On September 29, 2022, Japan and the People’s Republic of China commemorated the 50^th anniversary of the signing of the bilateral joint statement in Beijing. This was the starting point of relations between the two neighbors. And it is the focus of a new volume by Japanese historian Ryuji Hattori.

Readers may recall, however, the cool atmosphere at the time of the celebrations. The PRC had just fired a dozen missiles into Japan’s Exclusive Economic Zone during military exercises against Taiwan (and the United States and Japan). 

Japan and China exchanged congratulatory messages, but most people in Japan did not know or care about the 50^th anniversary. And many are outright dissatisfied both with the bilateral relationship. They feel the PRC has not honored the spirit of the statement. 

In contrast, support for the bilateral relationship with Taiwan continues to be extremely high. This is highly ironic. In 1972, the then-Japanese government chose to sever relations with the Republic of China (Taiwan) in favor of pursuing relations with Communist China. But public support in Japan is high toward the country its government severed official relations with, and low towards the regime with which its government maintains official relations.

China-Japan ‘Rapprochement’

There has been much irony in the unfriendly — if not hostile — behavior of the PRC toward Japan. Particularly in past decades. In 2020, Lower House member and Vice Minister of Defense…