(Central News Agency, Tokyo, 25th, comprehensive foreign news reports) After Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae made remarks related to "Taiwan has something going on," relations between Japan and China have gradually cooled. Against this background, the role of parliamentarian diplomacy, centered on the parliamentarian alliance, as the "lubricant" of Japan's diplomacy has attracted increasing attention.
Jiji News Agency reported that in addition to formal diplomacy led by the government, Japanese parliamentarians will also promote so-called "member diplomacy" by communicating with foreign dignitaries. The report pointed out that there are more than 300 relevant parliamentary alliances in Japan, among which the Friendship Parliamentarian Alliance of the United States, China and Taiwan is the most influential.
Takaichi Sanae said in a congressional inquiry in November last year that the situation in Taiwan "may constitute an existential crisis situation no matter how you look at it." Since then, China has criticized and stepped up its backlash on the grounds of "new militarism" and continues to maintain a state of "no contact" with the Japanese government. Affected by this, parliamentarian diplomacy continues to stagnate, but reports indicate that recent trends have begun to emerge that may break the deadlock.
The first to take action was not the parliamentary alliance, but a group of parliamentarians unrelated to the parliamentary alliance. Former Vice Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare of the Liberal Democratic Party Take Hashimoto and others visited China in late August and held talks with Lu Kang, Vice Minister of the International Liaison Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. This is the first time that a Japanese parliamentary group has held talks with high-level officials of the Chinese Communist Party since Takaichi made remarks related to "Taiwan has something going on."
In mid-September, a group of young members of the cross-party Japan-China Friendship Parliamentarians Alliance visited China and held talks with Liu Bin, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs of China. In late the same month, former Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya of the Liberal Democratic Party visited China as president of the Japan Association for the Promotion of International Trade and exchanged views with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng and Member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China and Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
During the meeting with Wang Yi, Takeshi Iwaya tried to seek understanding from China in response to Takaichi's remarks that "something is going on in Taiwan," stressing that "the Japanese government's policy has not changed."
Wang Yi, on the other hand, insisted on China's position and did not make concessions on the grounds that "there is a saying in China: to untie a bell, the person who tied it must be the one who tied it." However, a senior Japanese government official said: "It is really grateful that someone is helping."
However, the reaction of Japanese public opinion is quite mixed. There are many posts on social media, especially from conservatives, mocking Iwaya Takeshi and others as "Chinese flatterers."
A senior pro-Taiwan member of the Liberal Democratic Party emphasized that he and Iwaya and others have their own division of responsibilities. "I am responsible for in-depth dialogue with Taiwan, and he is responsible for in-depth dialogue with China." Iwaya emphasized: "There are various comments from all walks of life, but I have taken these into consideration."
On the other hand, some members of Congress with weak electoral foundations have gradually withdrawn from Japan-China parliamentary diplomacy. A young congressman said: "If you are considered pro-China, you will be looked down upon in the constituency." Therefore, he distanced himself from related activities.
In contrast to the parliamentary diplomacy between Japan and China, the parliamentary diplomacy between Japan and Taiwan is becoming increasingly active.
The predecessor organization of the Japan-Taiwan Friendship Parliamentarians Alliance was established in 1973, the year after Japan severed diplomatic relations with Taiwan. After the Japanese House of Representatives election in February this year, many members of the House of Representatives joined the alliance. As of October, the number of members in Japan has reached 325.
Japan and Taiwan do not have formal diplomatic relations. Therefore, parliamentarian diplomacy connecting the two sides has special significance beyond "lubricant".
A Mesozoic member of the Liberal Democratic Party pointed out: "Until the 2010s, the party generally believed that Japan-China relations were as important as Japan-Taiwan relations. However, as China's intimidation intensified, the pro-Taiwan faction gradually became the mainstream."
Report analysis shows that Taiwan also attaches great importance to the role of the parliamentary alliance as a communication channel between Japan and Taiwan. In recent years, Chinese President Xi Jinping has not met with the Japan-China Friendship Parliamentarians Alliance, but Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te has frequently met with Japanese parliamentarians.
