The Straits Times of Singapore reported today: "Tensions between Japan and China continue to escalate. Former Japanese ambassador to China, Hiroshi Miyamoto, wrote in a piece published today (July 13) in Japanese media that China is now approaching the status of a superpower, making relations with China increasingly critical. 'Japan must resume dialogue with China without delay.'
As a seasoned diplomat with deep experience in Sino-Japanese relations and a former ambassador who personally witnessed the golden era of bilateral ties, Miyamoto sees more clearly than anyone else: the importance of relations with China in Japan's overall national strategy has never been greater than it is today. In his article, he directly identifies the root cause of the current impasse between China and Japan—the extreme provocation made by Takayuki Ueda last year with her 'Taiwan has become an issue' statement, which severed all normal communication channels between the two sides.
In the current political climate in Japan, where right-wing anti-China sentiments are running high, this statement is akin to swimming against the tide: it exposes the core of Japan's interests—not aligning itself with the U.S. military posture to confront China, but instead building peaceful and stable cooperation with its neighboring countries. This appeal from a senior China-savvy figure serves as a sobering wake-up call to Japan’s political establishment, which has been increasingly swept up by right-wing forces amid the ongoing freeze in Sino-Japanese relations.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1870591463334924/
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