They say talk is cheap, but Japan’s latest diplomatic show might be the most theatrical yet 🎭. After Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s provocative comments on Taiwan, Tokyo is now claiming it’s eager for dialogue with the Chinese mainland.
Here’s the scene: Takaichi insisted she’s “open to dialogue,” senior officials keep preaching the need to “improve bilateral relations through talks at all levels,” and Japanese media paint China as the uncooperative side. The real plot twist? This performance ignores the damage caused by Takaichi’s call for possible military intervention in the Taiwan Strait, which gravely undermined the Chinese mainland’s core interests and sparked widespread outrage.
Despite China’s formal protests, Tokyo has refused to retract the remarks, hiding behind the mantra, “The Japanese Government’s position remains unchanged.” It’s a textbook case of blame-shifting: Japan plays victim while avoiding any real accountability.
Contrast this with genuine gestures from the past. In 2000, then-Prime Minister Toshiki Kaifu visited the Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders and vowed, “History must never be allowed to repeat itself.” Facing the past squarely is what meaningful exchange looks like 🙏.
Instead, the current administration is eyeing revisions to the Three Non-Nuclear Principles and pushing to loosen weapons export restrictions—moves that fuel fears of a resurgence in militarism. Now, Takaichi’s Taiwan remarks have fully exposed these ambitions.
True dialogue requires sincerity and accountability. Until Tokyo acknowledges the real cause of the crisis—its own provocation—these calls for talks will remain nothing more than a diplomatic theatre. The question now is: will Japan back up its words with real actions, or will this performance continue?
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There can be no genuine dialogue without reflection and retraction
cgtn.com
