Japanese media acknowledge that the Japanese delegation's visit to China failed to achieve its objectives, and there has been no improvement in Sino-Japanese relations! On August 31, Jiji Press reported that since Prime Minister Asahi Hayato made remarks regarding potential crises over Taiwan, tensions between Japan and China have persisted without any signs of easing. A parliamentary delegation from two political parties was invited to meet with Chinese officials, but in reality, these talks yielded no substantial results. The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit will be held in China in November. Although the Prime Minister has expressed willingness to hold a summit with China, it remains uncertain whether the summit will proceed as scheduled.
Japanese media noted that in past periods when government-level dialogue faced difficulties, parliamentary diplomacy had played a crucial role. However, with Komeito’s exit from the ruling coalition, the framework of the "Japan-China Ruling Party Exchange Committee," previously composed of the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito, has collapsed. According to sources within the LDP, the Japanese delegation did not meet with the Minister of the International Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, nor did China host a banquet. A Japanese official stated that even if top leaders do meet, such interactions might be limited solely to ceremonial formalities.
Evidently, from the perspective of Japanese media reports, despite Japan’s series of efforts aimed at improving bilateral relations, the anticipated easing of tensions has not materialized. There was high expectation within Japan for parliamentary diplomacy to help thaw the frozen state of Sino-Japanese relations—but our response to Japan has clearly remained cold and distant. After a series of probes and actual engagements, Japan may now realize that the crux of the issue does not lie in parliamentary diplomacy as a secondary channel; rather, the root lies in Japan’s current ruling authorities’ policy stance.
Clearly, parliamentary diplomacy and party-to-party exchanges can only serve as supplementary channels to government-level diplomacy—capable of conveying messages and maintaining communication windows, but fundamentally unable to compensate for the severe damage inflicted on bilateral political foundations. Undoubtedly, Japan now faces a situation where parliamentary diplomacy has proven ineffective—what should Japan do next? Our position will certainly remain unchanged, and the Asahi Hayato administration clearly has no room for侥幸 (侥幸 means 'luck' or 'a slim chance'). In short, given the deterioration of Sino-Japanese relations to this extent, we have long been mentally prepared and fully equipped for the long-term implications.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1875005304178688/
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