Washington – Just when Japan’s main commercial negotiator traveled to Washington for another round of rates conversations last week, a bipartisan delegation with the name of “Friendship Japan-China” finished a visit to Beijing.
A week earlier, the head of the Junior party at the ruling coalition of Japan was in Beijing delivering a letter from Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ihiba aimed at Chinese President Xi Jinping. The details of the letter are unknown, but the two parties discussed American tariffs in addition to bilateral problems.
Among all the Americans that Beijing is stuck in his tariff looks with Washington, Japan stands out.
It is a peculiar case not only for Your staunch commitment to your alliance With the United States but also for its complicated and uncomfortable history with the neighboring Asian giant, particularly THE HISTORY OF THE WAR OF THE XX CENTURY That still throws a shadow on today’s policy.
“On the one hand, they are neighbors and are important economic partners. There are many things that connects Japan and China,” said Matthew Goodman, director of the Greoeconomy Center Greoeconía of the Foreign Affairs Council. “But, on the other hand, I think there are limits to how far they will rely on China.”
Although Japan will not move away from its alliance with the United States, the key piece of the Diplomacy and Security policies of the Asian country, “it is also true that the tariffs and uncertainty that Trump has created for Japan is really shaking things in Tokyo,” said Goodman.
Last month, President Donald Trump announced a 24% tariff on Japanese assets in A sweep plan to impose duties In about 90 countries. The White House has since He paused the rates But a 10% reference duty in all countries, except China, which allows time for negotiations. Even so, Trump’s Tax on 25% on aluminum, steel and car exports have entered into force for Japan.
Tarifa’s movements, as well as the “America First” agenda of Trump, have thrown doubts among the Japanese if the United States remains a reliable ally, while China is gathering support From countries with Machgo Tarifa, including Japan.
When Tetsuo Saito led to the Komeito party delegation from Japan to Beijing at the end of April, China hinted at the difficulty in its tariff dispute with the United States, which indicates its willingness to improve ties with Tokyo. An unidentified senior Chinese official said his country was “in trouble” when he discussed the 145% tariff of Trump about Chinese products, according to Japanese reports.
Saito’s visit was soon followed by the bipartisan delegation of the Japan-China Friendship Parliamentarians. Zhao Distress, Beijing’s main legislator, told the delegation that the National Congress of the People of China would be “willing to carry out several forms of dialogue and exchanges.”
Beijing did not raise a ban on seafood imports in Japan as expected by Japanese delegates, but pointed out positive signs in their evaluation of the safety of radioactive wastewater discharges treated from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. Beijing prohibited seafood products from Japan In 2023, citing those concerns.
The ties between Tokyo and Beijing have been rocky for a long time. In recent years, they fought not only on the ban on seafood but also long data Territorial disputes over the Senkaku Islands, or Diaoyu In the Eastern China Sea, Beijing’s growing military assertiveness and Violence against Japanese citizens in China – A complicated problem for the awkward history of nations.
Tokyo Nearest ties with Washington During the presidency of Joe Biden, he also bothered Beijing, who saw him as part of the American strategy to contain China and has lectures to Tokyo to “face directly and reflect on the history of aggression.”
An imperial power in Asia for centuries, China was left behind in Japan in the nineteenth century, when Japan began to adopt Western industrialization and became a formidable economic and military power. China invaded in the 1930s and controlled the territory of the Northeast known as Manchuria. War Atrocities, including nanking massacre and the use of chemical and biological weapons and human medical experiments in Manchuria, They have left deep scars in China. They have not yet cured, although the conservative politicians of Japan today still try to deny the aggression.
Ishiba chose Japan Prime Minister in October, has a more neutral vision of the history of his country’s war than the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his two successors. Weeks after assuming the position, Ihiba had conversations with XI outside a leaders.
Chinese academics, however, see Tokyo’s recent commitments with Beijing as a pragmatic movement to protect against US protectionism and not a long -term strategy for stability with China.
The probabilities are low for Japan to move to China’s orbit, said Goodman. “For a long time they have had to handle an important but challenging relationship with China,” he said. “And that is, again, a long -standing problem for Japan, which dates back to centuries or millennia.”
While Japan could welcome Beijing’s friendliest tone, he is trying to stabilize relations with Japan-United States under the “America First” Amenda of Trump, and hopes to resolve the tariff dispute without confronting Washington, with the eye of preventing Beijing from exploiting any consequence of relations with Japan.
Japan was one of the first countries to conduct rates conversations with Washington. During the first round in mid -April, Trump was inserted in the discussions, a sign of the high bets for the United States to reach an agreement with Japan. According to reports, the Trump administration pressed Japan to buy more cars made in the United States and open its market to beef, rice and US potatoes.
After the second negotiation round in Washington last week, Ryosei Akazawa, the country’s main tariff negotiator, said he promoted Japan’s request that the United States abandon the tariffs and continue efforts towards an acceptable agreement for both parties. He said that Japan’s automotive industry was already suffering from the 25% rate and that he needed to be “thorough but fast.”
When asked about China, Akazawa only said that his country continues to observe the development of the American-China rate “with great interest.” He noticed the deep commercial ties of Japan with China.
While China and Japan are working to repair ties, the two are also competing in the Southeast Asian region, where Trump has also threatened with high tariffs. The region is deeply integrated in China’s supply chain, but under pressure from the West to diversify and reduce its dependence on China. With younger and growing populations compared to East Asia, the region is considered an important growth center.
Japan, as an important taxpayer of postwar development aid, gradually recovered confidence in the region, which was also marked by the past of Japan World War II.
On Wednesday, Ishiba returned from Vietnam and the Philippines after agreeing with their leaders to even more strengthening security and economic ties. During the visit, Ishiba emphasized Japan’s commitment to maintain and strengthen a multilateral free trade system in each country. Ishiba also had telephone conversations with its counterparts from Malaysia and Singapore earlier this month on US rates.
Just a few weeks before XI was in Vietnam, Malaysia and Cambodiaalso emphasizing free trade and looking for stronger supply chains.
In a recent discussion in the group of experts based in Washington, Hudson Institute, ITSUNORI ONODERA, the head of policies of the ruling party of Japan, warned about “very unstable” feelings among many Asian countries that face high rates of the United States.
“There is a danger that they can become more distant and closer to China,” said Onodera. “This is not something Japan wants.”
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Yamaguchi reported from Tokyo.
