CHINA - JAPAN SPAT LACKS IMMEDIATE OFF-RAMP DESPITE KOMEITO TALKS
@Jr_Paku Midin Channel
Tetsuo Saito, the head of former ruling coalition partner Komeito, said he’s held an in-person meeting and multiple phone calls with China’s ambassador, Wu Jianghao, since remarks on Taiwan by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi triggered a standoff between the two nations.
Speaking in an interview on Wednesday in Tokyo, Saito said he hopes to visit China soon and says he would be prepared to take a letter on Takaichi’s behalf if requested.
One of the most contentious parts in the talks with Wu is related to what would constitute a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan, Saito said. Takaichi’s remarks suggested that an attempt by China to take control of Taiwan by force might amount to that kind of situation, fulfilling a key condition for Tokyo to consider a military deployment to assist other nations.
“I have stated that Japan’s national policy has not changed at all. Their response is that this alone is insufficient. But as for what should be done about it, I’d rather not get further into that” as the talks were private, Saito said. “We’ve been having diverse discussions. We’ve expressed our thinking over how to overcome this situation.”
Asked about what needs to be done to find a way to deescalate tensions, Saito said, “there’s nothing I can discuss at this point.”
Saito’s careful remarks point to the intricacy of a matter that shows no signs of easing more than a month after Takaichi’s Nov. 7 remarks on Taiwan. The two sides traded accusations this week after Japan claimed a Chinese aircraft had locked its radar on Japanese fighter jets over the weekend.
Over the years, Komeito has served as an alternative pipeline of communication with Beijing. While the party has now left the ruling coalition after a quarter of a century, Saito’s comments suggest it could still contribute to an easing of tensions.
Back in January 2013, when bilateral ties were strained over a territorial dispute, Komeito’s former leader, Natsuo Yamaguchi, met with Chinese Communist Party General Secretary Xi Jinping, and delivered a personal letter from then-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. In November 2014, Abe went on to meet Xi in Beijing when China hosted the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit.
Since its 1964 start, Komeito has tried to promote warmer ties between Japan and China. Its founding policy platform called for the recognition of the People’s Republic of China and the establishing of full diplomatic ties. The two nations normalized relations in 1972.
Saito, who visited China with a letter from former Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in April, said he wants to make another trip next year.
“Given the current situation, I hope to go as soon as possible while monitoring the circumstances,” he said.
Saito said Komeito aims to leverage the “strong connections” the party has built with China over the years. He continues to urge the Takaichi administration not to escalate the situation further, advising her and her Cabinet members not to visit Yasukuni Shrine, which some nations see as glorifying Japan’s wartime past.
Visits to the shrine by Japanese leaders typically generate a wave of criticism from neighboring countries, particularly from China and South Korea. Takaichi hasn’t visited the shrine since becoming prime minister, though she has been many times in the past.
“It’s a religious matter. Whether to visit or not is a matter of personal freedom,” Saito said. “But I’d like her to carefully consider what a visit in her official capacity as prime minister would cause in terms of diplomacy.”
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