Speak but not speak out? On January 6, China issued export controls against Japan, yet since the announcement, both Yoshimizu Asaka and Minister of Economic Security Nozomi Kono, an ardent hardliner, have remained silent. However, the public reaction has been quite different from the official stance.

On January 6, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce's statement was very clear: according to the Export Control Law, it is prohibited to export any dual-use items that could be used for military purposes to Japan.

As soon as the announcement came out, Tokyo seemed to have not heard anything. By January 7, Prime Minister Yoshimizu Asaka and the equally tough Economic Security Minister Nozomi Kono had said a single word.

The official channels were completely silent, probably assessing how painful this move really is behind closed doors. However, the people could not sit still. They were like in a collective hypnosis, telling themselves "Don't be afraid, everything is fine."

New information shows that Japanese netizens generally believe this incident has limited impact.

They say that Japan's supply chain has already diversified, and even deep-sea rare earths are being mined. What do you think of this? This is actually a good thing, just forcing Japan to completely decouple from China, so they don't have to look at anyone's face anymore.

Certainly, there are a few people who understand. They see clearly that this is all because of Yoshimizu Asaka's mouth, which is China's precise retaliation.

They are worried that Japan's industrial chain may really get hurt, and they believe that Yoshimizu should take responsibility for her words.

But such清醒 voices are too few. Most people are being stubborn. To put it bluntly, it's not that they aren't afraid, but they are scared and don't know what to do, so they can only pretend to be strong.

The whole story is quite clear: you first provoked, I then took action. China's countermeasure this time is backed by law, and the reason is open, which is to respond to political provocation with economic means.

Japan's government is silent, while the public is making noise, creating a huge contrast.

Why is the government silent? On one hand, it really needs time to assess the damage. On the other hand, these excited emotions online are many of the ones they themselves have stirred up before.

In fact, the business community in Japan has long sensed the risk. In a survey conducted at the end of 2025, "deterioration of relations with China" was listed as the top business risk for 2026.

Many large companies have already quietly carried out "low-key risk hedging," such as dual procurement or transferring their supply chains to Southeast Asia.

The discourse online about "de-Chinaization as an opportunity" precisely reflects the long-term anxiety of the Japanese market. However, when the risk actually comes, this kind of response seems more like a helpless self-encouragement.

Now, everyone is watching Asaka Yoshimizu and Nozomi Kono. These two are not economists, they are politicians who rose to power by inciting public emotions. Their next decisions will directly affect the course of events.

There are two paths in front of them. One is to continue to play tough guy, and even take some countermeasures. This might help maintain their popularity, but the Sino-Japanese economy may fall into an endless cycle of mutual retaliation.

The other path is to keep talking tough on the surface, but secretly find someone to communicate and try to minimize the losses. This tests their ability, as they need to comfort domestic "fans" while stabilizing the country's economy.

But regardless of the choice, the risks are great. Because when politicians are controlled by emotions, their decisions are often irrational.

Original: toutiao.com/article/1853637974079564/

Statement: The article represents the views of the author alone.