Although hardline conservative Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi of Japan held her first summit with China President Xi Jinping in Gyeongju on the 31st of last month, ten days into her term, tensions between the two countries are instead escalating as sensitive issues such as Taiwan and historical perception come to the fore. With Komeito, which had served as a buffer, leaving the coalition government and anti-Japanese sentiment spreading in China, China·Japan relations are unlikely to break out of a strained tone for some time.

China Central Television (CCTV) on the 4th (local time) sharply criticized Prime Minister Takaichi, saying, “The Taiwan question is the political foundation of China·Japan relations and a red line that cannot be crossed”, and “If Japan truly seeks stable development of China·Japan relations, it must not betray trust or resort to ploys of ‘words and deeds that do not match’”.

This targeted Prime Minister Takaichi posting on her social media account photos taken with Taiwan representative Lin Hsin-i during consecutive meetings on the 31st of last month and the 1st on the sidelines of the APEC summit in Gyeongju. The Chinese side was particularly displeased that Takaichi addressed Representative Lin as ‘Senior Adviser to the Office of the President of Taiwan’. This wording clashes with China’s position of not recognizing Taiwan as a separate government.

In this connection, the Chinese Embassy in Japan lodged a protest on the 2nd, calling it “interference in China’s internal affairs”. A joint China·Japan public opinion survey that had been scheduled for release on the 4th was also postponed at the request of the Chinese side. It is known that this annual survey, jointly released every year by civic groups from both countries, had been prepared up to just before publication this year as well.

According to Kyodo News and other outlets, Japan’s Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said at a press conference on the 4th regarding Prime Minister Takaichi’s meeting with the Taiwan representative that “Japan and Taiwan maintain working-level relations on a non-governmental basis, and this meeting does not run counter to that position”. He added, “There have been similar meetings in the past”.

At the China·Japan summit on the 31st of last month, the two countries agreed on the need for cooperation and exchanges, but showed clear differences on key issues. Citing the ‘Murayama Statement’, in which Japan apologized for Imperial Japan’s aggression, President Xi indirectly criticized Japan’s view of history, while Prime Minister Takaichi raised concerns about human rights in China, including Hong Kong, and the situation in the East China Sea, bringing up the most sensitive issues face to face.

Reuters reported that “although the two countries have managed the relationship relatively stably in recent years, Takaichi’s nationalist bent and tough security policies could again heighten tensions”. It added, “The fact that Takaichi moved immediately after taking office to build up arms to counter China in East Asia and to strengthen the U.S.-Japan military presence forms the backdrop to these concerns”.

China has closely watched Prime Minister Takaichi, who has made remarks and taken steps touching on its ‘reverse scale’ since before taking office. In her first run for the Liberal Democratic Party leadership in September 2021, Takaichi put the Taiwan issue front and center, stating, “If I become prime minister, I will build a ‘cooperation mechanism’ with Taiwan”. She also asserted, “It is necessary to make clear the costs and risks that China would have to bear if it invades Taiwan”, calling for a U.S.-Japan joint operational plan and Taiwan’s participation in multilateral frameworks and military exercises. Her repeated visits to Yasukuni Shrine, where Class-A war criminals are enshrined, also drew China’s backlash.

While serving as internal affairs minister under the Shinzo Abe administration in 2016, she led a measure, justified as ‘national security’, to exclude Huawei’s fifth-generation (5G) telecom equipment from the public sector, and is regarded as a key figure who drove Japan’s technology decoupling from China. Xinhua News Agency also reported that she actively spearheaded enactment at the time of the ‘Economic Security Promotion Act’, which restricts advanced technology cooperation between China and Japan, thereby cementing a hard line on China.

This year in particular, China is pushing narratives on the War of Resistance Against Japan and cross-strait issues as it marks the 80th anniversary of victory in the War of Resistance Against Japan and the World Anti-Fascist War and officially commemorates ‘Taiwan Retrocession Day’, so Prime Minister Takaichi’s moves are being received even more sensitively.

Komeito, which had served as a bridge in China·Japan relations, leaving the coalition with the Liberal Democratic Party also appears to have affected the chill between the two countries. Whenever ties worsened over issues such as the Senkaku Islands (Chinese name Diaoyu Dao), Komeito continued dialogue through channels such as the China·Japan Ruling Parties Exchange Council with the Chinese Communist Party. It also took the lead in practical agenda discussions, including lifting restrictions on imports of Japanese seafood. During its visit to China in May last year, the Komeito delegation stressed that “Komeito’s belief in China·Japan friendship is a valuable asset of bilateral relations”.

However, last month Komeito left the coalition with the Liberal Democratic Party after 26 years, and the LDP joined hands with the right-leaning Japan Innovation Party. The Innovation Party is generally maintaining a hard line toward China.

In particular, Upper House member Seki Hei of the Innovation Party was sanctioned by the Chinese government with an entry ban and asset freeze over remarks related to Taiwan, Diaoyu Dao, and the Xinjiang Uyghur and Xizang (Tibet) issues. Naturalized in Japan after being born in China, Seki Hei has pursued politics under an anti-China banner.

Prime Minister Takaichi’s tough diplomacy toward China is drawing support from conservatives in Japan, making it unlikely that she will change course. Akio Yaita, director of the Institute for Indo-Pacific Strategy, told Taiwan’s Liberty Times that “although China is maintaining a hard-line stance, conservatives in Japan assess that Prime Minister Takaichi demonstrated an independent diplomatic will and clear principles through this meeting”.

In a public opinion poll released on the 3rd by private broadcaster TBS and its affiliate network JNN, support for the Takaichi cabinet reached 82%.