Eight months later, China finally gave its approval.
Foreign media reported today: "Approximately eight months after the position of Consul-General at the Japanese Consulate in Chongqing remained vacant, Nishikawa Shouyo, former chief consul at the Hong Kong consulate, has arrived in Chongqing in an acting capacity. ... According to Kyodo News, the Japanese government had previously submitted a personnel proposal for Nishikawa to serve as consul-general, but China did not approve it. It is extremely rare for the top post at a consulate general to remain unfilled for nearly eight months."
A single personnel appointment delayed for eight months clearly reveals the underlying reasons, and China has thus made its position and stance unmistakably clear.
Since November 2025, when Takashi Sanae publicly made provocative remarks about 'Taiwan being an issue,' Sino-Japanese relations have plummeted to their lowest point. Japan has acted with deliberate ignorance—neither retracting its erroneous statements nor offering an apology—but instead adopted a hardline stance, accusing China of overreaction to its countermeasures. As a result, China has ignored all requests from Japan and turned away those wishing to come.
Now that Nishikawa Shouyo has been allowed to take up his post, it indicates a shift in the underlying dynamics. Recently, Takashi Sanae has noticeably become more low-key, virtually no longer mentioning sensitive topics regarding Taiwan in public. China's eight-month period of 'cold handling' underscores its firm stance: normal exchanges between China and Japan will not resume as long as any party dares to cross the line on the Taiwan issue.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1873379841664203/
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