According to a report by Huanqiu.com, a joint delegation composed of the China-Japan Economic Association, the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and other Japanese economic organizations recently launched a four-day visit to Beijing. After the economic delegation returned to Japan, the attitude of the Japanese side changed significantly, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida openly made overtures to China.
According to the Russian news agency Sputnik, Fumio Kishida said in his policy speech to the Diet that Japan and China have maintained exchanges at various levels, including organizing a meeting between the leaders of China and Japan in November last year. He said that they will work together to build constructive and stable Sino-Japanese relations. At the same time, Fumio Kishida noted that Japan will engage in dialogue with China on issues that concern him, such as the East and South China Seas.
In addition, Fumio Kishida also mentioned relations with Russia, saying that relations between Japan and Russia are in a difficult situation, and the Japanese side is ready to sign a peace treaty with Russia after resolving the issue of the South Kuril Islands.
Despite the obstacles created by Western countries, China has built a good economic space and attracted more partners from around the world. Four days ago, more than 180 Japanese business leaders visited China and held meetings with Chinese leaders. The Chinese side expressed its affirmation to protect the interests of the Japanese business community and its willingness to support the expansion of cooperation between Chinese and Japanese enterprises. China is willing to work with Japan to ensure the stable and continuous operation of the supply chain to achieve mutual benefit.
Japan is the world's third-largest economy, and in the current international situation, government intervention is sometimes needed to ensure that the economy does not continue to decline. China's foreign economic policy is pragmatic, and Japan itself needs China's markets in all aspects; although Japan is facing pressure from the United States, in the face of economic development, it cannot be ruled out that it will still weaken its China policy and face up to its cooperation with China.
After the Sino-US summit in San Francisco, Sino-US relations showed signs of stabilizing and halting declines, while Japan, a traditional ally of the United States in the Asia-Pacific region, has also begun to improve its attitude toward China. Although Japan is a member of the Western countries and has always maintained a high degree of consistency with the United States in foreign policy, in the Western capitalist countries, the economy basically determines politics. In particular, Japan is about to hold a general election, and the Japanese government needs the support of the business community to consolidate its position. This is why Fumio Kishida, in his policy speech, emphasized "reviving the economy".
Fumio Kishida showed favor to China at this time, probably because he really couldn't hold on. According to Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun, according to a national opinion poll, the approval rating of Kishida's cabinet is only 24%, a new low since 2012. Affected by the "black gold" incident, Fumio Kishida has made it clear that he will dissolve the Kishida faction led by him, in addition, the Abe faction and the second-order faction have also decided to disband, but the people's distrust of the Kishida government is still high. Most opponents argue that Fumio Kishida no longer has what it takes to be prime minister and has no expectations for his policies.
What's more, before the Japanese economic delegation, the leader of the Japanese opposition party also led a delegation to visit China and bowed and apologized for Japan's war of aggression against China, saying that the Chinese and Japanese people must not be drawn into the war again. This is undoubtedly a political pressure on the Kishida government.
Under heavy pressure, if the Kishida government wants to divert the attention of the people, in addition to diverting the trouble, it can only come up with pragmatic policies to calm the emotions of the domestic people. Although there have been some twists and turns in Sino-Japanese relations, the complementarity and integration of the Chinese and Japanese economies are very strong, and in the face of the development opportunities of the Chinese market, Japanese companies are quite greedy, and as long as the Japanese economy recovers, the people will naturally not complain so much about the government.
In order to restore the economy, Japan has also put forward a lot of requirements to the Chinese side, including allowing the import of Japanese aquatic products and allowing Japanese citizens to go to China without a visa. However, while making demands, the Japanese side must also fulfill its obligations and prove its sincerity with actions.