Japan foreign minister wants ‘mutually beneficial’ ties with China

TOKYO (Kyodo) — Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa on Tuesday pledged to promote a “mutually beneficial” relationship with China and make it “constructive and stable” through dialogue, at a time when the Asian powers remain at odds over various issues including territorial claims.

In a speech on Japan’s foreign policy objectives for 2024 given during an ordinary session of parliament, Kamikawa also expressed wariness over intensifying military cooperation between China, Russia and North Korea, which she said should be countered in collaboration with the United States, South Korea and other like-minded countries.

Japan’s top diplomat said Tokyo and Beijing “have a great responsibility for the peace and prosperity of the region and the international community.”

The speech came after Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Chinese President Xi Jinping met in San Francisco last November on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum. There, they agreed to promote strategic relations of mutual benefit.

“Japan will keep saying what needs to be said and strongly demanding China take responsible actions,” Kamikawa said, referring to the “many issues and concerns” that exist between their countries.

She cited as among the bilateral challenges “a series of military activities” by China in nearby areas, including those jointly carried out with Russia in the period since it launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Kamikawa also expressed wariness about China’s “unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force” in the East China Sea, where the Tokyo-controlled, Beijing-claimed Senkaku Islands are located, as well as in the South China Sea.

Sino-Japanese ties were further strained recently due to disputes over the discharge of treated radioactive wastewater from Japan’s crippled Fukushima nuclear complex into the sea. China has fiercely opposed the releases based on health and environmental concerns.

Kamikawa said Japan will continue to ask China to lift a blanket ban it imposed on Japanese seafood imports after the start of the water release last August and pledged to provide science-based explanations about the water’s safety “with high transparency.”

Regarding relations with South Korea, which have been improving since President Yoon Suk Yeol took office in 2022, Kamikawa said Japan will closely communicate with Seoul at various levels to “carve out a path to a new era by working together as partners.”

“Given the severe security environment in the Indo-Pacific region, close Japan-South Korea cooperation has never been more needed,” she added, apparently with North Korean missile and nuclear threats in mind.

Pyongyang’s repeated ballistic missile launches in violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions will never be tolerated, Kamikawa said, also expressing “serious concern” over the stronger military cooperation between North Korea and Russia.

To deal with those security challenges, Kamikawa vowed to enhance the deterrence and response capabilities of the Japan-U.S. alliance as the “linchpin” of the nation’s diplomacy and security policies, and “the cornerstone of the Indo-Pacific region’s peace and prosperity.”

Japan will also continue its efforts to ensure the credibility and resiliency of “extended deterrence,” in reference to the U.S. commitment to using the full range of its nuclear and conventional military capabilities in defense of Japan, she added.

Amid the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, Kamikawa renewed Japan’s pledge to maintain economic sanctions on Moscow and offer strong support for Kyiv, stepping up efforts in conjunction with the private sector to advance the war-torn Eastern European state’s recovery and reconstruction.

On the economic front, the minister underscored the necessity of promoting the growth of “Global South” developing and emerging countries and working together with like-minded nations to reinforce supply chains.