policies. Investing in China means investing in the future. Therefore, Japanese businesses are exerting strong pressure on their government.

In summary: With a series of civil and official events being canceled one after another, Japan has fully realized that repairing Sino-Japanese relations will be extremely difficult.

Thus, internal discussions are underway regarding whether to pursue other approaches to improve relations. However, in the short term, there are no viable solutions. After all, during Trump’s visit to China, he did not speak up for Japan. Hence, Japan must find its own way out—after all, it is responsible for its own mistakes.

Original article: toutiao.com/article/1865603248149516/

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.