(Tokyo/Beijing = Yonhap News) Correspondent Cho Sung-mi and Han Jong-gu = As the 7th marks the one-year anniversary of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's remarks on the suggestion of 'intervention in Taiwan in case of emergency', which caused a sharp cooling in China-Japan relations, the Japanese government stated on the 6th that it respects China's position that 'Taiwan is part of Chinese territory'.
However, the Chinese government said Japan was responsible for the deterioration of China-Japan relations and urged Prime Minister Takaichi to quickly correct his erroneous remarks.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara, a spokesperson for the Japanese government, was asked at a regular press conference today to evaluate the one-year anniversary of the statement and the future establishment of China-Japan relations, and responded, "The government's position on Taiwan is the same as stated in the 1972 China-Japan Joint Statement."
In the China-Japan joint statement adopted when the two countries established formal diplomatic relations in 1972, Japan stated that it "completely understands and respects" China's position that it "emphasizes that Taiwan is part of Chinese territory."
Prime Minister Takaichi met with reporters at the Prime Minister's Office on this day and said, "China is an important neighboring country and we have a relationship that has been built over a long period of time despite the many challenges that exist."
He went on to say, "We will build a constructive and stable relationship with China by comprehensively promoting a strategic and mutually beneficial relationship, communicating about common tasks, and having dialogue to protect national interests," and repeated his remarks about China that he had made in speeches expressing his convictions at the National Assembly.
In response to this, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiaqun said at a regular briefing that day, "Japan is entirely responsible for the serious difficulties in China-Japan relations."
He continued by criticizing, "A year ago, the Japanese leader publicly signaled his intention to intervene by force in the Taiwan issue with his erroneous remarks regarding Taiwan, challenging China's national sovereignty and shaking the political foundation of Sino-Japanese relations."
In particular, Spokesperson Kuo said, "Unfortunately, even though a year has passed, the Japanese authorities are still standing still and avoiding the issue, and have not shown sincerity or action to reflect on and correct their mistakes."
Since China-Japan relations have become strained since the end of last year, high-level official dialogue, including the heads of state and foreign ministers of the two countries, has virtually stopped.
However, former Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, who visited China last September with a delegation from Japan's private China-Japan Economic Exchange Organization, met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and proposed using the China-Japan joint statement as a means of 'circumstance reconciliation' between the two countries.
In response to China's repeated demands for Prime Minister Takaichi to withdraw his remarks, former Foreign Minister Iwaya said, "Withdrawing the statement carries a great political burden," and proposed that the two governments reaffirm the purpose of the China-Japan joint statement, using this as an opportunity to "virtually withdraw" Prime Minister Takaichi's statement.
However, it was reported that Director Wang at the time did not accept this proposal, saying that the problem could not be solved in an ambiguous manner.
Even when Prime Minister Takaichi attempted to ease tensions in December of last year, right after making his remarks about Taiwan, by saying, "There is no change in the position in the China-Japan joint statement," China did not accept it, demanding a "clear withdrawal of the position."
Although the Japanese government did not immediately respond to Director Wang's comments, changes have been detected recently.
Masaaki Kanai, Director of the Asia and Oceania Bureau of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, appeared before the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives (House of Representatives) of the Japanese National Assembly on the 28th of last month and said, "The government's basic position on Taiwan is the same as the Japan-China joint statement of 1972."
At the time, Director Ganai read part of the joint statement during his response to the National Assembly, which was evaluated as an unusual action with China in mind.
The same answer was then repeated and reaffirmed by the government spokesperson that day.
It is possible to interpret that the Japanese government officials are making a conciliatory gesture without Prime Minister Takaichi withdrawing his remarks, as the Japanese government took the form of repeating its existing position and re-emphasizing that it respects China's position on the Taiwan issue.
This is because we cannot just ignore the substantial losses that Japan is suffering, such as restrictions on exports of key minerals that began due to the cooling of Sino-Japanese relations, and a sharp decline in Chinese tourists.
However, with the Chinese government criticizing the Japanese government and blocking conciliatory gestures, and Prime Minister Takaichi repeating his previous stance, it is expected that the cold Sino-Japanese relationship will continue for some time.
The Nippon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei) pointed out that in the year since Prime Minister Takaichi's remarks regarding Taiwan, Japan has pursued diplomacy that relies solely on the United States rather than actively resolving issues.
Nikkei commented that this strategy is revealing its limitations as the possibility that President Donald Trump, who lost in the recent midterm elections, will skip Japan and engage in direct dealings with President Xi in order to achieve political results is highlighted.
Professor Seiko Mimaki of Doshisha University, an international political scientist, told this newspaper that it is not realistic to rely entirely on the United States in the security and economic fields, adding, "As a middle power, Japan has no choice but to engage in all-out diplomacy, including with China. It is the role of the prime minister to prioritize national interests over domestic public opinion."
As it is unclear whether Prime Minister Takaichi will be able to hold a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit to be held in Shenzhen, China on the 18th and 19th, there is speculation within the Japanese government that it is realistically difficult to hold a meeting.
If the meeting between Prime Minister Takaichi and President Xi does not take place, face-to-face meetings between the leaders of the two countries, which have been held every year since 2022 through APEC, will be suspended.
However, Minister Kihara responded that he would "refrain from making predictions" about future diplomatic schedules, including the review status of the China-Japan meeting at APEC.
