Japan’s 2024 Diplomatic Bluebook Strikes a Balance between ‘Beneficial’ Ties with China and CCP Military Threats

Japan’s 2024 Diplomatic Bluebook, recently released by the Japanese Foreign Ministry, emphasizes the ministry’s concerns over the increasing military threats from China, while re-introducing the “mutually beneficial” relations with China.

International affairs observers have pointed out that the new diplomatic bluebook, Japan’s annual foreign policy report, shows that Japan is attempting to adopt a balancing strategy: on the one hand, it is allied with the United States and other free democracies against the Chinese Communist Party’s military buildup and aggressive foreign policies; on the other hand, Japan also hopes to reduce tensions in Sino-Japanese relations.

The report released on April 16 identified China’s military expansion as “a matter of serious concern to Japan and the international community,” which is “unprecedented and represents the greatest strategic challenge to ensuring the peace and security.”

In response to the increasing threats from the Chinese communist regime, the bluebook highlights the importance of Japan’s cooperation with allies and like-minded countries.

In this year’s book, the “mutually beneficial relationship based on common strategic interests” between Japan and China was mentioned again after five years.

The term was crafted in 2006 by then-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, referring to his goal of Japan and China pursuing shared political and economic interests when he met with then-Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leader Hu Jintao during his visit to China. The phrase was included in the 2008 joint statement between the two countries.

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Wang He, a U.S.-based China affairs observer, told The Epoch Times on April 19 that Japan’s re-introduction of the mutually beneficial relationship between Japan and China is Japan’s balancing strategy.

“Japan’s alliance with the United States is to form an effective deterrent against the CCP. As this deterrent has been rapidly advanced, Japan also hopes to ease the tension between China and Japan. After all, it does not want a war between China and Japan,” he said.

Mr. Wang added that, after all, China and Japan are neighboring countries. “In terms of bilateral relations with China, Japan wants to try its best to be able to talk about cooperation.”

The bluebook mentions that it is important that both “China and Japan make efforts to build … constructive and stable relations.”

China is Japan’s largest trading partner, export target country, and import source country. According to data released by the CCP’s General Administration of Customs, the total trade volume between China and Japan in 2023 was $317.998 billion, accounting for more than 1/5 of Japan’s total foreign trade, which is a decrease of 10.7% from 2022.

Wu Se-chih, a researcher at Cross-Strait Policy Association in Taiwan told The Epoch Times on April 19, “To a certain extent, this strategic mutually beneficial relationship does not mean the improvement of Japan-China relations. Instead, because the two countries have different foreign strategies and different national interests, they hope to find the possibility of mutual benefit in their respective strategies through continuous communication and negotiation.”

Taiwan Issue

The Taiwan issue is a focus of Japan’s bluebook this year. It pointed out that peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait are vital to Japan’s security and the overall stability of the international community.

The CCP has intensified its military threats against Taiwan since last year, including dispatching warships and military aircraft around Taiwan and conducting military exercises in the sea and airspace surrounding Taiwan. The CCP’s military actions have raised serious concerns for the Japanese government.

The Taiwan Strait crisis has forced Japan to make key choices and strengthen cooperation with the United States.

“In recent years, the cooperation between Japan and the United States has become closer, especially military cooperation as there’s an increasing number of joint actions in military exercises. This is mainly due to the threat from China (CCP),” Mr. Wu said.

“From the perspective of the United States and Japan, the war in the Taiwan Strait is not a question of if but when, and how the United States and Japan should respond. They are preparing for actual combat. In terms of specific operations, if the CCP uses military troops to take Taiwan by force and pose a huge military threat to Japan, then the U.S.-Japan [military] alliance may be activated,” Mr. Wu explained.

Threats to Regional Peace

The bluebook criticized the CCP for its militarization of the South China Sea and attempt to unilaterally change the status quo through force in the East China Sea and South China Sea, including the disputed territorial claim over Diaoyutai Islands (known as the Senkaku in Japan), posing challenges to regional stability. Japan also expressed concerns in the bluebook regarding the CCP’s cooperation with Russia to increase military activities around Japan.

Mr. Wang said, “From a strategic perspective, Japan is now highly wary of the CCP, regarding the CCP as the biggest strategic threat, therefore, Japan is carrying out all-round military reforms.”

“The CCP’s military buildup has posed a very huge threat to Japan. It is difficult for Japan to confront the CCP based on its own strategy. Therefore, at this time, Japan has brought the United States in to introduce Japanese and U.S. military alliance to the Asia-Pacific to deter the CCP,” he said.

“Based on this, it [Japan] is discussing cooperation, negotiation, and compromise with the CCP.”

The bluebook also pointed out that the CCP has exerted great influence on the international community in recent years in terms of politics, economy, and the military. The CCP’s current external posture and military trends are matters of deep concern to Japan and the international community.

The Chinese communist regime said Japan’s bluebook is exaggerating the “China [CCP] threat”.

The bluebook highlighted the growing importance of Japan’s diplomatic cooperation with allies and like-minded countries, such as the Group of Seven; the Quad security forum with the United States, Australia, and India; and the trilateral relationship with the United States and South Korea. The book describes South Korea as a partner for the first time in 14 years.

The newly built Japan-U.S.-Philippines alliances just held the first three-way summit earlier this month, which will “further strengthen its coordination, and pursue more concrete cooperation,” the bluebook states.

Chen Shih-min, associate professor of political science at National Taiwan University, told The Epoch Times, “These countries obviously have a closer military and security relationship and seem to want to form an Asian version of NATO. The target is of course the CCP.”

Zhang Hong and Luo Ya contributed to this report.