Chronologies
Japan - China
Chronology
: 400;">: Uniqlo faces a storm of online criticism in China after a BBC report quotes the chief executive of its owner as saying the company does not source cotton from the far western region of Xinjiang.
: 400;">: A delegation from seven economic groups in the Kansai region confirms with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng their desire to cooperate in improving and strengthening Japan-China ties.
: 400;">: Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency (ATLA), an external bureau of the Japanese defense ministry, plans to develop a new model of radar to improve interception capabilities against hypersonic missiles.
: 400;">: Japanese foreign ministry moves up its schedule for placing security guards on school buses for Japanese schools in China from April to the end of March by including the relevant expenses in the fiscal 2024 supplementary budget.
: 400;">: Kyodo reports that China intends to remove a buoy it installed inside Japan’s exclusive economic zone near the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea.
: 400;">: China’s foreign ministry says that the requirement for short-term visas for Japanese will be waived from Nov. 30 through the end of next year. They were suspended in March 2020 amid the coronavirus pandemic.
: 400;">: Japanese officials are closely watching to see if China keeps its promise to prevent further violations of Japan’s airspace after explaining that an incursion by a Chinese military aircraft nearly three months ago was unintentional and caused by turbulence.
: 400;">: Aiming to further cooperation in the space domain between US and SDF forces to counter security threats from China and Russia, about 10 members of the US space force will be stationed at Yokota Air Base in December.
: 400;">: Asahi editorializes that conditions are ripe for Japan and China to work to improve ties, as with the confrontation between the US and China expected to continue for the foreseeable future, the Xi administration wants to keep China’s relations with neighboring countries as good as possible and has been exploring approaches to improving relations with Japan.
: 400;">: Interviewed by Global Times, Takeshi Niinami, chair of the Japan Association of Corporate Executives, emphasizes that personal visits to China and firsthand experience of the current state of its economy and society are crucial to fostering a good Japan-China relationship.
: 400;">: Ishiba holds his first meeting with Xi on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Lima with Ishiba telling reporters that “While there are many differences of opinion between Japan and China, we did agree to continue to hold meetings in the future.”
: 400;">: Japanese economy expands by an annualized 0.9% in Q 3 highlighting Japan’s frail economic recovery, as consumer spending held up but domestic demand has not fully picked up amid concerns that about a growing risk of a slowdown in the US and further weakness in China’s economy that could weigh on exports ahead.
: 400;">: Over 800 representatives from government bodies, businesses and institutions from China and Japan attend the 17th China-Japan Comprehensive Forum on Energy Saving and Environmental Protection in Tokyo on Saturday to explore cooperation opportunities in green transformation.
: 400;">: Saying that breaches of Japanese airspace by Chinese and Russian warplanes earlier in the year “not only violated Japanese sovereignty but also threatened the safety of Japan, and are absolutely unacceptable,” Ishiba renews a pledge to build up his country’s military and deepen its alliance with the United States under President-elect Donald Trump.
: 400;">: A new report from Human Rights Watch states that Chinese authorities are targeting and intimidating people living in Japan and engaging in activities deemed politically sensitive by the Chinese government.
: 400;">: A Global Times opinion piece advised being wary of Japanese nationalism since it has the potential to cause regional waves.
: 400;">: In its first visit to China in eight years a delegation of the Japan Association of Corporate Executives calls for China to exempt Japanese short-term visitors from visa requirements. It also calls for China’s active participation in the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo.
: 400;">: Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Senior Vice President Ishii Yasuo confirms that in July the organization was hit by multiple cyberattacks on staff accounts through the Microsoft 365 cloud service but declines to provide details.
: 400;">: Japan’s defense ministry reports that fighters and helicopters took off from and landed about 20 times from the aircraft carrier Shandong south of Okinawa’s Miyako Island.
: 400;">: Huanqiu objects to a Nihon Keizai Shimbun article claiming that China was provoking the Ryukyu issue.
: 400;">: Japanese national security adviser Akiba Takeo visits China seeking to lay the groundwork for a meeting between the leaders of the two countries.
: 400;">: Citing unspecified government sources, Yomiuri reports that one of the China Coast Guard’s largest patrol ships made a rare move of sailing around the Senkaku Islands in June, apparently in response to the United States dispatching a patrol ship to help boost collaboration with Japan and the Philippines.
: 400;">: China’s National Defense University’s College of Joint Operations and the State Key Laboratory of Intelligent Games in Beijing simulate a scenario involving an attack on Shanghai by stealth fighters from Japan.
: 400;">: China informs Japan that an “unexpected obstruction” was what caused one of its military planes to breach Japanese airspace in August, seemingly attributing the blame to the Japanese defense force’s activities prior to the unprecedented intrusion.
: 400;">: In the first transfer in eight years under a bilateral agreement to help conserve the internationally protected crested ibis,16 birds born in Japan to parents sent by China arrive in Beijing.
: 400;">: Yomiuri editorializes in favor of Japan, the US, and South Korea strengthening support for the Philippines against Chinese aggression while appealing to the international communityon the need to maintain stability in the South China Sea and to deter China.
: 400;">: Sophie Luo Shengchun wife of jailed Chinese human rights lawyer Ding Jiaxi, visits Japan, calling for support for the release of her husband and all prisoners of conscience in the PRC.
: 400;">: People’s Bank of China and the Bank of Japan agree to renew their bilateral currency swap deal amounting to 200 billion yuan (about $28.13 billion).
: 400;">: China and Japan hold their 17th round of high-level consultations on maritime affairs in Tokyo, exchanging in-depth views on maritime affairs and agreeing to make the East China Sea a sea of peace, cooperation and friendship.
: 400;">: A report released by the Academy of Contemporary China and World Studies titled “Chinese Modernization in the Eyes of Japanese” on Sept. 11 shows that 61.5% of respondents believe that Chinese modernization is positive for Japan’s development and modernization and 43.4% believe that “Chinese modernization is an opportunity for Japan, and active participation in bilateral cooperation can promote common development.”
: 400;">: China may allow the resumption of imports of ornamental nishikigoi carp, which had been halted since Nov. 2023 in protest against the release of treated water from TEPCO’s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.
: 400;">: China’s ultra-nationalist “little pinks” call for a boycott of major milk powder company Feihe following reports that it signed a letter of intent to develop a lactoferrin-based infant formula product with Japan’s Kyowa Hakko Biochemical Co.
: 400;">: During a phone call with Japan’s National Security Adviser Akiba Takeo, Chinese foreign minister says his country’s relations with Japan have gotten off to a “good start,” following the establishment of Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru’s government.
: 400;">: Highlighting China’s repeated acts of hegemony in the East and South China seas, DM Nakatani calls for a free and open Indo-Pacific at a meeting of the G7 defense ministers in Naples, Italy.
: 400;">: A China Daily editorial calls Ishiba’s political agenda inherently contradictory: he wants to rebalance the alliance with the US to increase Japan’s strategic autonomy and foster “constructive, stable” relations with neighboring China through dialogue and cooperation while at the same time pursuing an Asian version of NATO.
: 400;">: Yomiuri reports that on Sept. 25 the MSDF destroyer Sazanami transited the Taiwan Strait to counter China’s influence in East Asia.
: 400;">: A 17-member expert panel of Japan’s defense ministry confirms the necessity of strengthening domestic defense industry and promoting the export of defense equipment abroad.
: 400;">: Concerns remain among Japanese due to the Chinese government’s still not having provided a clear motive for the fatal stabbing of a Japanese boy on Sept. 18.
: 400;">: Responding to the latest round of large-scale Chinese military exercises encircling Taiwan, Yomiuri editorializes that if China thinks continued military threats and psychological intimidation can force Taiwan into submission, it would be a serious mistake.
: 400;">: Asahi editorializes against China’s military exercise around Taiwan following a similar intimidating show of force in May.
: 400;">: Writing in China Daily, research fellow in the China Institute of International Studies Xiang Haoyu advises that Japanese leaders need to strike a balance between catering to the domestic public, which means they should manage to maintain cooperation with China rather than simply taking a populist tough stance against China.
: 400;">: In a first, Defense Minister Nakatani Gen attends the NATO defense ministers’ meeting in Brussels, expressing deep concern over the closer military cooperation between not only Russia and China, but also between Russia and North Korea.
: 400;">: Yomiuri observes that Chinese mainstream media have remained silent on the news that Nihon Hidankyo, or Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations, won the Nobel Peace Prize, interpreting the silence as reflecting the differences between Xi Jinping’s administration, which is focused on strengthening its nuclear capabilities, and Hidankyo’s efforts toward a world free of nuclear weapons.
: 400;">: Meeting on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit in Laos, Ishiba and Premier Li Qiang confirm their commitment to promoting mutually beneficial ties as Ishiba expresses “serious concerns” over Chinese military movements in areas surrounding Japan.
: 400;">: China Military Online interprets reports that Japan’s defense ministry is in talks with several commercial ferry companies about using civil transport capacities to undertake military tasks as a move to cover up Japan’s strengthened war preparedness with a civil cloak and to establish an amphibious transport and logistics supply model similar to that of the US, which will facilitate their defense cooperation.
: 400;">: Japan’s new government says it hopes to improve ties with China after receiving a “forward-looking” congratulatory message from Beijing on the election of Prime Minister Ishiba.
: 400;">: In an article posted on the Hudson Institute’s website, Ishiba says that “the creation of an Asian version of NATO is essential to deter China by its Western allies” and that the creation of the Asian NATO he envisions “must also specifically consider America’s sharing of nuclear weapons or the introduction of nuclear weapons into the region.”
: 400;">: After Ishiba’s election as president of the LDP, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian expresses the PRC’s strong opposition toward Japanese politicians visiting Taiwan.
: 400;">: Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian says at a routine daily press conference in response to Ishiba Shigeru’s’s election as LDP president that China has noted the election results but that it is Japan’s internal matter, and that China does not comment on it.
: 400;">: MSDF destroyer Sazanami sails through the Taiwan Strait on the 25th for the first time since the SDFs were formed. Kishida made the decision after consultation with his government and in response to the Chinese sending a reconnaissance plane into Japanese airspace in August.
: 400;">: Miyamoto Yuji, newly appointed president of the Japan-China Friendship Center and former Japanese ambassador to China, having recently visited China, comments that exchanges between the two countries have never truly ceased and that most Japanese people are eager to understand and also value their relationship with the real China.
: 400;">: Asahi editorializes on the need for Japan’s next prime minister to aim at improving ties with China.
: 400;">: Foreign Minister Kamikawa meets opposite number Wang Yi at the opening of the UN General Assembly demanding that China crack down on “unsubstantiated and malicious anti-Japanese social media posts [that are] directly related to children’s safety and absolutely unacceptable.”
: 400;">: Quad leaders issue the Wilmington Declaration expressing “serious concern about the situation in the East and South China seas.”
: 400;">: Employees at four Japanese companies say that some big firms in China have given Japanese employees and their families the option to be relocated home at the company’s expense, or are considering doing so.
: 400;">: Kyodo reports that, aiming to further strengthen collaboration amid China’s growing military assertiveness, Japan and the European Union plan to establish director general-level dialogue on security and defense issues.
: 400;">: Foreign Minister Kamikawa Yoko expresses condolences and says that the attack on the student on Sept. 18 occurred despite Tokyo’s requests for caution and enhanced safety as China marks a key anniversary of its war with Japan.
: 400;">: China and Japan reach a four-point agreement on the discharge of Fukushima nuclear-contaminated water that includes Japan establishing a long-term international monitoring arrangement and allowing stakeholders including China to conduct independent sampling and monitoring.
: 400;">: Reports state that, beginning in 2025, the coast guards of the Quad states will begin carrying one another’s personnel on their vessels that patrol the Indo-Pacific.
: 400;">: A 10-year-old boy is stabbed near a Japanese school in Shenzhen and dies while under treatment in a hospital. A 44-year-old man, surnamed Zhong, is taken into custody. Lin Jian, a spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, says the government will continue to take “effective measures” to protect “the safety of all foreigners in China.” Sept. 18, the anniversary of the 1931 Mukden incident that led to the Japanese invasion of Manchuria, is typically a time of heightened anti-Japanese sentiment.
: 400;">: Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning accompanied by two destroyers enters Japan’s contiguous zone for the first time.
: 400;">: Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs requests 350 million yen for the next fiscal year to pay for the security measures for each of the eleven Japanese schools in China, which will include posting one guard for each bus. A total of 3,305 students attend.
: 400;">: Former Environment Minister Koizumi Shinjiro says Japan-China relations would be “unlocked for the future through top-level diplomacy” while former LDP secretary general Ishiba Shigeru favors the creation of an Asian version of NATO as well as emphasizing to the US that it ”is able to enjoy its interests in Asia because of Japan’s cooperation.”
: 400;">: To counter illegal fishing in waters where China’s influence is growing, the coast guards of the Quad nations will launch joint patrols to monitor vessels in the Indo-Pacific.
: 400;">: Digital Minister Kono Taro asserts on a Fuji Television program that Japan needs to deploy its own nuclear submarines which, he said, would “make it difficult for the Chinese navy to move out into the Pacific at will.”
: 400;">: Commenting on China’s decision, reported in Hong Kong’s Sing Tao daily on Sept. 3, to establish a Ryukyu Research Center Nikkei correspondent Nakazawa Katsuji believes that China may have set its sights on Okinawa, perhaps in retaliation for Japan’s deepening ties with Taiwan.
: 400;">: A joint statement issued after the 2+2 meeting of Japanese and Australian foreign and defense ministers expresses serious concern over China’s escalating dangerous and coercive activities against the Philippines and condemns attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion in the East China Sea and elsewhere.
: 400;">: Mitsubishi CEO Nakanishi Katsuya calls for a more active strategy from the government to help Japanese companies counter increasing Chinese competition in their traditional stronghold of Southeast Asia.
: 400;">: Hong Kong’s government revamps a colonial-era coastal defense museum with a sharper focus on wartime anti-Japanese resistance, coinciding with the annual commemoration of Imperial Japan’s defeat 79 years ago.
: 400;">: Defense ministry requests ¥323.2 billion to build a satellite constellation network for guiding missiles in its initial budget request for fiscal 2025.
: 400;">: A Chinese man contracted to an affiliate of Japanese state broadcaster NHK goes off-script while reporting on graffiti at the Yasukuni Shrine saying in Chinese that the Senkaku Islands are “Chinese territory” and protesting “NHK’s historical revisionist propaganda” and “unprofessional practices.”
: 400;">: A Chinese naval survey ship enters territorial waters southwest of Kuchinoerabu Island at around 6 a.m. and exited southwest of Yakushima Island at around 7:53 a.m. as MSDF vessels and aircraft were conducting surveillance and intelligence gathering.
: 400;">: Yomiuri editorializes that China’s statement that it has “no intention” of violating the sovereignty of other countries is unacceptable, and that if airspace violations, which are serious violations of sovereignty, are not fully addressed, China may further escalate its provocations.
: 400;">: Japan’s defense ministry is to invest in AI, automation and improving troop conditions to address a worsening recruitment shortfall that has left its forces understaffed amid a buildup aimed at countering China’s growing military power.
: 400;">: Japanese steelmakers urge Tokyo to consider curbing cheap steel imports coming from China. China’s steel exports rose 24% to 53.4 million tons in the first half of 2024, on track for 100 million tons for the year.
: 400;">: Diet member and former LDP secretary-general Nikai Toshiro leads the first nonpartisan legislative group to visit China in five years. Nikai, 85, has close ties in China, has announced that he will not run again.
: 400;">: A Global Times commentary applauds the visit of Nikai’s delegation while noting that problems between the two countries have piled up. Japan’s provocative actions in the East China Sea and South China Sea challenge China’s core interests, as well as its alignment with the US that destabilizes the region, have become a source of concern for China.
: 400;">: According to an anonymous source said to be linked to the CCP and cited by Yomiuri the reason for the violation of Japan’s airspace on Aug. 26 was Japan’s actively conducting joint training exercises with the naval and air forces of NATO member countries since July and to “gauge Japan’s reaction.”
: 400;">: Chief Cabinet Secretary Hayashi calls China’s incursion “not just a severe violation of Japan’s sovereignty but a threat to our security,” adding that Japan would take all possible measures to monitor and act against any future violations of airspace.
: 400;">: Chinese Foreign Ministry says China has “no intention” to violate any country’s airspace, adding that “the competent Chinese authorities are learning and verifying the situation.”
: 400;">: Japan Coast Guard will make a budget request for funds to construct what would be its largest multipurpose patrol vessel to respond to disasters and evacuate remote island residents in the event of emergencies.
: 400;">: Japan’s Defense Ministry reveals that a Chinese Y-9 military intelligence-gathering aircraft violated Japan’s airspace off the Danjo Islands in Nagasaki Prefecture for about two minutes. This is the first time for a violation of Japan’s airspace by a Chinese military aircraft to be confirmed and announced.
: 400;">: Chinese fishing boats continue to operate in waters near Japan a year to the day after the release of treated water from the disabled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant and despite a Chinese embargo on Japanese seafood products over the release of the water.
: 400;">: Japanese machine tool producers’ orders from China increase 66% to 29.5 billion yen year-on-year from the end of July, offsetting a drop in domestic order which shrank for the 23rd month in a row.
: 400;">: Italian Navy’s aircraft carrier Cavour and frigate Alpino arrive at the MSDF base in Yokosuka to conduct joint training exercises with the MSDF to cooperate in response to China’s increasing maritime presence.
: 400;">: Reports note that Chinese prosecutors have indicted a Japanese employee of Astellas Pharma who was detained in March 2023 on suspicion of espionage. The Japanese government is calling for his early release, but his detention is expected to be prolonged further.
: 400;">: Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department issues arrest warrants for three Chinese men after graffiti are discovered on a stone pillar at the Yasukuni Shrine, the second such act of this year. Two of the men have already returned to China.
: 400;">: At the two-plus-two meeting, taking China’s increasing maritime expansion into account, India and Japan prepare to accelerate space and cyber security cooperation and boost joint drills to deepen security ties. Prime Minister Modi is to visit Japan before the end of the year.
: 400;">: After a visit to Taiwan by a bipartisan group of Japanese lawmakers, including former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba, China’s embassy in Tokyo warns Japan that it should be prepared “to pay a heavy price” if it interferes with Beijing’s plans for Taiwan.
: 400;">: Chinese fishing vessels have been active in waters near Japan despite a Chinese embargo on Japanese seafood products following the release of treated water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant that began a year ago. Japanese fishermen complain that Chinese fishermen have been pressuring them to leave their fishing grounds.
: 400;">: DM Minoru visits Yasukuni Shrine on the 79th anniversary of Japan’s surrender in World War II, making a cash offering of his own money and explaining that he offered his heartfelt condolences and paid respect and reverence to those who sacrificed their lives. The Chinese foreign ministry lodges “serious protests” over the visit.
: 400;">: Ahead of the anniversary, Hideo Shimizu, former member of Unit 731, the notorious Japanese germ-warfare detachment during World War II, identifies the crimes of the Japanese army at the site where he served 79 years ago in Northeast China’s Harbin.
: 400;">: Yomiuri editorializes in favor of the Honda-Nissan agreement to collaborate on EV production to counter Chinese gains in that sector.
: 400;">: Website of the Shishi municipal government of Fujian prohibits fishers from “operating in sensitive sea areas” just prior to the Aug. 16 expiration of the Chinese central government’s fishing ban in the seas around the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands.
: 400;">: Interpreting Kishida’s instructions to the LDP to accelerate discussion on revising Japan’s pacifist constitution as a bid to win support from conservative forces ahead of an upcoming party leadership election, the Global Times quotes Lü Chao, director of the Institute of the US and East Asian Studies at Liaoning University, as saying that doing so will allow the former aggressor and defeated country [Japan] to potentially engage in wars against other countries or use the threat of war.”
: 400;">: Beijing University economist Michael Pettis refutes previous comparisons between Chinese and Japanese economic imbalances, saying that what is striking is not that Beijing is attempting a radically different solution to its economic imbalances from Tokyo’s solution in the late 1980s and early 1990s, but rather how similar its response has so far been to Tokyo’s.
: 400;">: Responding to US ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel’s statement to Bloomberg that America is looking to Japan to be a significant partner in Asia in terms of both hard power and soft power and that their relationship is “no longer an alliance of protection but projection,” China Daily editorializes that the statement plays into the hands of some alt-right politicians in Japan.
: 400;">: Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning reiterates China’s opposition to Japan’s unilateral discharge of water from the Fukushima site, the eighth batch of which was dumped on Aug. 7.
: 400;">: Aiming to encourage Mongolia to lower its level of reliance on China and Russia, with which the country has national borders, the Japanese and Mongolian governments enter the final phase of coordination toward a basic agreement on the transfer of defense equipment and technologies, under which the two countries will be able to export defense equipment to each other.
: 400;">: Japan, aiming to ensure its presence is felt in Central Asia against Russian and Chinese involvement, agrees with the five Central Asian countries of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan on priority areas for collaboration including green technologies and resilience, connectivity and development of human resources.
: 400;">: In the latest collaboration between countries that have pushed back against China’s regional assertiveness the Philippines and Japan hold their first joint military exercises in the South China Sea, within the Philippines exclusive economic zone.
: 400;">: With Tesla and China’s BYD leading the growing global EV market, Honda and Nissan will partner to jointly develop software-related technologies for EVs.
: 400;">: China Military Online complains that the more aggressive US-Japan alliance implicit in the “2+2” US-Japan Security Consultative Committee (SCC) threatens Asia Pacific security and stability.
: 400;">: Liu Jinsong, director general of the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s department of Asian affairs, meets Yokochi Akira, chief minister of Japan’s embassy in Beijing, on Tuesday to express strong disapproval of Japan’s negative words and deeds about China during the meeting of the Japan-US Security Consultative Committee, at the two-plus-two security talks, by Japanese and US foreign and defense ministers, and at the meeting of foreign ministers of the Quad countries.
: 400;">: A new project, Dongwang Xigui (“looking east, returning west”) is launched in Tokyo to promote the return of Chinese cultural artifacts scattered in Japan to China, provide important resources for research into the history, culture and art of China, and promote in-depth exchanges and cooperation between China and Japan in the fields of historical research, cultural heritage protection and inheritance.
: 400;">: Japanese factory automation supplier Fanuc raises its annual net profit outlook by $117 million on a recovery in orders from China, where government subsidies are driving demand despite a sluggish economy.
: 400;">: A “Tainan Declaration” emanating from the 10th Japan-Taiwan Exchange Summit calls for both governments to establish a Taiwan-Japan basic relations law (台日關係基本法), initiate higher-level cooperation and urges the Japanese government to support Taiwan’s application to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, WHO and other international organizations.
: 400;">: A thriving community of Chinese intellectuals has grown up in Tokyo. Describing themselves as the successors of China’s 40 years of reform and opening up, they express gratitude for the ability to escape the PRC’s constant surveillance and censorship.
: 400;">: Meeting in Tokyo with China in mind, the Quad foreign ministers issue a joint statement opposing unilateral attempts to change the status quo in the East and South China Seas by force or coercion. They also affirm cooperation on maritime security and measures related to critical and emerging technologies and cybersecurity.
: 400;">: Responding to the Quad statement, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian says that the Quad keeps chanting the slogan of a free and open Indo-Pacific while all the while scaremongering, inciting antagonism and confrontation, and holding back other countries’ development
: 400;">: Zhou Zuyi ,Secretary of Fujian Provincial Committee and Chairman of the Standing Committee of Fujian Provincial People’s Congress leads a delegation to Japan.
: 400;">: Warning that China’s aggressive posture poses the “greatest strategic challenge” in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond, the US and Japan outline the most significant upgrade to their joint military alliance since 1960.
: 400;">: Wang Yi, meeting Kamikawa Yoko in Vientiane July 27 on the sidelines of a meeting of foreign ministers hosted by ASEAN ahead of the security-focused ASEAN Regional Forum. says relations are at a critical stage and must advance or be left behind.
: 400;">: Taiwan authorities announce plans to completely abolish import restrictions on Japanese food products, removing a major irritant to bilateral relations. China still restricts products from Fukushima and four other prefectures.
: 400;">: In what Beijing will see as the further militarization of Japan as well as the deepening of US-Japanese military cooperation, the Japanese and US governments aim to establish a production system in Japan for the AMRAAM medium-range air-to-air missile.
: 400;">: Japanese coast guard confirms that a China coast guard ship that had been sailing off Kubashima Island of the Senkakus left the contiguous zone on July 23, meaning that there are currently no current CCG vessels in the area.
: 400;">: Moriyama Hiroshi, chairperson of the LDP’s General Council, meets Chinese Foreign Minister and Politburo member Wang Yi in Beijing saying that “Today’s Japan-China relationship is not necessarily ideal…and that to make it truly constructive and stable, the embodiment of the mutually beneficial strategic relationship is important.”
: 400;">: Onizuka Mitsunori, mayor of remote Kita-Daitojima island, agrees to allow the Air Self-Defense Force to deploy mobile warning and control radar to track China’s growing military presence in local waters, adding that he will “carefully explain their concerns in a manner that does not cause anxiety.”
: 400;">: Japan’s Nippon Steel will withdraw from a joint venture with Baoshan Iron & Steel, marking a turning point in a 21-year relationship that was a symbol of China’s progress in modernizing its steel industry.
: 400;">: Given China’s continuing aggression in the area, the Japanese defense ministry has moved forward the timeline for deployment of improved missiles to defend the Nansei Islands.
: 400;">: A foreign ministry spokesperson expresses “China’s strong dissatisfaction with and firm opposition to” the recent joint maritime drill between Japan and the Taiwan region. Taiwan’s Patrol No. 9 inspection ship and Japan’s aircraft-carrying Sagami conducted a joint exercise off the southern tip of the Boso Peninsula and the waters near Izu Island.
: 400;">: Pacific Islands Leaders Meeting hosted by Tokyo expresses unity, but with noticeable differences among some nations’ positions regarding China and some dissension on Japan’s discharge of treated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant.
: 400;">: Reacting to the publication of the 2024 Defense White Paper, Asahi editorializes that Japan seems impatient to boost its deterrence power while communications with China remain inadequate on multiple levels.
: 400;">: Japan’s 11th Regional Coast Guard Headquarters reports that two China Coast Guard vessels entered Japanese territorial waters off the Senkaku Islands carrying what appeared to be guns. A Japan Coast Guard patrol vessel warned the CCG vessels to leave the waters.
: 400;">: Nikkei China Bureau Chief Momoi Yuri argues that the paucity of recent personal exchanges represents a significant missed opportunity, risking weakening bilateral relations while depriving Japan of firsthand knowledge about developments in China, leaving it at a disadvantage compared to other nations.
: 400;">: Global Times responds that if Japan-Germany cooperation solely focuses on the idea of “countering China” and distorts economic policy by overstretching the security concept, it will only hinder these countries’ progress and limit their own potential for growth.
: 400;">: With China in mind, Kishida and Olaf Scholz agree to establish a new bilateral framework for consultations on economic security. Measures to strengthen supply chains for semiconductors and other key products are expected to be on the agenda for consultations.
: 400;">: Japan’s defense ministry releases its annual White Paper saying, inter alia, that “Japan is facing the most severe and complex security environment since the end of World War II, and that it cannot be ruled out that a serious situation similar to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine may occur in the Indo-Pacific region in future, particularly in East Asia.”
: 400;">: Following the publication of Japan’s new defense white paper, which delivers its strongest words yet on Taiwan, and Prime Minister Kishida’s attendance at the recent NATO meeting, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian says that Japan must not interfere in China’s domestic affairs and not act as a “vanguard” of NATO’s Asia-Pacific expansion.
: 400;">: Japanese clothing retailer Uniqlo describes itself as at a turning point with its store-opening strategy in China, after the chain’s parent, Fast Retailing, announced a “large profit fall” in China and Hong Kong during the three months through May. Uniqlo plans a “scrap and build” policy in the PRC, closing stores with low monthly sales and opening larger ones in better locations.
: 400;">: Gan Yu, a spokesperson for the Chinese Coast Guard, says that the CCG “took necessary control measures and drove away a Japanese fishing boat and several cruise ships that illegally entered the territorial waters of China’s Diaoyu Islands on July 10,” urging the Japanese side to immediately stop all illegal activities in these waters and warning that China reserves the right to counter otherwise.
: 400;">: China protests as MSDF destroyer Suzutsuki sails within 12 nautical miles of the Zhejiang coast without notifying China. Japan’s defense ministry has launched an investigation questioning the captain of the Suzutsuki, and the crew’s intention remains unclear.
: 400;">: Citing unnamed diplomatic sources, Kyodo reports that China and Japan did not use their defense hotline to communicate when an MSDF destroyer temporarily sailed into Chinese territorial waters, diplomatic sources said Thursday, calling into question the direct line’s effectiveness in crisis management.
: 400;">: Toyota, Honda, and Nissan report a combined year-on-year 12.9% decline from January-June in China. This is the third consecutive year of decline.
: 400;">: Japan and NATO set up a dedicated line for sharing highly confidential security information.
: 400;">: As NATO leaders convene in Washington to discuss the war in Ukraine and express concerns over China, a Pew poll reveals that 15 out of the 18 high-income countries surveyed expressed unfavorable views toward China, with Japan and Australia leading the pack with more than 8 in 10 in those countries viewing China negatively.
: 400;">: Foreign Minister Kamikawa Yoko, DM Minoru and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. hold talks in Manila affirming their intention to strengthen security cooperation in light of China’s increasingly aggressive maritime expansion.
: 400;">: With China in mind, Japan’s Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Agency will begin manufacturing a prototype device for practical use on Okinawa Prefecture’s Yonaguni Island by the end of this fiscal year. Research continues on the development of an over-the-horizon (OTH) radar that can detect targets at ranges beyond the capabilities of standard radar, since the radio waves emitted by radar currently used by the SDF cannot reach beyond the horizon.
: 400;">: Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa tells a news conference that a Chinese marine research vessel has installed a buoy in the waters north of Okinotorishima, adding that Chinese buoys have been observed near the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea, but it is unusual for a Chinese buoy to be set up on the Pacific side of Japan.
: 400;">: China Coast Guard (CCG) is more vigorously attempting to claim sovereignty over the waters around the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands, warning off Japanese fishing vessels in the area and identifying some by name. Since October 2023 the CCG has also adopted stronger wording, using “illegal trespassing” in its posts rather than “intruding into territorial waters
: 400;">: In response to news that the second 2+2 Japan-Philippines meeting since April 2022 will be held in July and that the two will sign a Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA), that will allow their respective militaries to visit each other’s soil.
: 400;">: Surveys of Chinese factory managers show a mixed outlook in June, with growth steady. The Purchasers Managers Index (PMI) for new export orders slipped to 49.4 from 49.6, perhaps reflecting announcements by the EU and US of plans to increase their tariffs on imports of electric vehicles from China.
: 400;">: Chinese conglomerate Fosun International will sell Japanese ski destination Hoshino Resorts Tomamu for 40.8 billion yen ($252 million), as Fosun sheds nonstrategic assets in the face of a slumping Chinese property market.
: 400;">: A Japanese delegation to China led by former speaker of the House of Representatives Kono Yohei to promote economic relations with Japan expresses concerns about the safety of Japanese nationals engaged in bilateral economic interactions.
: 400;">: A Chinese assistant on a Japanese school bus who intervened to protect a Japanese mother and her child from a knife attack dies of wounds she received.
: 400;">: A joint statement following the inaugural meeting of the commerce and industry ministers of Japan, South Korea, and the US voices “concerns over the weaponization of economic dependencies on certain supply sources for strategic goods,” apparently with China in mind.
: 400;">: Citing media reports that the Japanese Cabinet has issued decrees to expand the continental shelf of the Ogasawara Plateau, which is located on the east side of the Father Island in the Ogasawara Islands, by 120,000 sq. km., a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson protests the move as contravening the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and international practice.
: 400;">: After a hiatus of over four years, negotiations for the China-Japan-South Korea Free Trade Agreement resume, with the focus on a higher level of liberalization that goes beyond the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership agreement, particularly in areas such as automobiles and key components.
: 400;">: DM Kihara announces that the ASDF will hold joint drills with the German, French, and Spanish air forces from July 19-25 for the purpose of deepening cooperative ties to realize a free and open Indo-Pacific.
: 400;">: Chinese national security officials visit the 87-year-old mother of Osaka-based Japanese citizen Liu Yanzhi at the family home in Hunan to demand that Liu not write unpatriotic books. Liu’s book Fushi no Bomeisha (Immortal Emigré), published at the end of May, discusses 10 intellectuals in and outside of China.
: 400;">: According to the Japan Coast Guard’s regional headquarters in Naha, two Haijing Chinese Coast Guard vessels enter what Japan considers its territorial waters off the Senkaku/Diaoyu islands for the fourth consecutive day. As they approach, a Japanese fishing JCG warn the vessels to leave.
: 400;">: Interviewed by Nikkei in Washington, commandant of the US marine corps Gen. Eric Smith says that the new Marine Littoral Regiment founded in November is meant to come to the defense of Japan’s remote islands quickly in the event of an attack and also to protect the Philippines and South Korea.
: 400;">: Japan imposes trade restrictions on China-based companies as part of a fresh round of sanctions against individuals and groups supporting Russia’s war on Ukraine. The restrictions also apply to firms in India, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan.
: 400;">: Responding to the Japanese foreign ministry’s statement of serious concern over repeated actions that obstruct freedom of navigation and increase regional tensions, a spokesperson for China’s embassy in Japan says that Japan is not a party to the South China Sea issue and has no right to intervene in China-Philippines maritime matters.
: 400;">: Due to a significant drop in sales due to the rise of low-priced electric vehicles in China, Nissan is shutting down its car plant in the city of Changzhou, Jiangsu province, one of eight plants that it operates under its joint venture with China’s Dongfeng Motor.
: 400;">: Speaking at a press conference for a Japan Hong Kong Democracy Summit, exiled Hong Kong activists call for Japanese support against the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)’s transnational repression. Activist Finn Lau described having a bounty of a million Hong Kong dollars placed on him. Among the Diet members attending was former defense minister Nakatani Gen, who pledged to urge his government to send firm messages to Hong Kong, demanding human rights be protected.
: 400;">: In a survey conducted by Reuters from June 5-14, 61% of Japanese companies see no need for their government to follow the US in raising tariffs on Chinese imports, saying excessive production capacity in China’s industrial sector does not affect them; about 53% replied that China’s excessive production capacity had little to no impact on their business.
: 400;">: Noting the surprise victory of the LDP in Okinawan elections despite strong opposition to the presence of US bases on the island, Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post suggests that Okinawans have been rethinking their views in response to China ramping up its pressure on Taiwan.
: 400;">: As the regional security environment becomes more severe amid China’s growing military assertiveness, Kishida and New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon effectively agree on a pact to enhance classified information sharing, express concern over the situation in the South China Sea, and affirm the significance of working together to realize a free and open Indo-Pacific, a vision advocated by Japan in a veiled bid to counter China.
: 400;">: Immigration consultants and analysts observe a sharp increase in inquiries from Chinese people, both rich and middle class, looking to move to Japan.
: 400;">: Referencing a report published by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute saying that Beijing is increasing its nuclear arsenal faster than any other country, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hayashi expresses worry about the “rapid and unclear” expansion.
: 400;">: A task force member for a comprehensive review of renewable energy regulations resigns after she carelessly submitted a document containing digital data from China’s state-run power company, State Grid Corporation of China, to the Cabinet Office’s discussion forum on Japanese energy policy. This raised suspicions that Japan’s energy policy might be distorted by China’s intentions.
: 400;">: Japan’s Panasonic plans to adopt China’s minimalist approach to designing consumer electronics as it struggles to fend off challenges from Chinese rivals such as Haier Group and the Midea Group, particularly in Southeast Asia.
: 400;">: At least 50% of Japan’s exports of semiconductor manufacturing equipment went to China for a third straight quarter in the three months through March, amid an apparent surge in demand for less advanced gear spurred by US-led trade restrictions.
: 400;">: China Coast Guard harassment of a Japanese surveillance vessel near the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands earlier this year included jamming the frequencies of some surveillance drones.
: 400;">: Cabinet office revises earlier 2.0% decline in GDP to 1.8% in the first quarter of 2014. Chief Cabinet Secretary Hayashi expects a moderate improvement in economic output in Q2.
: 400;">: To improve its ability to deal with China’s increasingly hegemonic behavior in the East China Sea including the area around the Senkaku Islands, the Japan Coast Guard will construct its largest-ever multipurpose patrol vessel, to function as an offshore base capable of carrying a number of small boats and to deter incursions onto the islands.
: 400;">: Foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning expresses strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition against remarks made by military officials from Japan, the US, and South Korea to criticize China on issues regarding South China Sea and Taiwan.
: 400;">: Security cameras at the Yasukuni Shrine show a Chinese man spray painting “toilet” in English on the stone pillar bearing the name of the shrine and urinating against it.
: 400;">: Japanese government names prefectures mainly in the Kyushu region as planned shelters for residents of five municipalities of the Sakishima Islands in the event of a Taiwan contingency.
: 400;">: Global Times accuses Japan of cognitive warfare techniques to whitewash its irresponsible discharge of nuclear contaminated wastewater into the sea.
: 400;">: Public reporting on the first meeting between Defense Minister Kihara Minoru and Chinese counterpart Dong Jun on the sidelines of the Shangri-La forum in Singapore indicated little.
: 400;">: LDP Secretary General Motegi Toshimitsu and Liu Jianchao, head of the CCP’s International Liaison Department, agree to restart a forum for exchange between the Japanese and Chinese ruling parties suspended after 2018.
: 400;">: Citing unnamed diplomatic sources, Yomiuri reports that Japan refused to agree to China’s demand that the trilateral summit’s joint declaration include the term “industrial chains” as an area in which to strengthen cooperation, believing that the expression reflects China’s attempt to dominate the global market in key industrial sectors.
: 400;">: Meeting with Kishida in Tokyo, Liu Jianchao, head of the CCP’s international department, admonishes Japan to abide by the “one China principle” and “earnestly” maintain a political foundation for its bilateral relations with China.
: 400;">: Slowdown in China’s economy is affecting Japanese retail giant Uniqlo, with its parent company Fast Retailing announcing that it was cutting back its plans to open 80 new stores to 55. It may shut some locations and do more with ecommerce and livestream commerce, the latter becoming an increasingly popular form of shopping on Chinese social media apps.
: 400;">: ASDF fighters are scrambled when a Chinese military reconnaissance and strike unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), the W-10 flies into Japan’s Air Defense Identification Zone over the East China Sea. The drone did not intrude into Japanese territorial airspace. Four types of Chinese UAVs have been making flights but this is the first time a WL-10 has been confirmed.
: 400;">: Marking the 158th consecutive day since Dec. 22, 2023 that Chinese coast guard vessels have entered Japan’s contiguous waters, the longest period on record, four vessels sail inside Japan’s contiguous zone approximately 22 km outside its territorial waters.
: 400;">: Trilateral summit pledged that China, Japan, and Korea would cooperate on: people-to-people exchanges; sustainable development including through climate change response; economic cooperation and trade; public health and aging societies; science, technology and digital transformation; and disaster relief and safety.
: 400;">: GSDF holds the Fuji Firepower Exercise 2024, its largest-scale annual live ammunition drill, in which 2,100 personnel practice responses against unnamed enemy forces landing on a remote Japanese island.
: 400;">: During a meeting of a consultative expert group set up by the two governments China demands that Japan expand the scope of its environmental assessment around the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.
: 400;">: Speaking with Premier Li Qiang on the sidelines of a trilateral summit in Seoul, Kishida asks for an immediate lifting of its ban on Japanese seafood products and conveys Japan’s “serious concern” over China’s recent military expansion, emphasizing that Tokyo believes stability in the Taiwan Strait is “crucial” not only for the region but also for the international community.
: 400;">: An editorial in Asahi, normally sympathetic to China, states “Beijing’s saber-rattling in a belligerent reaction to the newly inaugurated Taiwanese president’s speech is completely off the rails.
: 400;">: Unnamed diplomats interviewed by Reuters have low expectations that the first trilateral summit among China, Japan, and South Korea and hosted by Seoul can go beyond surface-level cordiality, though two anonymous Japanese foreign ministry officials said that the resumption of the summit after a long gap—since 2019—was important for optics.
: 400;">: Meeting with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in Tokyo, Kishida expresses willingness to strengthen bilateral cooperation on maritime security in view of China’s hegemonic moves in the South China Sea.
: 400;">: Chief Cabinet Secretary Hayashi Yoshimasa’s strong protest against Chinese ambassador’s (see above May 21) remark that “the Japanese people will be dragged into the flames if Japan gets involved in any attempt to divide China” is widely reported in both Japanese and international media.
: 400;">: Yomiuri reports that Taiwan’s newly inaugurated President Lai Ching-te showed the importance he places on Japan on Monday by lunching with a Japanese nonpartisan group and meeting with various other guests from Japan immediately after taking office.
: 400;">: Asahi editorializes that Xi Jinping rethink his aggressive, unyielding policy toward Taiwan, which lacks tolerance and flexibility, in light of the mutual benefits.
: 400;">: Ambassador to China Kanasugi Kenji holds talks with Anhui Gov. Wang Qingxian during his visit to the province, expressing hopes of enhancing the two countries’ ties in culture and youth exchange as well as improving the business environment for Japanese-affiliated companies and increasing flows of people.
: 400;">: According to a Japanese source based in China, about 60 governors and mayors in Japan visited China in the Japanese fiscal year that ended in March. China visits by prefectural and municipal heads became active around last July and are expected to remain robust.
: 400;">: Jiji reports that while state-level exchanges remain almost halted local government leaders of Japan and China are actively interacting with each other.
: 400;">: Hoping to increase Japan’s cyber defense capabilities to a level on par with North American and European countries by authorizing the government to access an attacker’s server to neutralize their attack as well as other actions, the LDP begins discussions on enabling the government to conduct active cyber defense.
: 400;">: US State Department officer is reported to be deployed to the embassy in Tokyo to monitor problematic behavior of China and consider countermeasures.
: 400;">: Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence (HKMCD) will be converted into the Hong Kong Museum of the War of Resistance & Coastal Defence on Sept. 3,the date marking victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1931-45).
: 400;">: To encourage enlistment, the MSDF will be providing global internet access to its personnel while deployed at sea. Previously, limited satellite connection times restricted crew members to sending or receiving emails, with pre-approved contacts only, twice a day for brief periods.
: 400;">: Although Yonaguni Island’s 1,500 residents voted in favor of hosting an SDF base in 2015 Ambassador Rahm Emanuel’s visit to the island—the first US ambassador to do so—arouses concerns on plans to expand the base and deploy surface-to-air missiles as a deterrent to any Chinese designs on Japan’s vulnerable outlying islands.
: 400;">: Yuan Keqin, a Chinese national who taught at Hokkaido University of Education until detained by China in 2019, is sentenced to six years in prison for violating the PRC’s anti-espionage law.
: 400;">: Cabinet office discloses that Japan’s economy shrank at an annualized rate of 2%, or 0.5% on a nonannualized basis, in January-March in inflation-adjusted real terms, the first drop in two quarters.
: 400;">: Yomiuri editorializes against the SDFs’ inadequate security, which allowed a drone to intrude into a military base and take aerial footage close to the deck of a destroyer.
: 400;">: Reports state that Japanese government will send the Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF) and coast guard to the Marshall Islands to help improve its coast guard’s capabilities through joint drills and other activities.
: 400;">: Japanese intelligence agency obtains a document from a Shanghai-based tech company with ties to the Chinese government that it suspects of developing a system to manipulate public opinion via accounts on the X social media platform, believing that it is connected with China’s activities to manipulate public opinion overseas.
: 400;">: With multipartisan support, the Diet approves legislation restricting access to economic security information will require government officials, company employees and others to undergo background checks to obtain government clearance to handle sensitive information with leaks punishable by up to five years in prison or a maximum fine of 5 million yen.
: 400;">: Chief Cabinet Secretary Hayashi Yoshimasa announces with no further details the government’s intention to set up an expert panel to begin full-fledged deliberations on the introduction of “active cyber defense” to prevent serious cyber-attacks by infiltrating the attacking party’s servers.
: 400;">: Chinese milk tea brand Xiang Piao Piao sees a 400% surge on its live streaming sales in China after a netizen discovered that MECO fruit tea, a Xiang Piao Piao brand, sells products in a store in Japan with slogans on their cup sleeves showing “the ocean is not Japan’s sewer” and “0.1% of the land pollutes 70% of the ocean.”
: 400;">: A joint statement by the defense chiefs of Australia, Japan, the Philippines, and the US in Honolulu expresses serious concern over China’s “repeated obstruction of … freedom of navigation” in the South China Sea.
: 400;">: Aimed at reining in China’s aggressive maritime expansion, the Japanese government announces it will provide Sri Lanka with a vessel and sonar system worth about ¥1 billion ($6.6 million).
: 400;">: South China Morning Post describes Foreign Minister Kamikawa’s 10-day tour to Madagascar, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Sri Lanka, and Nepal as Japan selling itself as Global South’s China counterweight.
: 400;">: Defense chiefs from the US, Australia, Japan, and the Philippines meet in Hawaii for their second-ever joint meeting and vowed to deepen cooperation amid concerns about China’s operations in the South China Sea. The meeting comes after the four countries last month held their first joint naval exercises in the South China Sea.
: 400;">: Prime Minister Kishida sends a video message to a meeting of people in favor of revising the constitution on the Constitution Day holiday, saying that “amending the constitution is increasingly becoming an imminent and important issue.” Yomiuri editorializes in favor of the revision, saying that in light of the “extremely deteriorated security environment, in-depth discussions of Article 9 are also essential” and citing the paper’s survey indicating that 63% of respondents were positive about constitutional revision. Asahi opposes revision, saying that although preparing for security emergencies is obviously important protecting values such as the freedom and human rights advocated by the constitution, and preventing war should be the foremost priority.
: 400;">: On April 29, a day after the Chinese government lodges a protest against Japanese lawmakers including former Defense Minister Inada Tomomi allegedly landing on one of the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands, the Shanghai Maritime Safety Administration declared an area of the East China Sea off limits to traffic from May 1-9 for military activities, and on May 1 the PRC’s newest aircraft carrier, the Fujian, began its first sea trials.
: 400;">: Foreign Minister Kamikawa begins a visit to five countries in Africa and Asia (Cote d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Madagascar, Sri Lanka, and Nepal) to strengthen bilateral ties as China increases its presence in these regions.
: 400;">: Japan’s seafood exports to China in fiscal 2023 fall 57% due to China’s ban, reaching their lowest level since comparable data became available in fiscal 1988.
: 400;">: China lodges solemn representations to Japan after five Japanese lawmakers reportedly trespassed into waters near the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands for a maritime inspection.
: 400;">: An environmental survey of the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands and the surrounding waters is conducted by the municipal government in Ishigaki, Okinawa Prefecture, was forced to halt due to a Chinese Coast Guard vessel approaching within 1 kilometer.
: 400;">: Asahi editorializes that Japan-China ties are being hurt by the disappearances of Chinese scholars Fan Yuntao and Hu Shiyun deeming the Chinese foreign ministry’s response that it “did not have a grasp of the situation” unacceptable.
: 400;">: Chinese media describe Japanese companies and industry groups as optimistic about the potential of the Chinese market for new opportunities, particularly its new-energy vehicle industry, robotics, health care, and eldercare.
: 400;">: According to a survey conducted by Yomiuri in February and March, 84% of respondents feel that Japan is in a threatening security environment. Respondents who considered China a threat rose to 91%, up five percentage points from last year’s survey.
: 400;">: Descendants of 18 Chinese “comfort women” who were sexually exploited by Japanese soldiers during World War II file lawsuits in the Shanxi High People’s Court against the Japanese government.
: 400;">: Bloomberg reports that Japanese brands are poised to take advantage of electric-vehicle demand in North America as US protectionism and security fears stymie the overseas expansion of Chinese names like BYD and SAIC.
: 400;">: Asia University discloses that Professor Fan Yuntao, a Chinese national who specializes in international law and political science, has been unreachable since returning to China in February 2023 on leave.
: 400;">: In his capacity as prime minister, Kishida donates ritual masakaki sprigs to the Yasukuni Shrine on the first day of its spring festival, but does not attend himself.
: 400;">: Global Times describes Japan’s latest Diplomatic Blue Book as following the cliché of smears against China by playing up the so-called China threat and interfering in China’s internal affairs.
: 400;">: Writing in Foreign Affairs, former special adviser to then-prime minister Abe Shinzo speaks of Japan’s “China Reckoning,” noting that policies aimed at bolstering Japan’s defense capabilities and expanding its alliance networks have become broadly popular.
: 400;">: Foreign Minister Kamikawa announces the publication of Japan’s 67th Diplomatic Bluebook which, she says, focuses on the rule of law and human dignity, taking into account the situations in Ukraine and the Middle East.
: 400;">: Yomiuri editorializes in favor of close security cooperation among Japan, the US, and the Philippines to deter China’s dangerous actions. It argues that provocative behavior of China Coast Guard vessels is especially reckless and could lead to a military clash.
: 400;">: Aiming to reduce their reliance on China for critical minerals, Japan, the US and the Philippines agree to a framework for a stable supply of nickel under which resource-rich countries and high-consumption countries in Europe, Africa and other regions work together to share information and invest in developing critical minerals.
: 400;">: Addressing a joint session of the US congress, Kishida states that “China’s current external stance and military actions present an unprecedented and the greatest strategic challenge, not only to the peace and security of Japan but to the peace and stability of the international community at large.”
: 400;">“Defense industry cooperation between Japan and the United States, as well as with like-minded countries, are extremely important,” Kishida says in an interview with selected foreign media at the Prime Minister’s Office.
: 400;">: Japan’s industry ministry approves subsidies up to 590 billion yen ($3.9 billion) for chip foundry venture Rapidus as Tokyo pushes forward with plans to rebuild the country’s chip manufacturing base amid concerns over supply chain security.
: 400;">: Japanese government designates 16 airports and ports in seven prefectures where the SDFs and the coast guard will be granted peacetime use, as part of efforts to boost the country’s defenses.
: 400;">: With an eye on China, the US and Japanese governments are working out subsidy rules for strategic goods such as semiconductors, storage batteries and permanent magnets.
: 400;">: According to Japan’s Coast Guard, two Chinese Coast guard ships stay in Japanese waters near the contested Senkaku (Diaoyu) Islands for more than two days before leaving on the 30th.
: 400;">: in response to China’s growing naval presence in the South China Sea, Japan plans to take part in a joint training exercise with the United States and the Philippines.
: 400;">: Nikkei comments on the new GDF unit that became operational in March with the mission of electronic combat intercepting enemy communications and jamming radar.
: 400;">: Nikkei commentator Akita Hiroyuki, referencing the confrontation between Chinese and Philippine vessels in the South China Sea as well as increased maritime pressures against Malaysia and Vietnam and in the East China Sea against Japan, argues that he strategy of making concessions to China on territorial and other sovereignty issues will never work.
: 400;">: Xinhua takes note of the record-high 2024 Japanese defense budget of about $52.53 billion and its focus on enhancing the country’s counterstrike capabilities and strengthening missile defense systems.
: 400;">: Air Self-Defense Force scrambles fighters after a Chinese WZ-7 reconnaissance drone flies over the Sea of Japan for the first time though does not intrude into Japanese territorial airspace.
: 400;">: Chinese foreign ministry expresses grave concern over Japan’s latest step away from the pacifist constitution by approving a plan to sell next-generation fighter jets to other countries.
: 400;">: Asahi editorializes against the government’s decision to lift the nation’s export ban on fighter jets which it sees as executed in the absence of public discourse and coming on the heels of the revision of the three strategic documents— the National Security Strategy, the National Defense Strategy and the Defense Buildup Program.
: 400;">: After months of disputes, the Japanese government approves revised guidelines to its strict defense equipment transfer rules, enabling the export of next-generation fighter jets jointly developed with the UK and Italy under the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP).
: 400;">: Japanese government announces plans to build underground evacuation shelters capable of accommodating residents for about two weeks in times of emergency in remote islands near Taiwan, including Yonaguni and Ishigaki.
: 400;">: Kyodo states that Japan has conducted its first-ever cybersecurity exercise with five Pacific island counties Feb. 18-26.
: 400;">: According to government data, Japan’s exports rose 7.8% in February, as shipments continued to expand in cars and electrical machinery while its trade deficit sank to 379 billion yen ($2.5 billion).
: 400;">: Foreign Minister Kamikawa, aiming to create an encircling net around China as part of efforts to increase momentum for nuclear disarmament, takes the initiative in creating a group of nations that support negotiations for the Fissile Material Cut-Off Treaty at a UN meeting.
: 400;">: Foreign Ministry Press Secretary Kobayashi Maki reiterates the Japanese government’s grave concern that the tough national security bill passed by Hong Kong lawmakers “will further undermine the confidence in the ‘one country, two systems’ framework.”
: 400;">: Japanese Coast Guard states that a fleet of Chinese ships sailed in the territorial waters of the Diaoyu Islands on March 20.
: 400;">: Kobe Gakuin University discloses that professor of Chinese literature and linguists Hu Shuyin has been missing since last summer when he temporarily returned to China.
: 400;">: LDP and Komeito agree to allow exports of next-generation fighter jets to be jointly developed with Britain and Italy but for this specific model of fighter jet rather than all internationally co-developed defense equipment.
: 400;">: Yasukuni Shrine picks retired MSDF commander and former Ambassador to Djibouti Otsuka Umio as its chief priest.
: 400;">: Zhong Shanshan, said to be China’s richest man, is accused by online nationalists for covertly promoting Japan.
: 400;">: SDF and US Marine Corps conduct the annual Iron Fist exercise to practice recapturing remote Japanese Islands.
: 400;">: Japan’s largest employers including Nippon Steel, Toyota, Hitachi, and Toshiba announce record pay increases on Wednesday, signaling a break from the deflationary mindset that led to the prolonged period of low economic growth known as the “lost decades.”
: 400;">: A self-described patriotic blogger sues Mo Yan, the first Chinese to have won the Nobel Prize in Literature (2012), for “beautifying soldiers of the Imperial Japanese Army and insulting Mao Zedong.”
: 400;">: On the 13th anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake, Japanese students in Taiwan hold their annual event to thank the Taiwanese people for their generous donations, this year adding thanks for donations to areas hit by the New Year’s day quake on the Noto Peninsula.
: 400;">: An Asahi editorial takes China to task for its “extremely incoherent” attitude of describing itself as a “staunch force for peace, stability and progress of the world” while failing to take a resolute stance against a war of aggression and threatening neighboring countries with its own military buildup.
: 400;">: In another indication of warm relations between Japan and Taiwan, Kyushu Railway’s Nichinan station has become the sister station of Taiwan’s Rinan station, with the two sharing the same kanji, as do 31 other stations.The Nichinan municipal government plans to hold events such as Taiwan-style night markets to make its citizens feel closer to Taiwan.
: 400;">: Japan’s trade deficit halves after a halt in the price of materials. Exports grow 7.6% year on year while imports fall 12.1%.
: 400;">: Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar meets counterpart Kamikawa, with the two pledging cooperation in defense and security for the realization of a free and open Indo-Pacific.
: 400;">: Kishida warns that Japan’s defense will be negatively impacted if the country is not allowed to export finished defense equipment developed jointly with Britain and Italy to third nations.
: 400;">: Yomiuri editorializes against China’s planned 7.2% increase in its military budget—4.4 times the size of Japan’s proposed defense budget for the next fiscal year—even as the PRC economy faces problems. The editorial describes the Xi administration’s attempts to change the status quo by force through unbridled military expansion as absolutely unacceptable.
: 400;">: An Asahi editorial urges Beijing to reconsider scrapping the premier’s news conference that has always been held on the final day of the legislative sessions, describing the decision as tantamount to abandoning its responsibility as a superpower by shutting down communication with the international community.
: 400;">: In an exclusive interview with China Daily Chinese Ambassador to Japan Wu reiterates familiar points: the two nations should “focus on the fundamental interests of the two peoples and the region’s need for peace and stability, and earnestly implement the important consensus of their leaders.”
: 400;">: Speaking at a press conference Chief Cabinet Secretary Hayashi Yoshimasa says that China’s rapidly expanding military power is a “serious concern’ for Japan and the international society.
: 400;">: Chinese Ambassador to Japan Wu Jianghao seeks to allay growth and security concerns about China in the Japanese business community, saying the two sides should explore opportunities in emerging industries while warning that although Tokyo has an alliance with Washington, it has a responsibility to maintain stable ties with Beijing under the treaty of peace and friendship between the two sides.
: 400;">: Heightening deterrence capabilities in coordination with other countries in the Indo-Pacific region as China builds up its military strength and North Korea continues launching missiles, the SDF took part in multinational joint exercises 56 times last year, 18 times the figure in 2006 when the Joint Staff Office was founded to manage the three forces.
: 400;">: Global Times warns that South Korea’s closer relations with Japan are its “Achilles heel” since they may trigger another wave of anti-Japanese sentiment across the country.
: 400;">: China, Japan, and South Korea which account for 20% of world trade by value agree to reuse shipping pallets and make efforts to implement license plates usable in both the country of departure and the country of arrival to smooth the flow of goods among the three countries.
: 400;">: Government data reveal that Japan’s industrial production fell 7.5% in January from the previous month due mainly to lower automobile output, the fastest decline since May 2020 in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.
: 400;">: Kyoto-based control system manufacturer Omron is to cut 2,000 jobs in Japan and overseas in response to China’s economic slump.
: 400;">: Asahi editorializes that recent visits of groups of SDF members to Yasukuni Shrine not only breach the constitutional principle of separation of religion and politics but also raised suspicion the SDF have not broken with the imperial Japanese military as they are supposed to have done.
: 400;">: Nikkei Asia discloses that officials from the Japanese foreign ministry and METI were among those taking part in an unannounced meeting with Chinese officials earlier this year. Japan and China have held working-level meetings on Fukushima wastewater before.
: 400;">: Using such foreign organizations as the US Defense Department’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) or the DoD affiliated Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), as models, Japan announces it will launch a research institute for innovative technology development this autumn. Fifty of its 100 staffers are to be recruited from outside the defense ministry such as from companies and universities.
: 400;">: At the ceremony to open TSMC’s first chip production plant in Japan, TSMC founder Chang predicts a chip renaissance in Japan as it attempts to regain the chipmaking glory it enjoyed in the 1980s.
: 400;">: Asahi editorializes against “rushing” to increase SDF forces in Okinawa. The Defense ministry plans to increase personnel of the GSDF’s 15th Brigade based in Naha, and upgrade it to a division.
: 400;">: Defense Ministry tries to reassure residents of Uruma, to be the site of a GSDF training site as part of the “southwest shift” of Japan’s defense capabilities, with China in mind.
: 400;">: Komeito is refusing to agree to the LDP’s desire to supply allies with the next-generation fighter jet being developed with Britain and Italy.
: 400;">: Slowing Chinese economy has started affecting Japanese companies, mainly manufacturers. Motor maker Nidec Corp. lowered its full-year net profit outlook due to falling electric vehicle prices in China, while chemical maker Asahi Kasei Corp. partly blamed weaker demand there for a decline in its operating profit.
: 400;">: After a Chinese cyber-attack leaked Japan’s diplomatic cables, Foreign Minister Kamikawa tells the Budget Committee of the House of Representatives that the government must deepen relations with allies and friendly nations to expedite measures against cyber-attacks.
: 400;">: In light of overseas developments such as China’s military expansion in recent years, the Japanese government intends to strengthen integrated operations of the SDF, including in new domains such as space and cyber.
: 400;">: Kishida, meeting Kenyan President William Ruto in Tokyo, announces fiscal reconstruction aid for Kenya, which faced a worsening debt situation due to loans from China.
: 400;">: On her first visit to Taiwan since taking office in 2016, Tokyo Gov. Koike Yuriko spends two days in Taiwan “to strengthen ties with the island’s leadership.”
: 400;">: A former Japanese Defense Ministry intelligence officer believes that the Chinese military wants to eventually deploy Tang-class [Type 096] nuclear ballistic missile submarines equipped with the next-generation JL-3 submarine-launched ballistic missile to the Sea of Japan, posing a new security risk for Japan.
: 400;">: Japan’s current account surplus was up 92.5% in 2023 from 2022. Exports grew 1.5% while imports declined 6.6%.
: 400;">: Cosmetics maker Kao blames Beijing’s opposition to Japan’s releasing treated radioactive water for its 1.2% sales decline in China in 1923.
: 400;">: Global Times accuses Japan of hypocrisy with regard to the confidentiality of Japan-US exercises.
: 400;">: Yomiuri reports that China’s cyber-attack on the foreign ministry’s telecommunications network has exposed vulnerabilities in Japan’s security measures, leaving the United States hesitant to share defense-related information with Japan.
: 400;">: Kishida stresses the urgent need to improve Japan’s ability to mount an active cyberdefense saying he will “speed up discussions to pass related bills as soon as possible.”
: 400;">: Referencing Kishida’s meeting with Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni, Professor Cui Hongjian of Beijing Foreign Studies University says that “In recent years, the major trend of Japan’s diplomacy is to strengthen contact and cooperation with European countries due to the impact of the [US’] Indo-Pacific strategy, while at the same time, the G7 has gradually become an important platform and tool for the US’ strategy against China.”
: 400;">: Kyodo reports that Chinese Coast Guard vessels have been warning Japanese military aircraft to leave airspace over and around the Japanese-administered Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands. Tokyo has lodged a protest with Beijing through diplomatic channels
: 400;">: Self-Defense Forces and the US military name China as a hypothetical enemy for the first time in their joint command post exercise amid rising concerns over a potential invasion of Taiwan by Beijing in the future.
: 400;">: Reuters, citing interviews with six Japanese officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the issue’s sensitivity, reports that the Japanese government has quietly attempted to engage with people close to Trump to warn against striking any deal with China that could upend years of collective efforts to rein in Beijing and risk the region’s fragile peace.
: 400;">: Japanese Defense Industry announces that it has been deploying an airborne early warning and control system (AWACS) planes and other aircraft into the ADIZ which China has unilaterally declared over an area of the East China Sea, for surveillance of Beijing’s constant deployment of warships near the boundaries of the ADIZ.
: 400;">:According to Japanese customs data, Japan exported 5.97 million vehicles last year while PRC customs data reported that China sold 5.22 million vehicles. Other media report that Chinese exports exceeded those of Japan by almost 500,000. Toyota remains the world’s largest automobile company by unit sales.
: 400;">: Japanese government sources reveal that four Chinese warships have been constantly deployed around Taiwan, likely aiming to block US and other forces by using the ships in conjunction with other warships nearby.
: 400;">: Foreign Minister Kamikawa pledges to promote a “mutually beneficial” relationship with China and make it “constructive and stable” through dialogue.
: 400;">: Referencing China’s stationing of warships and recent efforts to defend its claimed ADIZ, Yomiuri states that the Japanese government needs to maintain a sense of urgency and continue to demonstrate that it will not tolerate China’s attempts to change the status quo.
: 400;">: China is deploying multiple warships around the clock in waters near the borders of the air defense identification zone that it has unilaterally established.
: 400;">: CCTV reports that a Japanese fishing vessel and several patrol boats illegally entered the territorial waters of the Diaoyu (Senkaku) islands on the 27 and that the Chinese coast guard took the necessary control measures against them and warned them away.
: 400;">: New York Times financial analysts state that a change in perception among investors about China and Japan is one of the biggest themes in the markets right now. Japan’s stock market, overlooked by investors for decades, is making a furious comeback.
: 400;">: An usually large delegation from the Japan-China Economic Association that sought to improve Sino-Japanese relations returns home with no results save Premier Li Qiang’s pledge to improve the environment for foreign firms.
: 400;">: Aiming to strengthen cooperation between Japan and Australia with China’s aggressive maritime expansion in mind, the Australian and Japanese defense departments have begun a four-year joint research project on unmanned underwater vehicles for underwater mine detection and unspecified other activities.
: 400;">: A newly released report says ASDF scrambled fighter jets 555 times from April to December 2023, of which 392 or about 70% of which were against Chinese aircraft, down by 70 scrambles year on year.
: 400;">: Japan’s trade deficit with mainland China expanded for the second straight year to reach ¥6.7 trillion ($44 billion) as exports fell 6.5% reflecting a slowdown of China’s economy.
: 400;">: Japan’s December exports to China logged their first rise in more than a year as its exports surged to record highs, with shipments to the US reaching their strongest-ever level
: 400;">: In its first visit to Beijing in about four years, a delegation from the Japan-China Economic Association seeks to improve relations.
: 400;">: Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s survey on the economy and business environment in China reveals that 23% of respondents said they did not invest in China in 2023, while 25% said they reduced their investment from 2022, together accounting for about half of the total responses.
: 400;">: Likely prompted by concerns over China’s hegemonic activities, Vietnam accelerates its efforts to strengthen its relationship with Japan and the United States.
: 400;">: A Japanese Cabinet office survey finds that respondents who “feel no affinity” or “would rather not feel affinity” toward China reached 86.7%, up 4.9 percentage points from the previous year. By contrast 52.8% of respondents “feel an affinity with South Korea,” including “would rather feel affinity,” up 6.9 percentage points from the previous year, presumably due to improved bilateral relations under South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol.
: 400;">: China Daily terms Japan’s decision to move up its purchase of Tomahawk missiles by a year “a dangerous move deserving of the full alert of the region and beyond.”
: 400;">: Trade statistics released by Chinese customs authorities show that exports of graphite and related products to Japan decreased by over 40% on a quantitative basis or 59% in monetary terms in December compared to the previous month.
: 400;">: Aiming to respond quickly to possible cyberattacks and disinformation plots by countries such as China and Russia, Japan and NATO hope to establish a secure dedicated communication line for quickly sharing sensitive security information.
: 400;">: Responding to its perception of threats from China and North Korea, the Japanese government agrees to purchase up to 400 Tomahawk cruise missiles a year earlier than planned.
: 400;">: BYD, China’s largest electric vehicle maker, launches three passenger models in Indonesia as a Japanese government official laments the declining market share of Japanese car brands in Indonesia due to their lagging behind in EV sales.
: 400;">: Leading Chinese economic magazine Caixin reports that as global investors continue to seek alternatives to the PRC, Japan stocks are rapidly recovering ground they lost to Chinese peers in the early years of the pandemic.
: 400;">: Global Times charges that Japan and Australia’s discussions of cooperation in military contingencies are stirring up troubles and adding new factors of instability into the region.
: 400;">: Diet members Furuya Keiji, Kaneko Yasushi, and former member Ohashi Mitsuo visit Taiwan to offer congratulations on Saturday’s election.
: 400;">: According to the Financial Times, “Chinese chipmakers are taking group tours to network with their Japanese counterparts, as the semiconductor industry adapts to increasingly stringent export controls introduced by the US and its allies.”
: 400;">: The Chinese embassy in Japan, without mentioning Lai Ching-te’s victory in the Taiwan presidential race, says it “resolutely opposes” Japanese Foreign Minister Kamikawa’s statement congratulating Lai on his victory and that Japan should refrain from sending any “wrong signals” to “Taiwan independence” forces.
: 400;">: Mazda plans to launch a plug-in hybrid vehicle to be jointly developed with Chinese state-owned partner Changan Automobile. Production could start as early as 2025. Plug-in hybrids are growing popular given their advantage over electric vehicles in terms of range and convenience in charging. The two automakers will also work together to develop electric vehicles.
: 400;">: Japanese Foreign Minister Kamikawa Yoko and US counterpart Antony Blinken agree to cooperate closely in dealing with issues relating to China and on the importance of peace and stability around Taiwan and discuss a state visit by Kishida to Washington.
: 400;">: Aso Taro, LDP vice-president and former prime minister, speaks to the US Congress and, separately, to reporters saying that the Japanese government may regard a contingency in Taiwan as a situation threatening the existence of Japan, thus implying that Japan may exercise the right of collective self-defense based on 2015 national security legislation.
: 400;">: Fast fashion retailing chain Uniqlo reports a large, though unspecified, increase in revenue and profits in revenue and profits in China in 2023, Uniqlo has 931 outlets in China, more than in Japan, and plans to open more in 2024.
: 400;">: Yomiuri editorializes on the need to pay close attention to a prolonged economic slump in China as well as the need to break away from excessive trade dependence on it. As the world aims to decarbonize, the spread of solar power, offshore wind power, and electric vehicles is essential, but supplies of many of the necessary raw materials and components, including key minerals, are dependent on China.
: 400;">: Nikkei ends at its highest in 34 years as technology shares tracked overnight gains in US peers while a weaker yen boosted exporters. Meanwhile, a downbeat assessment of the Chinese economy prevails, as does an uptick in outlook on India and Japan.
: 400;">: An annual parachuting drill including forces from eight countries including Britain, France, Germany, the US, and Japan’s 1st Airborne Brigade features the recapturing of an island that had been occupied by an unnamed enemy force.
: 400;">: Showing Chinese uneasiness with closer relations among Japan, South Korea, and the US, foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning expresses “serious concern” over a joint statement issued by the US, Japan, and the Republic of Korea about Taiwan and the South China Sea.
: 400;">: Global Times editorializes that US Ambassador Rahm Emanuel is trying to drive a wedge between China and Japan.
: 400;">: An opinion piece in South China Morning Post notes that, contrary to Beijing’s rhetoric about Asian states opposing Japan’s increase in military spending and easing of rules on the export of rules on the export of lethal weapons, many Asian countries in fact welcome Japan’s growing deterrence posture in curbing what they perceive as China’s increased attempts at economic and military coercion
: 400;">: China Daily cites Japanese experts’ views that the majority of Japanese people do not want missiles deployed toward China in their areas and that doubts and dissatisfaction with the government are growing in various municipalities.
: 400;">: Japan Forward advocates deepening ties with Taiwan and India to counter common threats from China.
: 400;">: Chinese foreign ministry says the country is willing to provide necessary help to Japan in the wake of the massive earthquake that struck the country on New Year’s Day.
: 400;">: Chinese TV suspends an anchor after he suggested that Japan’s earthquake disaster was punishment for Japan’s discharge of nuclear waste water. The comments had gone viral.
: 400;">: China Daily says it is highly improper for Japanese Consul General in Hong Kong Okada Kenichi to urge the government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to lift the ban on seafood imports to show “a stark contrast between the mainland and Hong Kong.”
: 400;">: China Military Online characterizes Japan’s lifting its ban on the export of lethal weapons as entering an era where it is part of the international arms supply network and likely to become more involved in regional conflicts.
: Japan coast guard reports four China coast guard vessels sailing in the contiguous zone (approximately 22 km outside territorial waters) off the coast of Minami-Kojima Island and Taisho Island in the Senkakus. This is the 352nd day this year that CCG vessels have been spotted in the contiguous zone, a new record for annual incursions and an increase of 16 days over the previous record of 336 days in 2022.
: Citing unnamed sources “familiar with the matter” Japan Times reports that China plans to keep its ships near the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands every day in 2024. Its coast guard will, according to the sources, conduct inspections of Japanese fishing boats in the area, if necessary, to boost Beijing’s sovereignty claim.
: Japanese government sources say that the Japanese and Chinese governments plan to hold discussions at an expert level early next year regarding treated radioactive wastewater discharged into the ocean.
: China becomes the world’s top automobile exporter on an annual basis for the first time, thanks to bigger footholds in Russia and Mexico and a growing global electric vehicle (EV) industry, even compared to former export leader Japan’s double-digit rise.
: Interviewed by Yomiuri, Tarumi Hideo, ambassador to China from September 2020 to October 2023, says that Japan and China are ready to resolve specific issues between the two countries since Kishida and Xi confirmed their intention to promote strategic and mutually beneficial ties between the two nations in November.
: Yomiuri editorializes on the need to “devise ways to ensure that the procurement of drug substances and other materials is not biased toward certain countries, including China.”
: By the end of fiscal year 2023 in April 1 2024, the Japanese government will have designated a total of 583 sites as critical to national security.
: A Chinese military source accuses Japan of attempting to leverage ASEAN to open the Pandora’s Box of its arms exports under the guidance or tacit approval of the US.
: Writing in South China Morning Post former Chinese diplomat Shi Jiangtao argues that unless China moderates its stand, addresses security concerns, and works on its image, it will be hard to prevent a pivot toward Japan in the region.
: To counter Chinese and Russian “killer satellites” capable of destroying other countries’ satellites, the Japanese government is considering adding surveillance capabilities to the Self-Defense Forces’ next-generation communications satellites set to be launched in the 2030s.
: Taking note of the Japanese government’s approval of a record-high 7.9 trillion yen ($56 billion) defense budget for fiscal 2024, the vice-president of the Center for China and Globalization warns that China needs to make it very clear to the Japanese government that it cannot have a free hand in increasing its military budget to develop its military capabilities to such an extent.
: China’s renminbi surpasses the Japanese yen’s share of global payment transactions for the first time in almost two years, as low interest rates in China boost the appeal of its currency for financing trade.
: In a further indication of Japanese-South Korean cooperation to counter China’s technological prowess, Samsung will invest about $280 million over five years in a facility for research into advanced chip packaging in Yokohama.
: A Chinese year-ender review notes that signs of Japan’s right-wing military ambitions that go along with the US’ “Indo-Pacific Strategy,” including accelerated deployment plan of missiles that can strike foreign countries, have raised vigilance among Chinese experts.
: Bearing in mind China’s continued hegemonic moves in the East China Sea and the South China Sea and aiming to ensure the safety of sea lanes by tightening cooperation among coastal nations, the heads of the Japan and Philippine coast guards sign a memorandum of understanding to improve their maritime domain awareness by pooling oceanographic data to detect suspicious ships.
: In the 34th such intrusion by official Chinese ships this year and the first since Dec. 10, four Chinese coast guard ships enter Japanese territorial waters around the Senkaku Islands on Dec. 18. The Haijing-class vessels leave after approximately two hours.
: Chinese media point out that Japan’s continued release of water from the Tokushima reactor undermine its claims to for cooperation and development with ASEAN and believe[s] that wise individuals within ASEAN can see through this and will remain sufficiently vigilant.”
: On his first day in Beijing, Japanese Ambassador Kanasugi Kenji vows to “tenaciously” negotiate with Beijing to solve the row over the release of treated radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the sea.
: Japanese exports decline year on year for the first time in three months, dragged down by weak demand from China.
: Yomiuri observes that Japan must take steps to resolve Beijing-related differences among ASEAN members to formulate a trustful relationship with the group.
: Hoping to regain market share in China, Nissan will launch a joint research next year with Tsinghua University on reaching Generation Z—those born between 1995 and 2009 — and on the social responsibility of automakers in battery recycling, charging stations and other electric vehicle-related issues.
: Namazu Hiroyuki, director-general of the Japanese foreign ministry’s Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, lodges a telephone protest with Yang Yu, deputy minister at the Chinese Embassy in Tokyo, saying that it is extremely regrettable that China has resumed development at a gas field in the East China Sea.
: Referencing the Japan-ASEAN forum, Global Times cites unnamed experts warning that if defense cooperation between Japan and Southeast Asian countries is directed against a third party, it will have a very negative impact on the stability of the regional order.
: Japanese chip gear-maker Kokusai Electric Corp. is expanding staff in China in anticipation of an increase in demand from the world’s largest semiconductor market in 2024. Kokusai CEO Kanai Fumiyuki describes small-scale fabrication plants as “springing up like mushrooms in China” driven in part by efforts to localize chip production as the US is erecting higher barriers on the export of advanced chips and chip gear.
: Japan and Malaysia sign a security assistance deal that includes a $2.8 million grant to boost Malaysia’s maritime security, as Asian nations seek to counter an increasingly assertive China.
: A total of 17 military aircraft from Russia and China conduct a joint air operation over the East China Sea and the Sea of Japan.
: According to a survey by the Japan Bank for International Cooperation, India is the top choice of Japanese manufacturing companies among promising countries or regions for business development for the second year in a row, with China slipping to third place behind Vietnam.
: Japan Coast Guard reports three China Coast Guard vessels sailing in the contiguous zone (22 km outside territorial waters) off the Senkakus, marking a record 337 days and surpassing the previous of most sightings of Chinese vessels in the area last year.
: Responding the Japan’s National Institute for Defense Studies China Security Report 2024, Chinese military spokesperson Zhang Xiaogang urges Japan to “immediately stop meddling in China’s internal affairs, stop spreading false narratives, and stop hyping up the so-called ‘Chinese military threat’ as an excuse for its military expansion.”
: Japan hosts the ASEAN-Japan Commemorative Summit marking the 50th anniversary of ASEAN-Japan friendship and cooperation, seeking to offset China’s aggressive behavior in the region.
: As much of the population sees China as a threat to Japan’s security, polls show support for such measures as the acquisition of missiles capable of striking enemy territory and legal changes that would allow Japanese troops, restricted by the constitution to defense of the nation, to fight in some combat situations outside Japan.
: Asahi criticizes the Hong Kong district council elections, saying “we” must never forget that the record low turnout was an expression of protest that citizens of Hong Kong were forced into silence.
: China and Japan accuse each other of maritime incursions after a confrontation between coast guards in waters around the disputed Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands. Japan’s coast guard said on Dec. 9 that two Chinese maritime patrol boats left Japan’s territorial waters around the islands after receiving warnings, and that its patrol vessels were protecting a Japanese fishing boat that had been approached by the Chinese ships.
: According to a Pew poll, 76% of Japanese consider China a major threat, compared with 66% in Taiwan and 64% in South Korea.
: LDP and Komeito lawmakers agree to allow non-lethal exports of defense equipment to all nations being invaded in violation of international law.
: METI adds the China Academy of Engineering Physics to the latest iteration of its End User List due to concerns that the entity may be involved in nuclear development.
: Residents of Yonaguni criticize the government’s lack of a plan to cope with the influx of refugees from Taiwan in the event of a war with China.
: Departing Japanese ambassador to China Tarumi Hideo calls for an end to what he terms the rollercoaster cycle of ups and downs in China-Japan relations.
: Japanese auto parts manufacturers for gas engines find sales in China plummeting. Those of Honda-affiliated Yutaka Giken, which traditionally accounted for about half its total revue, fell 24% from April to December, year on year.
: After a 10-minute telephone conversation, Kishida and French President Emanuel Macron agree on a road map that revises a 2019 agreement prompted by growing French concern with China’s behavior in the Indo-Pacific.
: Jiji Press reports that in response to sluggish sales of gasoline-powered vehicles, which are Toyota’s mainstay products, amid a rapid shift to electric vehicles in the Chinese market, Toyota is partially halting production in China.
: Yomiuri International Economic Society (YIES) and Yomiuri Shimbun hold November symposium of the Yomiuri International Forum 2023 with Stanford University scholar Wu Guoguang, assessing that while the Chinese government’s reach has increased its ability to develop, the economy has significantly declined.
: Japanese government fears that the crash of a US military Osprey will arouse public sentiment against the planned deployment of 17 Japanese Ospreys considered essential for the defense of the Nansei Islands.
: Kyodo, citing an unnamed Japanese government official, reports that on the day before Japanese Ambassador to China Tarumi Hideo met for the first time with a senior Astellas Pharma employee who was arrested last month on suspicion of espionage.
: Kyodo reports that the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, JAXA, was hit by a cyberattack over the summer and sensitive information on space-related technologies might have been accessed.
: With China in mind, Kishida and Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong agree to upgrade Japan-Vietnam ties to a “comprehensive strategic partnership,” prioritizing security cooperation, such as for stronger maritime security and safety; the transfer of defense equipment; and strengthening supply chains.
: Looking toward Taiwan’s upcoming presidential election, Yomiuri editorializes that it is unacceptable for China to ignore the will of Taiwan’s people and unilaterally set a course for unification.
: A reception for the Japanese, South Korea, and Chinese foreign ministers is canceled, ostensibly because Wang Yi’s schedule was too tight to attend. Unnamed observers speculate that China’s action was motivated by dissatisfaction and Japan and South Korea for continuing to strengthen their ties with the US.
: Xi Jinping sends a letter of condolence Kishida on the death of Ikeda Daisaku, the late honorary president of lay Buddhist organization Soka Gakkai, with whom China has had friendly ties.
: Japan’s National Institute for Defense Studies (NIDS) issues its China Security Report 2024 analyzing Chinese and Russian cooperation to establish a new international order and US resistance thereto. Japan is mentioned only peripherally, as part of the alliance system Washington seeks to build.
: Meeting on the sidelines of a trilateral meeting of the foreign ministers of Japan, China and South Korea, Foreign Minister Kamikawa Yoko urges Chinese counterpart Wang Yi to consider the scientific evidence relating to the ocean discharge of treated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant and asks China to help deal with North Korea’s nuclear and missile development program.
: An estimated 10,000 Okinawans brought together by 65 activist groups protest the Japanese government’s decision to bolster Japan’s military presence in the region in response to threats from China and North Korea.
: China Securities Regulatory Commission receives Mizuho Securities’ application to establish a securities company in China after Beijing allowed wholly-owned foreign securities companies to do so in 2019.
: A Global Times editorial on Yamaguchi’s visit terms his efforts “highly commendable,” but adds that the effectiveness of “personal letter diplomacy” and whether his visit to China can achieve significant outcomes largely depend on Tokyo’s attitude and actions toward China.
: Komeito party chief Natsuo Yamaguchi meets with Cai Qi, the fifth-ranking Communist Party leader, and hands him a personal letter from Prime Minister Fumio Kishida addressed to President Xi Jinping.
: Aiming to enhance Japan’s surveillance capabilities, especially around the Senkaku Islands where Chinese vessels have repeatedly intruded into Japanese territorial waters, the government is weighing the relocation of the operational base for the coast guard’s SeaGuardian unmanned aerial vehicle to Kitakyushu Airport.
: Japan releases a third batch of treated radioactive wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean, as the country’s seafood producers continue to suffer from a Chinese import ban imposed after the discharges began.
: Capping an 11-day series of exercises nationwide dubbed 05JX, meant to show the readiness of ground, sea and air forces to defend Japan’s territory and infrastructure, including nuclear power plants, Japanese marines in amphibious assault vehicles storm an island beach at the edge of the East China Sea in a simulated attack to dislodge invaders from territory that Tokyo worries is vulnerable to attack from China.
: Yomiuri cites unnamed sources saying that China suddenly approached Japan about a summit immediately after foreign minister and Politburo member Wang Yi visited the US in late October.
: Center-right daily Yomiuri editorializes that results of the Xi-Kishida talk at APEC were “sorely lacking” and advises that before relations can improve Beijing must first change its coercive behavior and stop making unreasonable claims. Center-left Asahi presents a more favorable view, citing an unnamed official in the prime minister’s office as praising the shift toward constructive discussions to deal with the water release issue.
: Meeting for the first time in about a year at the APEC meeting in San Francisco, Kishida and Xi agree to communicate closely at all levels.
: Chinese media praise the Xi-Kishida meeting as reaffirming strategic and mutually beneficial relations and playing a significant role in stabilizing ties.
: Commenting on Kishida’s statement that the Japan ASDF will be renamed Japan Aerospace Self-Defense Force before 2027, China Daily notes that the country’s security concerns have been heightened by seeing its advantage diminished by the military strength and technologies of “neighboring countries” compounded by an aging society, shrinking population, a low fertility rate and a grim fiscal situation.
: Under a framework for a framework on systems and practices for export controls now being discussed between China and Japan, the bureau chief-level and section chief-level officials in charge of export controls in the two countries will hold talks.
: Kaga, a MSDF destroyer, begins sea trials following changes to the ship’s bow, which was made square, had heat resistance reinforced, and the addition of markings for F-35B aircraft to conduct takeoffs and landings on the vessel.
: A Yomiuri editorial urges the Japanese government to do more than protest China’s intrusions, since inaction will simply encourage Beijing to further encroach on Japanese territory.
: Global Times describes the Japanese Defense Ministry’s decision to fast-track the deployment of an upgraded version of its GSDF anti-ship missile as an expansion of Japan’s military ambitions that will undermine peace and stability in the region, plunging it into a major crisis and a vicious arms race.
: China announces that it will hold a joint military exercise with five Southeast Asian countries this month, citing local experts’ opinion that the exercises conducive to the safeguarding of regional peace and stability amid repeated provocations by the Philippines.
: Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force begins a joint exercise with the US, Canadian and Australian navies in the Pacific Ocean with the Philippine navy participating as an observer for the first time.
: Japan, the United States, and South Korea on Sunday agree to start operating a mechanism to share information on North Korean missile launches in real time and affirmed the importance of having full respect for international law, including freedom of navigation, and maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, with press agency Jiji commenting “apparently bearing China’s maritime expansion in mind.”
: US military unit operating MQ-9 spy drones completes withdrawal from the MSDF Kanoya air base for relocation to Okinawa Prefecture.
: China declines to renew agreement for the import of Japanese koi, of which it is the world’s largest customer.
: 12-year prison term of a Japanese national in his 50s accused of espionage in China has been finalized after a high court dismissed his appeal earlier this month.
: Japan’s finance ministry announces that in September the country had its largest current account surplus in 18 months and eighth straight month of surplus due to hefty gains from overseas investments boosting the balance of payments.
: In what Nikkei calls a milestone for Washington-Tokyo efforts to deepen defense industry cooperation amid growing challenges from China, US defense contractor RTX is finalizing a deal to procure a major component for an advanced missile defense radar system from Mitsubishi Electric.
: Japan’s defense ministry discloses that the Chinese aircraft carrier Shandong conducted about 570 aircraft takeoffs and landings in international waters off Japan over the nine days ending on Nov. 5.
: Asahi reacts to the Manila-Tokyo agreements by editorializing that “instead of contributing to a hostile encirclement of China that would undermine regional stability, Japan and the Philippines, which have deep historical and economic ties with China, should play key roles in building an inclusive international order encompassing China as well.”
: Liu Shijin, a member of the People’s Bank of China’s monetary policy committee, disputes comparisons between Japan’s stagnation decades ago and the PRC’s current situation, saying that Japan’s recession was a result of a lack of new sources of growth, but China still has potential that can be realized by lifting the consumption of low-income groups and promoting emerging industries, without specifying which.
: Fifty fewer Japanese companies are expected to join the China International Import Expo, partly due to issues surrounding the release of water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant though 350 apparently will.
: Yomiuri interprets Kishida’s move to deepen security cooperation with the Philippines as indicative of a strong sense of urgency over China’s aggressive maritime expansion.
: Global Times characterizes Kishida’s trip to the Philippines and Malaysia as “troublemaking” since, unlike previous prime ministers’ visits that focused on economic diplomacy, Kishida’s “gift packs” contain lethal weapons.
: Nikkei Asia’s editor-in-chief Nakayama Shin describes Sino-Japanese relations as showing no sign of improvement. China’s ban on fish imports continues, and Japanese officials have grown less optimistic about a sit-down between Prime Minister Kishida and Xi during APEC.
: Chinese government protests Japan’s third round of dumping allegedly nuclear-contaminated water into the sea.
: Aiming to strengthen security ties with the Philippines in light of China’s maritime expansion in the East and South China Seas, the Japanese government will supply defense-related equipment to Manila under what will be the first instance of the country’s new official security assistance (OSA) framework.
: New quarterly results show Chinese automaker BYD within reach of surpassing Japanese rival Nissan Motor in global sales as its electric vehicles grab market share at home and abroad.
: Acknowledging the G7’s call for the immediate repeal of import curbs on Japanese food products, Chinese media ridicules the US decision to bulk-buy Japanese seafood to supply its military there.
: Yomiuri editorializes that there is little room for optimism in the outlook for future Chinese economic growth and laments the lack of transparency in the PRC’s statistics.
: Japan’s defense ministry will begin deploying fighter jets to Australia on a rotational basis as early as next fiscal year for joint exercises designed to counter a possible attack there.
: Japanese Defense Ministry confirms that the China’s aircraft carrier with its fighter jets and helicopter jets practicing take-offs and landings 460 km south of Miyako, Okinawa prefecture.
: Members of the Japanese business community mourn the loss of former Chinese Premier Li Keqiang whom, they believe, championed improved economic ties between Japan and China even when issues such as the territorial dispute over the Senkaku Islands threatened to derail friendly relations.
: Japan’s finance ministry announces that the country’s exports of fishery products to mainland China in September fell 99.3% year on year.
: As part of Japan’s desire to free itself from chip dependence on China, a second Taiwanese semiconductor manufacturer, Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp. (PSMC) will build a plant, this one in Japan’s northern prefecture of Miyagi.
: An Asahi editorial, conceding that it is vital for Japan and the US to make concerted responses to China’s military buildup, argues it is unacceptable for the operational range and facility usage of the US military and the SDF to be expanded limitlessly without efforts to win support and understanding of local communities.
: Interviewed by Nikkei, expert Yoshihara Toshi assesses that China’s advantage over the US in theater-range missiles could enable it to “intimidate” frontline states like Japan during a crisis over Taiwan.
: It is revealed that a Japanese trading company’s Chinese employee overseeing rare metals in China was taken into custody by Chinese authorities in March.
: It is announced that Japan’s next minister to China will be Kanasugi Kenji, 64, currently serving as ambassador to Indonesia. For the first time in about seven years, the ambassador will not be a member of the Foreign Ministry’s Chinese language training group, dubbed the China School.
: Premier Li Qiang and Prime Minister Kishida exchange polite congratulations on the 45th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Peace and Friendship between China and Japan.
: Marking the first time a Japanese company has entered a defense contract with a foreign government without going through the defense ministry, Mitsubishi Electric signs an agreement with the Australian Defence Department for joint equipment development.
: After being unable to keep up with the major shift to electric vehicles in China, Mitsubishi is expected to announce it will not resume production in China by the end of October.
: Chinese authorities announced they formally arrested a Japanese employee of drugmaker Astellas Pharma in Beijing, who has been detained since March on espionage charges.
: Kishida in his official capacity as prime minister but at his own expense, donates a ritual masakaki sprig to the Yasukuni Shrine’s 3-day autumn festival.
: Japanese foreign ministry regrets Russia’s decision to restrict imports of Japanese seafood despite having been provided with transparent and scientific explanations about safety of the treated water release from the Fukushima plant.
: Japan joins a 13-nation international framework backed by cyber powers, including the US, the UK, and Israel, for software manufacturers to ensure security of products against cyber-attacks, principally from China and Russia.
: As concerns grow over the global reliance on China in critical materials for such items as electric vehicles and solar panels, Japan, the World Bank and other partners launch RISE, the partnership for Resilient and Inclusive Supply-chain Enhancement to diversify renewable energy supply chains.
: Of 502 major Japanese companies surveyed by Reuters, 52% say they expect the slowdown in China to continue into 2025, with 17% predicting weaker economic growth to persist until the end of 2024.
: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. is planning to produce 6-nm chips at its second plant being built in Japan with the chips to be manufactured in a new facility that TSMC is planning at its Kumamoto site in southwestern Japan.
: China, a harsh critic of Japan’s release of water from its crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant, will join the monitoring of radioactive substances in seawater and seafood products in the area.
: MSDF announces that Japan, the United States, and South Korea conducted a 7-vessel joint drill in the East China Sea, where China claims islands administered by Japan, on the 9th and 10th.
: Asahi, citing the Genron-China International Communications Group poll, 26.7% of Chinese are not at all or not very worried about the water discharge from Fukushima, while 25% said it was too early to make a judgment.
: China has embarked on production of a new generation of nuclear-armed submarines that are expected to pose a challenge to growing US, Japanese, other allies’ efforts to track them.
: NHK reports that the annual Genron NPO-China International Communications Group joint survey shows 92.2% of Japanese and 62.9% of Chinese felt that relations with the other country were poor or rather poor.
: In the first intrusion since Sept. 23-25, four Haijing coast guard vessels enter Japanese territorial waters, leaving after less than two hours.
: An Asahi editorial terms the Kishida administration’s intent to quickly acquire military capabilities to strike enemy bases “unacceptable.”
: All eight US MQ-9 reconnaissance drones deployed at the MSDF’s Kanoya Air Base in Kagoshima will relocate to the US’s Kadena Air Base to strengthen warning and surveillance activities regarding the increasingly active Chinese military around the Nansei Islands and Taiwan.
: Yomiuri editorializes on the need for international cooperation to prevent the spread of Chinese disinformation. Disinformation efforts involving billions of dollars of expenditure per year, are particularly noticeable in Asia, Africa, and South and Central America.
: A video posted on X shows Chinese high-school students re-enacting and cheering the assassination of former Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo, with a banner in the background criticizing Japan’s release of water from Fukushima.
: In his first interview with the Japanese press since being chosen the governing DPP’s candidate for president, Vice-president William Lai Ching-te states that Taiwan and Japan are like a family and expresses his belief that they need to cooperate in every field including security, since both face threats from China.
: With an eye on China, Japan plans to introduce a security clearance system for people handling sensitive information, Nikkei reports, aiming to set standards compatible with the US and Europe.
: China’s foreign ministry states that China “firmly opposes Japan’s unilateral action of discharging the water into the sea.” Compared with Japan’s first release of treated wastewater from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, the outcry from China, Hong Kong, and South Korea on the second release is subdued.
: In response to many bothersome calls thought to be from China in the wake of Japan’s initial release of treated water from Fukushima, NTT East Corporation is establishing a new service that will allow local governments beset by nuisance calls to reject all phone communications from specific countries.
: Okinawa Gov. Tamaki meets with Chinese Ambassador to Japan Wu Jianghao in Naha and expresses his willingness to bolster ties between the prefecture and China.
: After meeting US counterpart Lloyd Austin, Defense Minister Kihara announces that Japan will start procuring Tomahawk cruise missiles in 2025. Japan initially planned to buy up to 400 Block V missiles, the latest generation of Tomahawk, in fiscal 2026 and 202.
: Agriculture and Fisheries Minister Miyashita Ichiro says Japan hopes to resolve China’s ban on its seafood following the release of treated wastewater from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant within the World Trade Organization’s scope short of filing a formal complaint.
: Indicative of closer commercial ties, Taiwan’s budget Tigerair carrier will begin direct flights from Taipei to Kochi in Shikoku on Nov. 1.
: Chinese sources dispute Japanese claims of large numbers of Chinese tourists visiting Japan for Golden Week as part of their pretexts to mislead the public.
: According to an unofficial policy document, the Japanese government has designated 14 airports and 19 ports for improvement with an emphasis on preparing for a Taiwan contingency.
: Despite Chinese government concerns with allegedly contaminated water from the disabled Fukushima nuclear reactor, flights to Japan for the National Day holiday were filled to near-capacity.
: Newly appointed Economics Minister Shindo Yoshitaka warns that because China accounts for nearly a fifth of Japanese exports, its economic problems could have “a really big impact” on Japan’s economy.
: Japanese and US authorities jointly announce that cyberattacks have been carried out by BlackTech, officially acknowledging for the first time that the group is backed by the Chinese government.
: According to Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Japanese population in China is on the verge of falling below 100,000 to a 20-year low as an expat exodus continues amid bilateral tensions.
: Mitsubishi Motors plans to withdraw from production in China due to sluggish sales of gasoline-powered vehicles in the country.
: According to Global Fishing Watch and an investigation by Asahi, Chinese boats are catching fish in what Beijing calls “Fukushima nuclear-contaminated water” for distribution in China, while the same marine products caught in the same area by Japanese vessels remain banned in that country.
: In a break from tradition blamed on his tight schedule, Defense Minister Kihara doesn’t meet Okinawa Gov. Tamaki during his first visit to Okinawa after assuming office. Tamaki, with other Okinawa residents, opposes Tokyo’s efforts to shore up defenses in the prefecture against China in the area.
: Japan Coast Guard discloses that two China Coast Guard vessels that had intruded into territorial waters off the Senkaku Islands, left on the afternoon of Sept. 24 after arriving on Saturday morning.
: Demand for Japanese food in Hong Kong has not fallen despite Chinese restrictions on sales on the mainland. Customs inspections now take around three hours compared with about 30 minutes in the past.
: Japanese government protests to China after it deployed another oceanographic buoy in Japan’s exclusive economic zone near the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands.
: Newly appointed defense minister Kihara says he is “very concerned” about China’s rapid military buildup and moves in the East and South China seas, calling trilateral security cooperation among Japan, South Korea, and the US the “cornerstone” of Tokyo’s response to an increasingly tense regional environment.
: Kyodo reports that China has been increasing its surveillance of Japanese nationals following Tokyo’s released of treated radioactive water from the disabled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant. More than 100,000 Japanese nationals currently live in China and, with a revised counterespionage law in effect since July, the scope of what constitutes spying under Chinese law has broadened.
: Kishida’s Cabinet revamp names Kihara Minoru, who has visited Taiwan and belongs to a Japan-Taiwan inter-parliamentary group, as defense minister.
: Symbolic of Japan’s growing support of Taiwan, the government has appointed a serving SDF office to serve as its de facto defense attaché in Taiwan and an additional official to enhance information gathering and communicate with Taiwan’s military. Taiwan had asked for an active SDF officer, as opposed to past practice of appointing retired SDF officers, with Tokyo reportedly on the verge of doing so but chose not to do so after a leak from the Japanese media.
: Japanese government says it will strengthen its efforts to inform the international community that the Senkakus, Takeshima, and territories are inherent parts of Japan.
: Assessing Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative a decade after its inception, Yomiuri editorializes that China should treat headwinds from Italy and the Baltic states as an opportunity to rethink its approach.
: Voice of America reports that public sentiment toward US military bases on Okinawa appears to be changing, amid growing tensions with China and the shock of Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, with younger people feeling that the bases are necessary for the defense of Japan.
: Panasonic Software Development Center Dalian is now the Japanese electronics company’s biggest overseas software development hub in terms of head count, having grown from about 700 to 1,000, including outside contractors, in 2022, with plans to add more staff in the future.
: Japanese government says it will work with other countries and industries to counter economic coercion from China.
: Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Japanese Prime Minister Kishida have a 15-minute standing conversation at the ASEAN leaders’ meeting in Jakarta, at which there was a spate of protests against China’s continued behavior in the South China Sea.
: Japan’s defense ministry will establish a unified command for all Self-Defense Forces at the end of fiscal 2024, changing the current practice of setting up temporary task forces. In addition to enabling more efficient responses, the unified command, to be headquartered in Ichigaya, will to be able to better deal with new domains such as cyber and space.
: China Defense News singles out Japan’s intent to purchase Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile Extended Range (JASSM-ER) capability from the US as evidence that Tokyo seeks to develop increasingly offensive capabilities.
: Fukushima Yasuhito, a specialist in space security at the defense ministry’s National Institute for Defense Studies, admonishes the government to pay close attention to Chinese military advances fueled by the PRC’s civil-military fusion.
: China marks the 78th anniversary of the end of World War II, described as the first complete victory won by the Chinese people in their struggle for national liberation.
: International media report that Chinese-language posts about Japan’s release of treated radioactive water into the ocean appear designed to instill fear and inflame anti-Japanese sentiment.
: Japan foreign ministry rebuts Chinese claims that the monitoring system at Fukushima lacked transparency and could not be described as international monitoring since the International Atomic Energy Agency’s assessment affirming the safety of the discharged water included participants from research institutions in the United States, France, Switzerland and South Korea.
: Japan’s military asks for the equivalent of a $16 billion increase in its FY 2024 budget, up 15.5% over 2023, to sustain and maintain equipment, and increased its stores of ammunition.
: Yomiuri reports that Xi Jinping’s administration tacitly approved posts on Chinese social media sites that criticize the Japanese government and call for boycotts of Japanese products with the Publicity Department of the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Committee apparently leading the campaign.
: Foreign Minister Hayashi says Japan may file a complaint against China over its blanket ban on Japanese seafood imports, adding that Japan has no desire to let this dispute escalate into a full-blown diplomatic row.
: Asahi opines that China’s dismissal of Komeito’s peace overture shows that China-Japan relations are spiraling out of control so quickly that it may take months, if not years, to restore any semblance of normalcy.
: Chinese BZK-005 military reconnaissance drone flies between Japan’s westernmost island of Yonaguni in Okinawa Prefecture and Taiwan, in the fourth recorded such flight. There is no violation of Japanese air space.
: Japan’s government and its embassy in Beijing receive many harassment phone calls, likely from China, after release of treated radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the Pacific. Chinese media accuse the Japanese government and media of trying to portray Japan as a victim by hyping a few incidents by individuals that were not encouraged by either Chinese public opinion or the authorities.
: Chinese state-backed hackers are believed to be behind the attack on Japan’s National Center of Incident Readiness and Strategy for Cybersecurity (NISC), beginning last autumn and not detected until June.
: Chinese security guards seize a Chinese man who threw stones and eggs onto the premises of Japanese schools in Qingdao while reportedly objecting to the water release.
: As Tokyo prepares to sharply boost defense spending in the face of East Asia’s worsening security situation, major defense contractors including Britain’s BAE and America’s Lockheed begin shifting the headquarters of their Asian operations to Japan.
: Air Self-Defense Force scrambles jet fighters to monitor two Chinese H-6 bombers flying between Okinawa and Miyako islands.
: China informs Yamaguchi Natsuo, head of junior partner Komeito in Japan’s coalition government, that the timing of his planned visit is not appropriate considering the situation of Japan-China relations. Yamaguchi had planned to hand Xi Jinping a personal letter from Kishida.
: Chinese Customs Authority bans all imports of all Japanese seafood the same day that TEPCO begins releasing treated water from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant into the ocean.
: Japan’s government considers scrapping a long-held pacifistic principle to allow exporting weapons with lethal capabilities directly to third countries with next-generation fighter jets, which Japan is jointly developing with Britain and Italy, in mind.
: Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) announces that it will provide compensation for damage linked to the ocean release of treated water from its Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, such as a decline in marine product sales due to lower prices or consumers’ reluctance to buy.
: According to TEPCO, the planned release of 31,200 tons of water over four separate occasions during the fiscal year will not make a dent in the massive amount of contaminated water accumulating there.
: LDP Diet member Suzuki Norikazu leads a 65-person LDP delegation comprising members of the Diet, local representatives, and university students on a four-day visit to Taiwan.
: With the increasingly hegemonic behavior of China in mind, the Japanese foreign ministry hosts first Tokyo International Law Seminar with the aim of enhancing countries’ ability to handle legal disputes over territorial waters and other matters, and to strengthen the rule of law in the Indo-Pacific region.
: In line with its previous pledge to boost total defense spending for the five years to fiscal 2027 to 43 trillion yen, more than 1.5 times the previous amount, the Japanese defense ministry will request a 12% increase from the record spending approved for fiscal year 2024.
: Citing China’s use of the Solomon Islands as a bridgehead to accelerate advances in the South Pacific, Yomiuri editorializes on the importance of Japanese cooperation with the United States and Australia to help solidify the foundations of South Pacific states.
: Chinese sources denounce the spirit of Camp David—the meeting of President Biden, President Yoon, and Prime Minister Kishida—as “hypocritical anti-China pantomime with a mini-NATO in the making.”
: According to statistics from Chinese customs authorities, imports of fish from Japan decline 34% month-on-month in July and are down 28% compared with July 2022. China’s blanket radiation testing of all seafood imported from Japan was imposed July 8-9, and the declines are likely to continue.
: An analysis of how China’s stricter gallium export license requirements will affect Japan concludes that while Japan’s cheap offshore wind technology might be undermined in the short term, the impact of new export restrictions on defense and EV technology advancement will most likely be minimal and more of a price impact than an overall supply impact.
: In an effort to encourage Middle East investment to shift from China to Japan as well as secure funds to help cover the massive cost of developing semiconductors, the Japanese government will begin working-level talks with a fund linked to the government of the United Arab Emirates.
: Japan logs a customs-cleared trade deficit of ¥78.7 billion in July, the first year-on-year drop in exports in about two and a half years.
: 35 Chinese executives, many of whom run textile- and apparel-related businesses, visit Okabun Orimono, a 333-year old brocade-manufacturing company, to inquire about its secret for longevity.
: Kishida does not personally visit the Yasukuni Shrine on the 78th anniversary of the end of World War II but tendered the ritual tamagushi offering through an agent and at his own expense as president of the ruling LDP rather than in his official capacity as prime minister.
: Chinese foreign ministry makes serious protestations with Japan after Kishida sends a ritual offering to the Yasukuni Shrine.
: Wu Qian, spokesman for China’s Ministry of National Defense, urges Japan to stop meaningless interference and refrain from irresponsible words and deeds that harm healthy China-Japan bilateral ties and undermine regional peace and stability.
: In the third consecutive quarter of expansion and fueled by a strong performance by its export sector, the Japanese economy grows by an annualized rate of 6% in the second quarter of 2023. Still, a decline in domestic consumption is a cause of concern.
: Expert at the China Institutes for Contemporary International Relations points to contradictions in Japan’s attitudes toward radioactive pollution: in the 1990s, Tokyo was a pioneer in opposing Russia’s disposal of nuclear waste into the sea, but it is now promoting dumping of nuclear contaminated wastewater.
: According to China Daily, visiting former Japanese Prime Minister Hatoyama Yukio describes China-Japan relations as at a crossroads, urged both sides to rather than disliking each other due to differing values and systems, acknowledge differences, mutual respect, and mutual understanding.
: China’s July automobile exports increase 63%, further extending its lead over Japan as the world’s biggest vehicle-exporting economy
: Japan and China mark 45th anniversary of the signing of a bilateral treaty of peace and friendship quietly, with no official events.
: Editorial in Global Times rejects optimistic predictions for improving China-Japan relations.
: Suzuki Keisuke, an LDP lawmaker who accompanied Aso to Taiwan, tells the BS Fuji talk show that Aso had discussed the issue with Japanese government officials, indicating that Aso’s view was not a personal remark, but a result of arrangements with government insiders, saying that “I think the Japanese government clearly regards this as the official line.”
: China lifts its ban on group tours to Japan after a suspension of more than three years due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. The decision is expected to be a boon to Japan’s tourism industry.
: According to Beijing-based military expert Wei Dongxu, with the Japan-Australia reciprocal access agreement taking effect, enabling Japan to deploy troops in Australia, the SDF’s area of operation is being extended from the East China Sea to the South China Sea, and now in the direction of the Indian Ocean.
: Under the new OSA cooperation agreement that allows provision of equipment and supplies to the armed forces of like-minded countries, the Japanese government is considering military aid totaling ¥5 billion ($34 million) to Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia, Mongolia, Papua New Guinea and Djibouti, in fiscal 2024, with an eye to keeping China’s maritime expansion and military buildup in check.
: Visiting Taiwan at the invitation of the Taiwan government, LDP vice-president Aso Taro lays flowers at the grave of former President Lee Teng-hui and states that Japan must be willing to fight to repel a Chinese invasion of the island. This is the first time that an LDP vice president officially visited the island since Japan and Taiwan severed diplomatic ties in 1972.
: Washington Post discloses unreported Chinese cyberhack of Japanese security systems in 2020.
: Anticipating the Camp David Summit, Global Times warns Japan and South Korea against Washington’s rumored plans for a “historic joint statement.”
: Mindful of the economic security implications of continued Chinese acquisitions of cobalt and other minerals in Africa, the Japanese government will encourage Japanese companies to develop mines and acquire interests in the continent.
: Following an incident in which a Chinese researcher at the National Institute of Advanced Technology allegedly leaked information to a Chinese company, the government intends to ascertain the quality of the systems and measures in place at universities and research facilities and call for improvements in cases of lax supervision.
: A Yomiuri editorial laments that defense capabilities cannot be strengthened unless there is an improvement in the current norm in which the number of SDF personnel are lower than the recruitment quota.
: A tabletop wargame simulating China’s invasion of Taiwan underscores Japan’s slow decision-making process, with the delay having implications for the ability to quell the situation.
: Japan will monitor foreign purchases of land in light of revelations on Chinese acquisitions on Okinawa.
: A new liaison organization between the Defense Ministry and private businesses is established to promote public-private cooperation to develop cybersecurity talent, based in Yokosuka Research Park near the GSDF Signal School. The government plans to increase the total number of cybersecurity personnel for the Defense Ministry and the SDF to 20,000 and the organization will be established to help realize the plan.
: For the first time since 2017, foreign investment inflows into Asian emerging-market stocks excluding China over the past year top the net buying of mainland China stocks.
: Courting Beijing’s further displeasure with Japan, Taiwan presidential candidate Hou Yu-ih begins a three-day visit to meet with Japanese lawmakers.
: Center-left Asahi criticizes Defense of Japan 2023 for insufficiently answering the public’s concerns about national defense and for leaving ambiguities by saying that decisions on the measures to be taken to deal with individual strike capabilities will be made “in light of individual and concrete situations.”
: Owners of Japanese restaurants in China fear ruin from Chinese restrictions on Japanese seafood.
: Ten Chinese and Russian naval vessels pass through the Soya Strait between Cape Soya in the northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido and the Russian island of Sakhalin in the first China-Russia joint naval vessel sailing near Japan since September 2022.
: Numerous Chinese publications denounce the Defense of Japan 2023 as grossly interfering in Chinese internal affairs and provoking regional tensions. Far from being a military threat, China is a staunch force for protecting world peace and stability, though certain countries have frequently sent ships and aircraft to relevant waters to show off force for their own interests, which has seriously aggravated regional tensions. China and Russia’s defense cooperation is on the basis of no alliance, no confrontation, and no targeting any third party, is committed to safeguarding regional and world peace and stability and poses no threat to any country. China has lodged stern representations with the Japanese side.
: A professor at Dalian Maritime University’s School of law suggests that China add more weight to its opposition to Japan’s discharge of nuclear-contaminated water from the damaged Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the sea.
: Japan releases its 2023 Defense White Paper saying that the international community is facing its greatest trial since World War II and has entered a new era of crisis. This includes China rapidly enhancing its military capability qualitatively and quantitatively, including nuclear and missile forces.
: Referencing the abrupt replacement of Foreign Minister Qi Gang with his predecessor Wang Yi, an Asahi editorial urges an end to the “Wolf Warrior” diplomacy that has characterized Chinese diplomats, including both Qin and Wang.
: A new report entitled “Asia’s Future at a Crossroads: A Japanese Strategy for Peace and Sustainable Prosperity” advocates a new Shin-Bei Jiritsu policy親米自立 policy under which Japan will pursue a more pro-active middle power diplomacy to mitigate US-China rivalry, avoid a sharp division in Asia, and prevent great power conflict — a more autonomous foreign policy that is close to but not solely dependent on the United States.
: Describing Ino’s July 23 comments as carrying a provocative undertone, a Global Times editorial asks whether these were Ino’s private opinions or whether they represent Japan’s official stance.
: According to the China Association of Automobile Association, Japanese automakers’ market share in the region has fallen from 20% last year to 14.9% in the first half of 2023 even as EV sales in China reached over 2 million through the first five months of the year, up 51.5% year on year.
: China and Russia conclude a four-day military exercise in the Sea of Japan to, according to the Chinese defense ministry, “enhance strategic cooperation between the two countries and strengthen their ability to jointly safeguard regional peace and stability.”
: At the behest of the United States, Japan strengthens export regulations that block China from manufacturing cutting-edge semiconductor products.
: As China is the largest export market for Japan’s semiconductor equipment manufacturers, Chinese chip analysts predict that Japanese restrictions will undermine its companies’ global competitiveness.
: Japan’s Minister of State for Defense Ino Toshiro says that Japan would likely come to Taiwan’s aid if a Chinese invasion provoked the same outpouring in international support as for Ukraine but concedes that Tokyo had not yet decided what form that support would take.
: Widow of former Prime Minister Abe Shinzo, Abe Akie, visits Taiwan, meeting President Tsai Ing-wen and Vice-President William Lai and pledging to do everything she can to foster a strong friendship between the two sides.
: In their first in-person exchange in four years, JSDF officers meet Chinese military personnel and reaffirm the need for dialogue despite what LTG Jing Jianfeng, deputy chief of staff at the Joint Staff Department of the Central Military Commission, calls severe difficulties between the two countries.
: Industry Minister Nishimura Yasutoshi says that Beijing rebuffed the Japanese government’s repeated requests to have experts from both countries meet to discuss from a scientific standpoint the upcoming discharge of treated contaminated water into the ocean.
: Kishida, in Jeddah as the first stop in a tour of the Middle East, stresses the need for a free and open Indo-Pacific and argues against unilateral attempts to “change the status quo,” with China and Russia in mind.
: Japan Forum for Strategic Studies holds its third simulation this year of a two-day war game in response to a supposed Chinese invasion of Taiwan.
: In a brief exchange at the ASEAN Plus Three meeting in Jakarta, State Councillor Wang Yi criticizes Japan for discharging allegedly contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear plant into the ocean with Foreign Minister Hayashi objecting to Wang’s politicization of the issue after a report by the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency said that it met safety levels.
: Referencing concerns raised by the Chinese government’s ordinance requiring foreign countries to fully disclose cosmetic products’ ingredients and their ratios a Japanese government source advises (1) maintaining an overwhelming advantage in technological capabilities; (2) entering the market with sole capital as much as possible; (3) even when forming joint ventures, not readily handing over information on technology and suppliers; and (4) each company checking its supply chain, including parts manufacturers.
: Chinese state media report that the country’s coast guard has taken “necessary control measures” to drive away a Japanese fishing vessel that entered “territorial waters” around the disputed Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands and “urged the Japanese side to immediately cease all illegal activities in the waters and ensure that similar incidents do not recur.”
: Japanese government signs a new partnership agreement with NATO to enhance security coordination with the organization with Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg explicitly referencing concern China’s military buildup.
: Political science professor Nako Eto attributes recent assertive remarks by Chinese diplomats as examples of the international discourse power—meaning the power to make others accept what is being said—strategy being pursued by Xi Jinping’s administration.
: China’s customs authority announces it will ban food imports from 10 Japanese prefectures over Tokyo’s plan to release treated nuclear wastewater into the ocean, despite the UN atomic agency’s ruling that the water meets international safety standards.
: A Japanese professor of international security rebuts China’s criticism of NATO opening an office in Tokyo, arguing that if Beijing really wants to forestall NATO or Europe from further security and defense engagement in the Indo-Pacific region, the best way would be to try to reassure Europeans that they will not need to pay attention to the region and will not be adversely affected by what happens here.
: Citing Tokyo’s decision to discharge treated radioactive water from the crippled Fukushima plant into the sea, China announces it will tighten its scrutiny on food from Japan and maintain curbs on some Japanese imports. The UN’s nuclear agency had earlier certified the safety of the decision.
: As part of efforts to reduce dependence on China, Japan, and the EU conclude a memorandum of understanding on sharing information on supply and demand for rare metals, wind power generators and other items, and for cooperation in research and development for mining and refining. This comes two days after they signed an MOU to strengthen cooperation in the field of semiconductors.
: China’s leading military newspaper describes Japan’s desire for a NATO liaison office in Tokyo as the first step towards the establishment of a NATO military support mechanism for Japan, thereby exposing its ambition to elevate its own status with the help of external forces.
: In a further example of deepening Japanese relations with Taiwan, Japanese financial firm SBI Holdings will create a company to help Taiwan’s Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp to establish a foundry and research lab for the development of more advanced chips.
: A draft EU-Japan joint statement to be released at a summit scheduled for July 13 in Brussels sets out plans to bolster the EU-Japan security partnership in light of the threats posed by Beijing and Moscow.
: More than 80 members of a Japan Association for the Promotion of International Trade (JAPIT) delegation led by President Yohei Kono and including Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki visit Beijing. This is the first such visit in four years and, according to Global Times, represents the Japanese business community’s hope to enhance trade cooperation with China, “and Okinawa’s pro-peace voices will be heard.”
: Speaking at a Taipei forum, former director-general of the Japan Defense Agency Tamazawa Tokuichiro says that China has insufficient strength to invade Taiwan, which would need at least 1.3 million troops, which it is not capable of transporting.
: Attending the International Forum for Trilateral Cooperation, an annual event organized by Beijing, Tokyo, and Seoul since 2011, State Councillor Wang Yi urges Japan and South Korea to foster a sense of strategic autonomy from the West and cooperate with Beijing to revitalize Asia, saying “No matter how blonde you dye your hair, how sharp you shape your nose, you can never become a European or American, you can never become a Westerner.”
: Aiming to counter Chinese restrictions on the free flow of data across borders, Japan and ASEAN will establish a digital innovation center in Jakarta that will begin operations in late August.
: Jiji reports that Japanese companies operating in China are bracing for employee arrests and other risks after China’s revised anti-espionage law took effect. A particular source of concern is that what constitutes acts of espionage is opaque under the law.
: Chinese media announce that a PLAN flotilla led by a Type 075 amphibious assault ship recently broke the first island chain from straits south of Japan, marking the first time that this type of large warship was reported operating in vicinity of Japan. They report it “could” serve to give those with a guilty conscience a warning, including “Taiwan independence” secessionists and external interference forces.
: In an extended deterrence dialogue between Japanese and US diplomatic and defense officials held at a Missouri air force base, the US conveys its intention to visibly deploy strategic weapons around Japan. With South Korea seen as a vital partner and the US and the ROK having agreed on the periodic deployment of strategic nuclear submarines there, Japan and the United States are believed to have discussed cooperation regarding extended deterrence among the three countries.
: LDP Secretary-General Motegi Toshimitsu holds talks with Taiwan Vice Premier Cheng Wen-tsan at the LDP’s Tokyo headquarters where they are believed to have discussed China’s increasing military pressure on Taiwan and the future of Japan-Taiwan relations.
: A Chinese survey vessel is detected in the waters near the Senkaku Islands in Okinawa Prefecture, though there is no intrusion into Japanese territorial waters.
: Sankei Shimbun terms Tamaki’s remarks that preparedness for the safety of Okinawa residents causes them anxiety “bizarre” since China taking aim at Okinawa as evidence by Xi Jinping’s June 4 remarks calling for deepening exchanges between “Ryukyu” and China.
: In response to China and Russia strengthening capabilities to attack satellites, the SDF have been using SpaceX’s Starlink satellite constellation on a trial basis since March and moving toward fully making use of them from the next fiscal year.
: Kishida, visiting Okinawa, stresses the need to strengthen defense capabilities on the Nansei Islands, “which now faces the harshest and most complicated security environment in the postwar era.” Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki counters that strengthening defense capabilities is causing anxiety among the people of the prefecture; he opposes deployment of SDF long-range missiles, saying that Okinawa could become a target for attack.
: To counter Chinese efforts to create anxiety over Japan’s planned release of discharge of water from the damaged Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, the Japanese government embarks on a major public relations campaign to stress the safety of the discharge.
: In the 18th intrusion this year, four Chinese coast guard Haijing vessels sail near the contested Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands for around two hours.
: Japanese retailer Uniqlo’s ambitious goal of more than tripling sales to $71 billion in 10 years faces a stumbling block from trend among young China shoppers for guochao, “China chic,” in what had been a top market for Uniqlo.
: Huawei Technologies is seeking licensing fees from roughly 30 small-to-midsize Japanese companies for the use of patented technology, Wireless communication modules using Huawei’s patented technology are indispensable for connected Internet of Things (IoT) networks, and are being adopted in autonomous driving, automated factories, medicine, power, and logistics.
: A senior Chinese researcher employed by Japan’s National Institute of Advanced Science and Technology is arrested on charges that he leaked AIST trade secrets to a Chinese company.
: A lengthy article in Nikkei discusses the “mini Ryukyu boom” that followed Xi Jinping’s comments on the “deep relationship” between China and Fujian and comments by a museum curator that referred to Chinese sovereignty and the Diaoyu/Senkaku islands.
: Although global chip companies seeking to move their supply chains out of China have poured over $14 billion dollars into Japan, problems of land acquisition have arisen. Taiwan’s TSMC, wanting a second fab in Kumomoto since it prefers clusters of factories, not single ones, has run afoul of Japanese law limiting development of forests and land set aside for agriculture
: Enabled by an April change in guidelines, the Japanese coast guard and MSDF are preparing for a joint response to an armed attack, due to concerns that the Chinese coast guard could work with the Chinese military in a potential invasion against Japan.
: In a bid to counter China’s increasing expansion into the subcontinent under its Belt and Road Initiative, Japan provides full support to an 80-km road India is developing in its northeastern region bordering China that links to neighboring Bangladesh.
: Waseda University Professor Todo Yasuyuki calculates a disastrous drop in production from an 80% reduction in Chinese and Taiwanese imports for makers of electrical machinery and equipment such as household appliances, consumer electronics, and industrial equipment and producers of information and communications equipment due to conflict. He advocates risk reduction through friendshoring and reshoring, bearing in mind risks involved in domestic supply chains as well, such as earthquakes and volcano eruptions.
: Japan joins Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK, and the US in a Joint Declaration Against Trade-Related Economic Coercion and Non-Market Policies and Practices, clearly directed against China, that expresses “serious concern over trade-related economic coercion and non-market policies and practices that undermine the functioning of and confidence in the rules-based multilateral trading system.”
: Noting that China’s aid donations have trapped recipient countries in debt while allowing the Chinese access to local ports and other infrastructure, Japan approves a major revision to its development aid policy that focuses on maritime and economic security and its national interests while helping developing nations overcome compound challenges amid China’s growing global influence. The revision to the Development Cooperation Charter comes two years early, underscoring the sense of urgency in addressing widening China concern and other global challenges such as the impact of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
: China, which has been concerned for several years about the formation of an Asian NATO, criticizes news that the US, Taiwan, and Japan are to share real-time data from naval reconnaissance drones to strengthen coordination in the event of a Chinese attack on Taiwan.
: Japan conveys “strong concern” after a Chinese naval ship enters Japan’s waters near Yakushima Island. Separately, two China Coast Guard vessels enter Japan’s territorial waters around the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands and attempt to approach a Japanese fishing boat.
: To save Japan’s dwindling domestic defense industrial sector, the Diet enacts a bill enabling it to buy the factories and other facilities of beleaguered companies that make equipment deemed indispensable for the Self-Defense Forces and outsource their operations to other companies.
: Japan announces that it is joining the US and Australia in a $95 million undersea cable project that will connect East Micronesia island nations to improve networks in the Indo-Pacific region where China is increasingly expanding its influence. Completion is expected around 2025.
: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. announces plans to build its second Japanese plant in Kumamoto Prefecture, though has no plans to introduce advanced chip manufacturing processes into it. The government will provide a subsidy of up to $3.41 billion for the project, which has been joined by Sony and Denso corporations.
: Japanese companies Nidec and Renesas will partner to develop a power-efficient drive system for electric vehicles to keep pace with growing demand in China. A prototype is expected by the end of the year.
: Yomiuri editorializes on the need to deepen multilateral cooperation in light of China’s repeated provocations in and around the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea.
: In a 40-minute meeting on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue summit, Japanese DM Hamada expresses deep concerns about the situation in the East China and South China seas to counterpart Gen. Li Shangfu, with Li replying that China-Japan relations are “not all about the Diaoyu [Senkaku] Islands and should be viewed from a long-term and big picture perspective.”
: Responding to questions from a Diet member, the government discloses that 39 students from six of China’s so-called Seven Sons of National Defense—seven universities that are believed to have close ties to the Chinese military’s weapons development programs—were studying at Japanese universities as of fiscal 2020.
: Repeating the CCP mantra, Huang Xingyuan, representative director of the Japan-China Friendship Center, complains that Japan should cease following the US by labelling China its biggest strategic challenge and refrain from interfering in Taiwan. He stresses that under such circumstances, people-to-people diplomacy has become more significant.
: Japan’s new destroyers will be equipped with more vertical launchers that enable them to fire over 30% more interceptor missiles than existing destroyers as well as SM-6 missiles designed to shoot down hypersonic glide weapons.
: Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao urges Japan to halt its semiconductor export controls, terming them a “wrongdoing” that seriously violates international economic and trade rules.
: Japan Coast Guard sources reveal that China Coast Guard vessels have been navigating around the contested Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands since March using automatic identification system (AIS) equipment.
: China’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning warns against Kishida’s attendance at the NATO summit, says that NATO’s eastward foray into the Asia-Pacific “undermines regional peace and stability” and that countries in the area “should be on high alert.”
: With Chinese and Russian killer satellites in mind, Japan reportedly plans to work with the United States and others to monitor outer space. Specifically, it will participate in the Combined Space Operations Center, operated by the US, Britain, Australia, and Canada, which monitors outer space around the clock, including satellites and space debris.
: Referencing NATO’s planned liaison office in Tokyo, China’s leading military newspaper accuses Japan of applying for a job as doorman of NATO.
: China’s Ministry of Commerce terms Japan’s decision to impose curbs on the shipment of 23 types of chipmaking technology an abuse of export control measures that goes against free trade and international trade regulations.
: Draft edition of Japan’s 2023 defense report says that China may move up its plan to build a world-class military by the mid-21st century and states that increasing Russian and Chinese military activities in waters around Japan seem “to clearly intend a show of force.”
: Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong summons Japanese Ambassador to China Tarumi Hideo to lodge representations over the G7 Hiroshima Summit that Japan chaired.
: Minister of National Defense Li Shangfu and counterpart Hamada Yasukazu talk for the first time via the long-delayed direct telephone line dedicated to the maritime and air liaison mechanism between the two ministries.
: Reuters contrasts dismal economic news from China with a brighter picture in Japan. As GDP growth forecasts were revised downward, the RMB fell below seven to the dollar for the first time in six months while Citi’s economic surprise index had one of its steepest falls on record. In Japan, first-quarter GDP growth exceeded expectations with the Nikkei rising about 30,000 for the first time in 20 months and the broader Topix index hitting its highest level in 33 years.
: In an ominous sign, China’s Coast Guard now has 157 large vessels, nearly quadruple the number of a decade ago, when Japan Coast Guard large ships outnumbered Chinese counterparts by 51 to 40.
: In a display of power ahead of the G7 summit hosted by Japan, a four-ship flotilla led by one of the Chinese navy’s most powerful warships, the Type 055 guided missile destroyer Lhasa, performs a 12-day counterclockwise circumnavigation of Japan beginning from the Strait of Tsushima, progressing through Tsugaru, and on to the Izu Island chain south of Tokyo.
: Japan protests through diplomatic channels Chinese Ambassador Wu Jianghao’s statement that if Japan links Taiwan to its own security, the Japanese people “would be dragged into the fire.”
: Referencing a joint call by Kishida and South Korean leader Yoon that the two states will work with Washington to address “growing security threats in Asia” during the former’s trip to Seoul, South China Morning Post reports that the Chinese government is concerned that a military alliance among South Korea, Japan, and the US may be developing.
: Kishida, visiting Nairobi, pledges Japanese support in developing Mombasa, the largest port in East Africa and facing the Indian Ocean. Chinese companies have been active in infrastructure there, resulting in massive debts to Kenya.
: Industry data reveal that total sales of Japanese auto brands in China fell 32% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2023. Japanese firms now account for 18% of China’s new vehicle sales, down from 20% in 2022, 22% in 2021, and 24% in 2020. Mazda, Nissan, and Honda have been particularly hard hit.
: 61% of respondents to a Yomiuri poll favor amending the constitution while 33% are against doing so, with the gap between those in favor and against amendment widening to 28 percentage points.
: Of 1,967 people who respond to an Asahi poll, 52% say the constitution is good, down from 58% last year, while another 52% said revisions are needed and 38% say the Constitution is not good, the highest rate since 2013.
: Asahi editorializes against the government for failing to listen to the people of Ishigakijima. When the city of Ishigaki agreed to host a GSDF base in 2018, it was explained that the missiles to be deployed there would be of a “defensive nature” to prevent enemy landings on the island but now these missiles could have a range capable of reaching beyond Japan, possibly turning Ishigakijima into a target of enemy attack.
: NATO reportedly plans to open a liaison office in Tokyo, the first of its kind in Asia, which will allow the alliance to conduct periodic consultations with Japan and key partners in the region such as South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand as China emerges as a new challenge,. Japan will in turn create an independent mission to NATO, separating it from the embassy in Belgium, where it is currently based.
: Aided by multibillion-dollar government subsidies, BYD Auto plans to have 100 showrooms in Japan by 2025, with its Dolphin hatchback and Seal sedans due to enter the market this year.
: 80% of respondents to an Asahi survey report worry that Japan will be caught up in a US-China clash over Taiwan, with 56% saying that the SDFs role should be limited to rearguard support to the US military.
: Speaking at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo, Ambassador Wu Jianghao objects to Japan describing China as its greatest strategic challenge, its cooperation with “certain countries” to oppose and contain China, and its accelerated military buildup. Describing the statement that a Taiwan emergency is a Japanese emergency as “absurd and dangerous,” Wu continues that the G7, which had harsh words for China, has become a political tool of some countries to wantonly interfere in the internal affairs of other countries and suppress their development and progress.
: In a further effort to de-risk the scarce metals supply chain from China, Honda and battery manufacturer GS Yuasa Corporation will receive a ¥158.7 billion subsidy from METI.
: Chinese ambassador to Japan Wu Jianghao describes the case of a detained Astellas Pharma employee as a spy incident that touches on China’s national security; it is not China that should back down, but rather individuals and organizations that are making people like the Astellas employee engage in espionage.
: Speaking at a regularly scheduled Ministry of Defense press conference, spokesperson Senior Colonel Tan Kafei accuses Japan of distorting facts and spreading the China threat “cliché.”
: Dong Yuyu, a former senior editor at CCP-affiliated Guangming Daily is charged with allegedly leaking information to multiple Japanese diplomats.
: Aiming to reduce reliance on China for crucial materials in EV batteries and motors, METI will subsidize up to half the cost of mine development and smelting projects of important minerals by Japanese companies. Lithium, manganese, nickel, cobalt, graphite and rare earths are the main targets for support.
: Aiming to check China’s influence after Kiribati cut ties with Taiwan, the MSDF begins its largest Indo-Pacific tour to date, include a port call in Kiribati. A total of 17 countries and regions will be visited, up from 12 in 2022, with a focus on Pacific Islands nations.
: Prime Minister Kishida sends ritual masakaki offering to the Yasukuni Shine at its spring festival and China issues ritual objection. Although Kishida sends the offering as a private person, the masakaki is sent under his name as prime minister. A cross-party group of around 90 lawmakers, including senior vice ministers and parliamentary vice ministers, visits the shrine, as it regularly does. China issues a ritual protest.
: Former LDP Secretary General Nikai Toshihiro, known for his pro-China views, is named the new chairman of the Japan-China Parliamentary Friendship Association.
: Casting doubt on Japan’s plans to improve its capacity to protect itself, the SDF recruit less than half the planned number of fixed-term personnel for fiscal 2022.
: A Chinese military commentator describes Japan’s new Official Security Assistance initiative as part of its plan to strengthen its military presence in Indo-Pacific on the pretext of maintaining “freedom, democracy and rule of law.”
: Communique of the G7 foreign ministers, meeting in Karuizawa preparatory to the G7 summit hosted by Japan, calls on China to abstain from threats, coercion, intimidation, or the use of force, expresses serious concern about the situation in the East and South China Seas, and strongly opposes any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion.
: Criticisms grow of Indonesian President Joko Widodo’s 2015 choice of China over Japan to build a high-speed railway after Kereta Cepat Indonesia China, which is 40% owned by Chinese concerns, proposed in December adding another 30 years to its 50-year concession, meaning that the railway would be under China’s influence until early in the 22nd century.
: Recognizing that cognitive warfare has become the sixth domain of operations in addition to land, sea, air, outer space and cyberspace, Japan’s Cabinet Secretariat will develop a system to deal with information warfare designed by unnamed countries to formulate favorable international public opinion toward their country or to confuse their opponents.
: Chinese analyst Da Zhigang opines that the abortive assassination attempt against Prime Minister Kishida has burst the myth of Japan being a secure country, casting doubt among residents that the Hiroshima G7 Summit will be safe, while researcher Chen Yang believes such attacks are largely due to Japan’s increasingly resentful society, caused by the sluggish economic growth and rising prices.
: Japanese tech investment titan SoftBank decides to sell nearly all of its stake in Alibaba to limit exposure to China. SoftBank was an early investor in the Chinese internet giant founded by Jack Ma but began to offload its shares last year in response to the PRC’s regulatory crackdown on the financial sector.
: Although not reaching the UN goal of contributing 0.7 % of gross national income to Official Development Assistance, Japan is third in the world in the value of its contributions, after the US and Germany.
: Hideji Suzuki, one of 17 Japanese nationals detained in China since 2015 and imprisoned for six years, says Japan failed him. He applauds Japan’s somewhat stronger reaction to the current detainee but predicts that the outcome won’t change much.
: Contrasting the failure of Mitsubishi Heavy Industry’s commercial aircraft building program with the achievements of China’s state-owned COMAC, both begun in 2008, two aviation executives—one American and one Japanese—attribute COMAC’s success to state ownership and a significant domestic market.
: As part of plans to develop counterstrike capabilities against Chinese expansionism, the Japanese government awards a contract to Mitsubishi Heavy Industries for submarine-launched standoff missiles.
: An Asahi editorial terms China’s aggressive moves toward Taiwan counterproductive and serve only to undermine its international reputation.
: Seeking to establish a secure supply chain for lithium against Chinese companies, which hold the top global share in manufacturing batteries and have been investing heavily in mining projects around the world, Sumitomo Metal Mining starts talks with resources producers for joint production in such countries as Argentina and Chile, leveraging the new technology to obtain concessions.
: Japanese foreign ministry’s annual diplomatic bluebook describes Beijing as intensifying its attempts to unilaterally change the status quo by force or coercion in the maritime regions and airspace of the East and South China Seas and calls China’s approach to international relations and military trends the greatest strategic challenge ever to the international order.
: At a meeting of foreign, defense, and coast guard officials from the two countries, the first since May 2019, Japan urges China to immediately cease intrusions by its coast guard ships into Japanese waters around the disputed Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands, its maritime expansion in the East China and South China seas, its repeated dissemination of information lacking a scientific basis about the planned release into the sea of treated water from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, and its continued gas field development activities on the Chinese side of the median line between the two countries in the East China Sea. China demands that Japan stop violating China’s sovereignty and harming its maritime interests in the East China Sea and the Taiwan Strait and warns Tokyo against interfering with Taiwan issues. With regard to the water release from the Fukushima nuclear plant, the Chinese side says the matter should be handled in a scientific and safe way. The two sides affirm yet again a long-delayed plan to set up a hotline between their defense authorities.
: Japan Display Inc., formed a decade ago by a government-brokered merger among the LCD businesses of Hitachi, Toshiba, and Sony announces a tie-up with China’s HKC Corp. to cooperate on next-generation technology for displays.
: Japan expresses concern with China’s air operations close to Okinawan islands during its three-day punitive exercises simulating an attack on Taiwan a week earlier.
: In his first public comments since an employee was arrested in late March on espionage charges, Astellas chief executive Naoki Okamura says the pharmaceutical company plans further steps to diversify its supply chain in China but in view of the country’s huge market is not “currently” considering an exit.
: A China Daily columnist applauds Foreign Minister Hayashi’s visit to Beijing and agreement to work together on such matters as holding dialogue regularly, deepening mutual understanding and trust, and defusing tensions. However, “Tokyo should squarely face its militaristic past, reflect on its historical mistakes and apologize to the victims of Japanese aggression before and during World War II.”
: Diet deliberations begin on legislation to establish a new fund that would help pay for a massive defense buildup over the next five years: 43 trillion yen ($326 billion) of which new revenue sources must be found to cover about 14.6 trillion yen.
: Recognizing that the new OSA program is another policy response to China’s rapid military buildup and aggressive maritime expansion that at present does not include supplying lethal weapons to four countries, Asahi cautions that it could undermine stability in the region unless combined with diplomatic efforts to expand dialogue with Beijing and build a regional order that is helpful for coexistence and co-prosperity.
: Noting that China continues to engage in hegemonic activities in the South China Sea and is turning the area into a military stronghold and threatening Japan’s sovereignty over the Senkaku Islands, Yomiuri states that cooperation with more countries is essential in dealing with China but says it is important to avoid a situation in which Japan’s provision of defense equipment foments conflict.
: Yomiuri criticizes the government for the failure of its measures to prevent the outflow of manufacturing technology related to high-performance, rare-earth magnets.
: Visiting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Brussels, Foreign Minister Hayashi states that what concerns observers the most would be an effort by China to unify with Taiwan by force.
: In the longest intrusion since Japan nationalized the East China Sea islands in 2012 four Chinese Coast Guard vessels stay in the area around the disputed Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands for more than 80 hours, breaking the previous record of over 72 hours set in December 2022.
: Yomiuri terms the four-hour meeting between Chinese and Japanese foreign ministers “extremely disappointing …because the Chinese side did not give any indication that it wished to resolve pending issues.”
: Chinese papers report that senior diplomat Wang Yi told Hayashi that the fundamental reason for strained relations is that “some forces in Japan are deliberately following the US wrong China policy, trying to provoke and smear China’s core interests.” Japanese papers report that Hayashi lodged a stern protest over China’s recent detention of a Japanese national and expressed Tokyo’s serious concern over the repeated entry of Chinese vessels into waters near the Japanese-controlled Senkaku Islands while underscoring the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait amid increasing Chinese military pressure in the region.
: Consonant with its new Official Security Assistance program, Japan will help Bangladesh, Fiji, Malaysia, and the Philippines to improve their deterrence capabilities through the provision of defense equipment and other means to counter China and Russia and help stabilize the Indo-Pacific region.
: A former GSDF chief of staff laments the absence of a clear plan to evacuate the 25,000 Japanese nationals currently in Taiwan in the event of a Chinese attack on the island.
: New GSDF camp on Ishigaki formally opens, marking the completion of a plan to fill a hole in the GSDF’s coverage of the Nansei islands; troops having already been deployed to Yonaguni, Miyako, and Amami Oshima islands.
: Foreign Minister Hayashi visits Beijing. According to Global Times, Foreign Minister Qin Gang called on Japan not to join the US in chip restrictions; having suppressed Japan’s semiconductor industry, it is now using the same tactics against China.
: Joining with the US and the Netherlands to prevent advanced semiconductor technologies from being used for military purposes due to China’s growing military pressure against Taiwan, Japan’s trade ministry solicits public comments on hopes to restrict exports of 23 items such as equipment to remove impurities generated during the semiconductor manufacturing process and machines to produce semiconductor films.
: Masahiro Ichijo, retiring head of the coast guard headquarters with responsibility for Okinawa and the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands, says in an interview with Asahi that it is important to keep the score even with Chinese Coast Guard vessels in terms of security activities.
: Meeting a delegation from Taiwanese communities in Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe, Shikoku, and Hiroshima, President Tsai Ing-wen thanks Taiwanese in Japan for help in deepening ties between the two countries.
: Chinese security authorities recently detain a Japanese national in his 50s, an executive of Japanese company Astella’s local subsidiary, on unspecified charges.
: Kyodo discloses that Kishida declined to meet with former Ambassador to Japan Kong Xuanyou before Kong’s departure in February. According to an unnamed government source, a reciprocal approach was considered “necessary,” since Xi Jinping did not meet former Ambassador to China Yokoi Yutaka when he departed Beijing in 2020.
: Chinese exports decline in dollar terms for five straight months since last October as Western buyers reduce orders amid high inflation and a gloomy economic outlook.
: Against a backdrop of concerns about growing Chinese influence across the Indo-Pacific that includes major infrastructure investment under the Belt and Road Initiative, fueling development but also raising concerns about unsustainable debt in Global South nations, Kishida backs Indian PM Narendra Modi’s appeals to support less developed countries, announcing over $75 billion worth of infrastructure and security assistance for the Indo-Pacific; he also invites Modi to attend the G7 summit in Hiroshima in May.
: Two Chinese Haijing-class coast guard vessels sail close to a Japanese fishing boat in Japanese-administered territorial waters of the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands on March 17.
: Observing Kishida’s activist diplomacy with South Korea, Germany, and India, Global Times accuses Tokyo of using external forces as “sub-ruler of Washington’s headquarters” to target China while pursuing its own sinister agenda of military expansion.
: Nikkei describes German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s visit to Tokyo as seeking cooperation with Japan to reduce German dependence on Chinese raw materials. Although Japan is Germany’s second largest trading partner in Asia, volumes in 2022 were less than a fifth of those with China. The Associated Press reports that the two countries’ defense ministers met separately to confirm the German armed forces’ continued engagement in the Indo-Pacific region and stronger military cooperation between the two countries.
: GSDF opens a garrison on Ishigaki Island adding to those built since 2016 on Yonaguni, Miyakojima, and Amami-Oshima, with the defense ministry commenting that this closes the vacuum in the area in response to China’s aggressive maritime expansion.
: Taiwan’s High Speed Rail Corporation confirms that it will buy 12 new shinkansen bullet trains from a Hitachi-Toshiba consortium; THSR was the first overseas company to adopt the shinkansen.
: China’s Coast Guard enters waters around disputed East China Sea islets on Wednesday to counter what it called the incursion of Japanese vessels into Chinese territorial waters.
: Reviewing China’s National People’s Congress, Yomiuri editorializes that Xi’s intolerance of any dissent bodes ill for world peace and urges Japan and the United States to enhance their ability to respond to any contingency so that Xi will be discouraged from attempting to change the status quo by force.
: Xinhua reports that despite “raging” opposition both at home and abroad, Japan still intends to push ahead with its plan to dump nuclear-contaminated wastewater into the Pacific Ocean from the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in this spring or summer. Japan’s wastewater discharge plan will destroy the livelihoods of local fishermen and efforts they have made for over a decade to revive the industry.
: To establish a supply chain that bypasses China, Japanese trading house Sojitz and the Japan Organization for Metals and Energy Security will invest $134.7 million in Australia’s Lynas Rare Earths that will supply about 30% of domestic Japanese demand for the heavy rare earths.
: Japan’s second attempt to launch the H-3 rocket on March 7 fails, as had its first attempt on Feb. 17. Coming after a two-year delay from the initial schedule, these could be a setback for the country’s entire space policy.
: Chinese government announces a 7.2% rise, to $225 billion, in the country’s defense budget for 2023, though foreign analysts estimate that actual military spending may be 1.1 to 2 times higher than stated in the official budget. The official figure exceeds the projected growth rate of 5%.
: A national political advisor from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) says that to deepen understanding of the Party and its history among the Hong Kong public, a permanent memorial hall of the history of War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1931-45) and an exhibition hall of the CCP should be established as soon as possible
: Prompted by the revelation that an MSDF captain improperly briefed a retired vice admiral on several occasions in violation of the December 2014 Protection of Specially Designated Secrets Law, a Ministry of Defense committee will by March 31 compile a report outlining steps to prevent future leaks.
: Global Times belatedly reports that after a three-year hiatus, the 13th China-Japan Friendship Adult Ceremony was held at the Embassy of Japan in China on Feb. 25 with Ambassador Tarumi Hideo expressing hope that people will “pay attention to and concern about each other’s culture, society and history in the future and through a variety of communication to enhance mutual understanding, and write a new chapter in the development of Japan and Chinese relations.”
: In a stunning graphic, Renmin Ribao criticizes Tokyo Electric Power’s decision to release up to 500 tons of nuclear-contaminated water per day since it may contain large amounts of radioactive carbon-14 and other radioactive isotopes, adding that it takes tens or hundreds of thousands of years for some atomic isotopes to decay.
: A Yomiuri editorial hopes the Japanese government will consider measures, including a review of legal provisions, to enable it to investigate the actual situation on smaller islands, one of which, uninhabited Yanaha, was 51% quietly acquired by a Chinese-affiliated company two years ago.
: Preparing to enter the Japanese market so that Japan can bypass China in its rare-earth supply chain, Las Vegas-headquartered MP Materials produces a record volume of ores and is set to further increase production in the US.
: Jiji reports that on Feb. 8 the Changsha Intermediate People’s Court sentenced an unnamed Japanese man in his 50s to 12 years in prison for spying. The man had been held since July 2019 on unspecified charges. China is known to have detained 16 Japanese nationals on spying or other related charges since 2015.
: A tabletop wargame conducted by Japan’s Sasakawa Peace Foundation on a Taiwan contingency shows Japan losing as many as 144 fighter jets, with SDF casualties reaching up to 2,500. The US could lose up to 400 jets with over 10,000 soldiers killed or wounded—but China would fail to seize control of the island.
: Tokyo chip manufacturers, waiting for clear guidance on export controls for advanced chip technologies, report greatly increased orders as Chinese semiconductor companies seek to stockpile ahead of the implementation of the Japan-Netherlands-US agreement on tightening exports.
: Expressing concern about Tokyo’s moves to control semiconductor exports, China’s Ministry of Commerce says China hopes that Japan can abide by international rules, provide enterprises with a “fair, non-discriminatory and predictable” business environment and safeguard bilateral economic and trade cooperation.
: After a four-year gap, China and Japan resume diplomatic and security talks with the successive holding of the 29th regular consultation between China and Japan diplomatic authorities, the 17th China-Japan security dialogue, and the 16th China-Japan economic partnership consultation.
: Liz Truss, in Tokyo on her first overseas trip since stepping down as UK prime minister, says that the G7 and like-minded nations should cooperate to build a supply chain for resources such as rare-earths and other important minerals, export controls for cutting-edge technologies such as semiconductors, and infrastructure investment in developing countries “providing investment that doesn’t have strings attached, that doesn’t lead to a debt trap.” She adds that the G7 and Taiwan should work together economically to deter China.
: Foreign Minister Hayashi, speaking to Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, warns that entering a foreign country’s airspace without permission constitutes an airspace violation and urges China to prevent any recurrence the such incidents.
: GSDF holds a press viewing of Iron Fist, a joint Japan-U.S. training exercise, at the Hijudai maneuvering ground in Oita Prefecture on Saturday.
: Asahi editorializes against the defense ministry’s decision to ease the requirements for the SDF to destroy trespassing foreign unmanned airborne vehicles including balloons and airships, which could heighten tensions in the region.
: Consensus is achieved between the LDP and coalition partner Komeito that permits the SDF to use weapons to protect citizens and property on the ground and ensure the safety of civilian aircraft, taking into account that human life would not be endangered if unmanned aircraft were to be shot down.
: Senior LDP defense policymaker and former Defense Minister Onadera Itsunori says that the flight of suspected Chinese surveillance balloons has shown that Japan and Taiwan need to share “critical” intelligence about aerial threats, adding that he visited Taiwan in January and been briefed about threats posed to the island by China.
: Japanese government will change the interpretation of Article 84 of the SDF Law which was intended for manned foreign aircraft to allow shooting down unmanned balloons. Specific conditions under which the use of weapons will be allowed are being worked out.
: A Chinese-affiliated company, i.e., not the Chinese government, buys about half the uninhabited isle of Yanahajima, located north of Okinawa Prefecture’s main island.
: As part of its envisaged counterattack capability, Japan will start building about 10 large ammunition depots for storing standoff weapons at SDF facilities, including in the Nansei Islands near Taiwan.
: Japanese government demands through diplomatic channels that the Chinese government confirm facts about three balloons that allegedly flew in Japanese airspace since November 2019 and take measures to prevent the recurrence of similar incidents.
: Australia’s Lowy Institute’s 2023 Asia Power Index assesses that Japan’s strengthening defense capabilities will not be enough to compensate for waning overall influence in Asia, opining that Japan’s contribution to a collective balancing strategy in response to China’s rise may be less than Washington hopes.
: Japanese government conveys concern to China over its Shupang-class survey ship entry into Japanese territorial waters around Yakushima Island, Kagoshima Prefecture. This is the first time a Shupang-class survey ship intruded into territorial waters in 2023, but it did so in November 2021 and five times in 2022.
: Philippine President Marcos, visiting Tokyo, agrees to strengthen defense ties with Japan amid China’s assertive actions in the South China Sea and growing fears over a possible Chinese invasion of Taiwan.
: China Daily editorializes that, by allowing US weapons to be sited on Japanese islands close to China’s Taiwan, Japan is foolishly tying itself to a time bomb.
: Meeting in Tokyo with Kishida, NATO Secretary-General Stoltenberg, referring to China by name, says that it is “bullying its neighbors, and threatening Taiwan,” and emphasizes the need for NATO and Japan to work together to address the challenge posed by China.
: Newly appointed Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang, speaking with counterpart Hayashi Yoshimasa for the first time, is quoted as hoping Japan will be “cautious in its words and deeds regarding major issues such as bilateral history and Taiwan, and stop provocations by right-wing forces on the issue of Diaoyu” [Senkaku], while Nikkei cites Hayashi as airing “serious concern” over intensifying Chinese military activities near Japan, including those with Russia during their 50-minute phone talk.
: Speaking to students at Tokyo’s Keio University, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg calls for stronger cooperation and more “friends” for NATO in the Indo-Pacific region, adding that Russia and China “coming closer and the significant investments by China and new advanced military capabilities just underlines that China poses a threat, poses a challenge also to NATO allies.” Stoltenberg and Kishida agree to step up their partnership in security in cyberspace, space, defense and other areas.
: A Global Times editorial describes Stoltenberg’s speech as deserving high vigilance of the entire Asia-Pacific region and full of ominous omens.
: Chinese media report that its coast guard expelled Japanese ships that illegally entered China’s territorial waters around the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands, citing unnamed experts’ opinion that expulsion was the right action to safeguard China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and it displayed coast guard capabilities.
: Yomiuri reports that the Shinsei Maru with the Ishigaki mayor and Tokai University researchers commissioned by the city aboard is taking an environmental survey, the second this year, to assess the impact of garbage drifting to Uotsuri and other Senkaku/Diaoyu islands, as well as the damage to vegetation caused by goats. A Chinese Coast Guard vessel made a move to approach the boat, but was deterred by a vessel of the Japan Coast Guard that called for the Chinese vessel to leave. Tokyo protests through diplomatic channels.
: As part of growing efforts by manufacturers to protect supply chains by reducing their Chinese dependence, Sony reveals that as of the end of last year it had transferred production of cameras sold in the Japanese, US, and European markets to Thailand.
: Chinese embassy in Tokyo announces that the government will immediately resume issuing visas to Japanese nationals traveling to China, which had been suspended since Jan. 10.
: Bloomberg reports that the US has secured an agreement with the Netherlands and Japan to restrict exports of some advanced chip-making machinery to China.
: Global Times responds to the report of the restrictions by saying that efforts to contain China will not work since the country’s semiconductor firms are making all-out efforts at technologies for self-reliance. Earlier, the paper had accused the US of having “brutally beaten down” Japan’s semiconductor industry a century ago and warning that Japan’s current interests do not match those of the United States since the US has upstream suppliers in Europe that leave little room for Japan.
: State secrets in a report leaked by a former MSDF captain to his vice admiral former boss contain information on military satellite images that capture the movements of Chinese naval vessels and include intelligence provided by the US military.
: Chinese media criticize Japan and South Korea for tightening entry policies against China for purely political purposes as part of a negative publicity campaign against China.
: Interviewed by Nikkei, retired Gen. Isobe Koichi terms Xi Jinping’s recent policies incoherent and advises that appeasement will not work.
: Japanese government has reportedly approved a cruise missile with three interchangeable warheads for reconnaissance and radar jamming in addition to conventional use.
: Responding to the US-Japan statement that the Indo-Pacific region faces growing challenges, including from actions inconsistent with the rules-based international order by China, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin describes it as an “ugly playbook jointly … to tarnish China’s image, interfere in China’s internal affairs and suppress China’s development [that] is packed with danger and hypocrisy” adding that “we firmly reject it and have conveyed strong demarches.”
: China Daily takes issue with the joint US-Japanese declaration of the 13th calling the PRC a country posing challenges with “actions inconsistent with the rules-based international order” and strongly suggests that the US has given the nod to Japan’s expansion of its military capability.
: Global Times accuses Japan of increasingly justifying its militarization under the pretext of so-called external threats. It says Tokyo should be wary of becoming a victim of the US or the Ukraine of East Asia.
: Global Times describes Kishida’s visit to Washington as bringing three “gifts”: 1. actively seeking to deepen the Japan-US alliance to show loyalty to the US Indo-Pacific strategy; 2. reporting military developments and “anti-China achievements” to the US in exchange for Washington’s support for Japan’s attempt to break through its exclusive self-defense policy; and 3. continuing to exaggerate the “China threat theory” to cover up its own military expansion and preparations for war.
: Defense Minister Hamada Yasukazu and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin agree to simplify procedures for joint research and development of defense equipment by making only a single memorandum necessary for a project, as opposed to current practice that requires multiple memoranda for each item of research or trial, often taking several months apiece to prepare.
: At 2-plus-2 defense talks of the US and Japanese foreign and defense chiefs, the alliance enters a new phase of stepped up work on interoperability and the division of roles between the SDF and US forces to provide enhanced deterrence against China.
: 2+2 ministers of the US and Japan issue a joint statement saying that Article 5 of their security treaty, which obligates the US to defend Japan if it comes under attack, could be applied to space to protect Japanese satellites as China and Russia ramp up military activity in the arena
: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), already building a facility in Japan with Sony, says it is considering a second plant there.
: UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak says his country “will stand by Japan as China leverages its state power.”
: Reacting to the UK-Japan defense agreement, Global Times describes both as “down-and-out powers.”
: Chinese media describe the US-Japan 2+2 agreement as undermining peace and stability, quoting Chinese experts’ opinion that the result will be a more dangerous position for Japan, and will not be welcomed by regional countries.
: US Marine Corps announces plans to form a littoral regiment (MLR) to hold positions on Japan’s frontline islands within China’s sphere of influence and engage the enemy.
: Japan’s Ministry of Defense announces it is considering establishing a new cyber department at the National Defense Academy in fiscal 2027. Prior to its establishment, the GSDF will refashion its Signal School into the GSDF System Communications and Cyber School in April and increase the number of officers receiving cyberdefense training by 30% from the current 100 officers.
: Global Times scoffs at Japan’s intention to become the second country after the US to land astronauts on the moon and saying it would strengthen cooperation with the US to counter China’s space endeavors; the claim to be “second in history” while relying on another country’s technology is laughable and does not really count.
: Kishida visits G7 countries France, Italy, and the UK before his trip to Washington.
: In an effort to display solidarity among partners when China is stepping up maritime activities, the Ground Self-Defense Force’s First Airborne Brigade conducts the year’s first parachute drop training with units from the British and Australian armies for the first time.
: Center-right Yomiuri, Japan’s largest circulation daily, editorializes in favor of a more robust official development assistance program.
: Japanese defense officials are weighing a plan to build dozens of ammunition and weapons depots on far-flung southwestern islands in preparation for a potential Taiwan crisis.
: Japanese student recipients of a scholarship to study in Taiwan provided by the Friends of Shinzo Abe Association in Taiwan lay flowers at the statue of Abe in a Kaohsiung temple and praised his contributions to Taiwan-Japanese friendship.
: Head of Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI) Yasutoshi Nishimura urges Group of Seven (G7) advanced economies to take a coordinated approach at preventing the economic coercion that China has applied to some of its trading partners.
: In a further affirmation of deepening Japan-Taiwan ties, Fukuoka Financial Group Inc. (FFG) joins CTBC Financial Holding Co. (CTBC Holding) to smooth the way for companies from Taiwan to do business in southern Japan.
: According to Japan’s Defense Ministry, the Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning returned to the East China Sea by sailing north between the main island of Okinawa Prefecture and Miyako Island after conducting drills in Pacific waters south of the prefecture last month. Fighter jets and helicopters based on the Liaoning took off from and landed a total of about 320 times around the islands of Okidaitojima and Kitadaitojima in Okinawa Prefecture between Dec. 17 and Saturday. This was the first operation by the Liaoning since May 2022, when more than 300 takeoffs and landings took place.
: Japanese government reports that it successfully intercepted a Chinese Guizhou WZ-7 “Soaring Dragon” drone in the Miyako Strait, marking the first time that Japanese authorities have acknowledged intercepting this specific type of drone.
: Amid China’s mounting military pressure in the region, the Japanese defense ministry will move command centers underground at four SDF facilities by fiscal 2028 and implement measures against electromagnetic pulse attacks at five Air Self-Defense Force bases by fiscal 2029 in preparation for such situations as an emergency in Taiwan.
: Japanese government is to provide comprehensive financial support to the defense industry to stem its decline, and will consider nationalization of some industries though only as a last resort.
: China Daily, in a four-part year end piece, admonishes Japan for a litany of transgressions including military expansion and decoupling.
: During the visit of Japanese parliamentarians to Taiwan, a Kaohsiung temple says it would commission and give to Japan a bronze statue of Prime Minister Abe, who had been a firm friend of Taiwan.
: Chinese coast guard vessels stay in territorial waters claimed by Japan for over 72 hours, the longest continuous intrusion since 2012.
: Chinese sources state that Xi ordered a Chinese carrier strike group to conduct drills that simulate attacks on Japan’s Nansei Islands beginning Dec. 16 in response to the Japanese government’s release of three major defense-related documents.
: Reports say Japan’s government will create the framework for utilization of space to strengthen the nation’s defense capabilities that includes a plan to increase the use of space by the SDF and coast guard, among others.
: Responding to claims by a Spanish NGO that China may have established two overseas police bases in Japan, the foreign ministry, apparently regarding the claims as credible, tells Beijing that any activities conducted that could infringe on Japan’s sovereignty are “absolutely unacceptable.”
: Japan’s largest convenience store chains, Lawson, Family Mart, and Seven-Eleven, are opening more outlets in China as they adapt business models to China’s more restrictive logistics network.
: Giant panda Eimei/Yong Ming, a resident of the Osaka zoo for 12 years, is appointed a special envoy for Sino-Japanese friendship, though it is unclear how the panda can play this role since he is to be repatriated in February.
: A squadron of Chinese ships sails through straits near Japan into the Western Pacific, while Beijing castigated Tokyo’s adoption of a new national security strategy that puts itself on a more offensive footing — largely as a result of the perceived threat from China.
: Japanese Defense Ministry releases new defense strategy which is highly critical of Chinese activities as “a matter of serious concern for Japan and the international community.”
: Japanese Cabinet approves three key security documents the main pillar of which legitimizes possession of counterstrike capabilities to destroy enemy missile launch sites and other military targets for self-defense, marking a major shift in postwar security policy.
: Xinhua reports opposition within Japan to the country’s new defense strategy, stating that hundreds of citizens held rallies in front of the prime minister’s official residence.
: Nikkei reports that the LDP’s junior coalition partner Komeito was able to pull the defense policy debate in a more dovish direction, changing “serious security threat” to an “unprecedented strategic challenge” and blocking the LDP’s desire to scrap a legal provision stating that the coast guard will not function as a “military” organization.
: After repeated intrusions by the China Coast Guard in waters around the Senkaku islands, the Japanese government announces it will increase the coast guard budget by 40% by fiscal 2027.
: Japanese government announces it will include a standoff missile unit for enemy counterstrikes in the country’s revised defense plans.
: Asahi editorializes against the expanded defense budget on grounds that piling on debt will not only worsen the nation’s fiscal health and allow unrestrained defense spending.
: Yomiuri Shimbun learns that a core unit for intelligence warfare to obstruct the command and control system of adversaries and counter the spread of disinformation is to be established in Japan’s Maritime Defense Force.
: LDP policy chief Hagiuda Koichi visits Taiwan, praising it as an extremely important partner and valued friend of Japan with whom Japan share fundamental values such as liberal democracy, basic human rights, and the rule of law as well as close economic relations and personal exchanges.
: At two-plus-two talks with visiting Australian defense and foreign ministers in Tokyo, the two countries pledge to enhance defense cooperation as China’s rapid military buildup in the Indo-Pacific has worsened the regional security environment.
: In light of increased pressure from China, the head of a conservative Japanese think tank advises that Japan should proactively conduct information warfare operations and enhance its military capabilities to gain both Taiwanese and American confidence. China’s breakthrough into Taiwan would be vitally dangerous for Japan.
: Draft of the National Security Strategy (NSS) presented to a working team of the LDP and Komeito describes China’s hegemonic moves as “the greatest strategic challenge” Japan faces.
: Chinese automaker BYD announces that it will start sales of its electric SUV in Japan at the end of January, priced significantly lower than Japanese EV manufacturers, particularly when subsidies are added to the sticker price. Japanese companies are not faring well in the EV car market.
: Kishida instructs defense and finance ministers to earmark 43 trillion yen for defense spending over the five years from fiscal 2023, more than 1.5 times the 27.47 trillion yen set under the current medium-term defense capability development program.
: Japan plans to more than quadruple cyber defense personnel while increasing overall staff dealing with cyber-attacks to 20,000 by fiscal 2027, say government sources.
: A joint public opinion poll finds that 44.5% of Japanese and 56.7% of Chinese believe that a military conflict in the Taiwan Strait is likely within a few years or in the future.
: Yonaguni, Japan’s westernmost island and the island closest to Taiwan, holds its first evacuation drill on 30 November to prepare for a ballistic missile strike.
: Citing unnamed government sources, Kyodo reports that Japan is considering expanding an Okinawa-based ground force unit to defend remote southwestern islands and prepare for a contingency involving Taiwan in the face of China’s increasing assertiveness.
: Yomiuri states that the Japanese government is considering development of at least 10 types of long-range missiles as it moves toward the possession of counterattack capabilities.
: In a major change from its long-held previous opposition to Japan’s possession of counterstrike capabilities, junior coalition partner Komeito agrees to broadly support them after confirming that the principle of using the minimum force necessary will be honored.
: Chancellor of the Prefectural University of Kumamoto Shiraishi Takashi outlines a four-point strategy for enhancing Japanese defense including integrating land, sea, and air military capabilities with cyberspace, electromagnetic waves, and outer space as well as the economy, science and technology, information, and other elements.
: Two Chinese H-6 bombers and two Russian Tu-95 bombers fly over the Sea of Japan, the East China Sea and the Pacific Ocean on Wednesday, prompting Air Self-Defense Force fighter jets to scramble in response. None of the four entered Japan’s territorial airspace.
: An Asahi editorial complains that the Nov. 28 announcement that the defense budget is to be increased was a done deal whose timing was wrong.
: Japanese government announces that a network of 50 small satellites working together in space will be developed for Japan’s defense. The first is expected to be launched as soon as fiscal 2024, in line with the possession of counterattack capabilities to strike enemy missile launch sites for the purpose of self-defense.
: Mai Yamada (山田摩衣), born to a Taiwanese mother and Japanese father, is elected one of nine city councilors in Banciao District (板橋) in Taiwan. She describes the support she received as proof of Taiwan-Japan friendship. She is speaks Japanese, English, and Hoklo (Taiwanese).
: As domestic demand for sake declines, Japanese brewers are rapidly increasing exports to China, which have grown about 50 times in the past 10 years. By contrast, demand in Japan has dwindled to less than 30% its peak nearly five decades ago.
: In the 26th intrusion into Japanese waters by Chinese government ships this year and the first since Nov. 12-13 four China Coast Guard ships sail in Japanese waters around the Senkaku Islands. One is believed to be equipped with a 76mm gun, the largest of its kind mounted on such intruding Chinese vessels.
: Annual China Security Report, published by the National Institute for Defense Studies, focuses on the cognitive warfare being adopted by the Chinese Communist Party.
: Japanese chip equipment supplier headed by a Shanghainese begins to reorganize supply chains and factories in a strategy designed to access both US and Chinese markets after Washington rolled out new chip export controls.
: In light of Japanese companies withdrawing from defense work due to low profit margins and small order volumes, Yomiuri advocates that the government increase subsidies to companies and establish a system that enhances the competitiveness of defense equipment abroad.
: Renmin Ribao describes China-Japan defense talks, held annually since 2012, as having gained momentum since Xi and Kishida met in Bangkok on Nov. 17 and that the two delegations agreed on further cooperation in six fields, including accelerating work on establishing a direct hotline between the defense authorities of the two nations.
: A Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) survey shows that 41.9% of Japanese firms believe their operating profits in China in 2022 will fall from the previous year.
: Japan’s Advisory Panel to Comprehensively Discuss Defense Capabilities as National Strength presents its proposal to Prime Minister Kishida.
: Asahi complains that it took the Advisory Panel to Comprehensively Discuss Defense Capabilities as National Strength only four meetings over less than two months to reach its decision and demands that intensive deliberations, including opposition parties, on the panel’s report be conducted in the Diet,
: Stressing that it is essential for Japan to possess counterstrike capabilities, the panel on revising Japan’s strategy believes the public should shoulder the expense through “a wide range of taxes.”
: Yomiuri describes Kishida as proud that he followed through on his publicly declared plan to “say what needs to be said” to Xi Jinping on matters such as Taiwan, the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands, and the demarcations between the two countries’ territorial waters.
: Xinhua reports that Xi and Kishida reached a 5-point consensus on stabilizing and developing bilateral relations, stressing that their countries should “be partners, not threats.”
: The 5th meeting of the LDP-Komeito working team on national security, includes discussion on further improving the evacuation system for residents on remote islands and of the J-Alert early warning system that transmits emergency information nationwide.
: Japan’s Defense Ministry announces plans to develop hypersonic missiles with a range of 3,000 km, allowing them to fly from Hokkaido to the Nansei Islands to help hold off foreign troops landing on those islands, with the aim to deploy them in the first half of the 2030s.
: Japan announces plans to deploy a network of 50 compact satellites in a low Earth orbit to track next-generation hypersonic missiles capable of evading defense systems.
: Speaking at the ASEAN+3 meeting in Phnom Penh, PM Kishida tells Asian leaders that China is continuously and increasingly taking actions that infringe on Japan’s sovereignty and escalate tensions in the region, adding that peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait is important for regional security and voicing “serious concern” over the human rights situation of the Uyghur people.
: Chinese Foreign Ministry terms Kishida’s statement on Chinese actions absurd, since China has never violated Japan’s sovereignty in the East China Sea. Continuing with its anti-China strategy may result in “severe damage in almost all spheres, be they the economy or the military.”
: Jiji reports poll showing that although 79% of Japanese feel a sense of crisis about the situation in Taiwan, 74% are opposed or relatively opposed to the SDF joining with the US military to fight the Chinese military, with 22% indicating approval or relative approval.
: Newly founded Rapidus semiconductor firm announces plans to develop 2-nanometer semiconductors, for which the production technology has not yet been established.
: During a brief exchange between Premier Li Keqiang and PM Kishida at the ASEAN + 3 meeting Li refers to the importance of Sino-Japanese relations while Kishida says he hope the two can strive toward building a constructive and stable relationship.
: Eight major Japanese firms begin forming Rapidus, a new company to produce next-generation semiconductors in Japan, aiming to establish the manufacturing technology for the sake of Japan’s economic security toward the latter half of the 2020s.
: As part of an effort to strengthen inter-service cooperation, the MSDF and coast guard are to conduct a joint drill simulating an armed attack on the Senkaku Islands.
: SDFs will for the first time dispatch a Type-16 mobile combat vehicle (MCV) to Yonaguni, the island in closest proximity to Taiwan.
: Construction is to begin in April on portable harbors to defend the Sakishima and Nansei islands against invasion. The Sakishimas, part of the Nansei group closest to Taiwan, currently has just two ports able to accommodate SDF transport vessels.
: Eight-day Malabar joint exercise, aimed at strengthening cooperation among Australia, India, Japan, and the US in light of China’s increasingly aggressive maritime expansion, begins.
: A lantern festival at Japan’s Manpukuji temple, founded by a Chinese monk in the 17th century, commemorates the 350th anniversary of his death and the 50th anniversary of the establishment of Sino-Japanese relations. Visitors pass through what the temple calls a gate of friendship and enter grounds that are illuminated by 30 lanterns sent by Chinese craftsmen.
: Speaking at a 12-nation international fleet review at Sagami Bay, PM Kishida reiterates need to enhance the country’s military capabilities, specifying the need for more warships, strengthening anti-missile defense, and improving the working conditions of troops.
: Leading Japanese furniture retailer Nitori opens its first stores in Beijing, hoping to increase the total of Chinese outlets from 59 to 100 by the end of 2023.
: Japan’s government will earmark ¥1.358 trillion in its second extra budget of fiscal 2022 to strengthen supply chains of products such as semiconductors, cloud computing devices, batteries, and rare earth elements considered highly important for economic security.
: Responding to reports that the US has instructed Japan to limit exports of semiconductor technology to China, China Daily warns that “dancing with the wolf is not going to help you, dear Japan.”
: Japan’s Defense Ministry is considering deployment of hypersonic missiles by 2030, envisioning it as the third and final stage of a process preceded by the acquisition of Tomahawk and other cruise missiles from the US and then extending the range of the indigenous Type 12 surface-to-ship missile from the current 200 km to over 1000 km.
: Reacting to reports that the AUKUS members, and the US in particular favor inviting Japan to join a JAUKUS, Global Times warns Tokyo that doing so will create more strategic instability for the whole Asia-Pacific region.
: Reports say Japan’s defense ministry aims to put into operation two surveillance satellites and is reportedly also considering adding a function to the second satellite to interfere with the activities of Chinese and Russian killer satellites in orbit.
: To counter China’s dominance in rare earth minerals, the Japanese government will deploy technology to extract elements from 6,000 meters under the sea near the Ogasawara Islands. It wants private companies to enter the market from fiscal 2028.
: Japan moves to set up a new joint command and a new commanding officer position to oversee its SDF units and better coordinate with the US military in emergencies.
: Responding to reports that the Japanese government intends to purchase US Tomahawk missiles as a stopgap before indigenously-produced missiles become available, Asahi argues that the government has gotten ahead of itself by seeking to acquire a weapons system primarily used for a capability whose legality has not yet been formally approved.
: Eiji Suzuki, former head of the Japan-China Youth Exchange Association who had been imprisoned in China for six years on spying charges, returns to Japan and calls China a dangerous country.
: Following a standoff between Japanese coast guard vessels and a Taiwanese research vessel, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson rejects Japan’s claim to an exclusive economic zone in the waters off Taiwan.
: Toyota announces the launch of a small electric sedan called the bZ3, to be powered by Chinese company BYD’s less bulky Blade batteries.
: As the Chinese Communist Party’s 20th Party Congress closed, Japan and Australia issue a joint declaration calling for a “favorable strategic balance that deters aggression and behavior that undermines international rules and norms. Yomiuri comments that the two have “stepped up their military cooperation in light of developments related to China and other security issues” and demonstrated a quasi-alliance between them.
: LDP and Komeito are reportedly split over the definition of counterattack capabilities, with the major difference being interpreting the concept of “beginning an attack.”
: Nikkei, commenting on US congressional concerns that Chinese ownership of IS farmlands was posing a threat to food security and national security, points out that LDP Diet member Sanae Takaichi had raised the same issue with regard to a company with close ties to Chinese money that acquired a parcel of land in Hokkaido roughly 35 km from an ASDF unit.
: Asahi observes that a number of Japanese scholars are opting to do research in China because Japan’s funding system pushes young researchers away, resulting in a brain drain.
: Global Times expresses concern that revision of Japan’s national security strategy being discussed, will make China, which has no intention of being hostile to Japan, an imaginary enemy.
: Speaking in Taiwanese at the inauguration of the Taiwan Parliamentary All-Out Defense Committee, deputy director of Japan’s de facto embassy in Taipei, the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association, Yokochi Akira receives a standing ovation when he reiterates former Prime Minister Abe’s remark that “a Taiwan emergency is a Japanese emergency.”
: Prime Minister Kishida says he will carry out an extensive review of Japan’s defense capabilities in light of “an increasingly tough security environment in East Asia.”
: Commenting on Japanese plans to create a cyberdefense framework, China’s leading military newspaper says that cyberspace should not be the new domain for Japan to repeat military expansion and part of its plan to secretly revise the constitution and expand its military forces.
: Japan and Canada agree to formally start talks toward signing a military intelligence information sharing accord as their foreign ministers adopt an action plan to strengthen cooperation on defense, economic security, and other areas amid growing threats from China and Russia.
: A delegation of Japanese lawmakers visits Wuchihshan Military Cemetery (五指山軍人公墓) in New Taipei City to pay tribute to former President Lee Teng-hui (李登輝), praising his contributions to democracy and to Taiwan-Japan relations.
: Japan’s Sumitomo Corporation signs partnership agreement with an Indonesian partner of PowerChina to jointly develop a hydroelectric power station estimated to cost $17.8 billion on the island of Borneo.
: Yomiuri publishes details of China’s disinformation efforts aimed at influencing views of Taiwan, that have included distributing false images of military confrontations.
: Japan’s Defense Ministry reports that a Chinese navy Dongdiao class intelligence-gathering ship passed through the Tsushima Strait and then entered the East China Sea, but did not intrude into Japan’s territorial waters.
: Senior fellow of the China division of Japan’s National Institute for Defense Studies warns against underestimating China’s ability to wage cognitive warfare, which he characterizes as a mixture of truth and falsehood that makes it difficult to make accurate judgments.
: Japanese government official states that North Korea’s launch of a ballistic missile that flew over Japan underscores the need to strengthen Japan’s defense capabilities.
: Nationwide poll by Yomiuri reveals that 71% of respondents are in favor of Japan strengthening its defense capabilities, far more than the 21% who were opposed to any measures.
: Yomiuri editorializes against the exodus of Japanese companies from defense production, citing the risk of relying on others.
: China-friendly South China Morning Post cites analysts who characterize Japanese aid to Africa as favoring quality, in contrast to Chinese aid that concentrates on quantity.
: First meeting of an expert panel to comprehensively discuss Japan’s national defense capabilities, including how to equip the SDF, the size of the budget, financial resources and other issues, is held at the prime minister’s office.
: Ceremony commemorating the 50th anniversary of Sino-Japanese diplomatic ties is described as lacking a celebratory mood.
: Number of Japanese companies operating in China declines to 12,706 in June 2022 from 14,394 in 20212, according to Japanese credit research company Teikoku Databank Ltd, attributing the drop to rising labor costs that prompted companies to move to Southeast Asia and other regions.
: Indicating the current chill in Sino-Japanese relations, commemorative ceremonies marking the 50thanniversary of normalization are organized by private organizations in Tokyo, but no official government-to-government events are scheduled.
: Three German fighter jets conduct exercises with Japan’s ASDF.
: Japan Coast Guard says that three Chinese coast guard vessels enter Japan’s territorial waters near the Senkaku Islands and stay for more than eight hours, a day before the 50th anniversary of the normalization of the countries’ diplomatic ties.
: Japanese Defense Ministry reveals that three Chinese ships, including a Renhai-class missile destroyer, sailed about 300 km south-southeast of the southernmost point of land on Honshu on the 26th.
: Toyota-based Chinese autonomous vehicle company Pony.ai will collaborate with Chinese state-owned and largest automaker SAIC to produce a fully driverless robotaxi.
: Chinese media report that the PRC air force now has its first dedicated drone squadron, a seed unit currently stationed in northwest China.
: //www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2022/09/24/national/politics-diplomacy/china-japan-envoys-no-meeting/">reports that due to “scheduling conflicts,” he is unable to meet Chinese counterpart Wang Yi during the the opening of the UNGA in New York.
: Wan Gang, vice-chairperson of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, announced as China’s representative to Abe’s funeral.
: First formal meeting of the Blue Pacific Partners (BPP) is held in New York with members Japan, Australia, Britain, and New Zealand joined by Canada and Germany who announce their intention to join.
: Chinese Premier Li Keqiang holds high-level video dialogue with representatives of the Japanese business community including executive members of Nippon Keidanren (Japan Business Federation), Japan-China Economic Association and the Japan-China Investment Promotion Organization.
: “Japan’s Vision for the Indo-Pacific,” an ad in newspapers such as The Wall Street Journal, invites readers to click to “discover more” which directs them to a lengthy article on Japan’s efforts to create business partnerships along the lines of PM Kishida’s aim to create a new form of capitalism focused on sustainability and accelerating growth through human capital.
: Referencing the meeting of Kishida with British Prime Minister Liz Truss at the opening of the UN General Assembly, Global Times accuses the UK of hoping to regain its lost glory of the empire on which the sun never set, and that Japan has similar ambitions.
: Japanese government sources disclose that representatives of France, Germany, and South Korea will attend the meeting of the Partners in the Blue Pacific founded to counter China’s expansionism in the area.
: Daikin Industries, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of air conditioners, announces plans to create a supply chain that excludes China.
: Writing in the official Renmin Ribao, “Zhong Sheng” (Voice of the Center, a pseudonym for a high-ranking figure) urges that Japan destroy chemical weapons it abandoned in China after World War II.
: China reacts to news of a face-to-face meeting between Biden and Kishida by describing it as a plan to make Japan a stronger pawn to thwart China’s “re”-unification, also raising the specter of reviving Japanese militarism.
: Taiwan’s Hongmaogang Bao’an temple will unveil a full-size statue of former Prime Minister Abe ahead of his state funeral on the 27th.
: Notwithstanding the warm words about friendship that marked the Sept. 17 gala, events throughout China mark the 91st anniversary of the Shenyang Incident of 1931 that the PRC government regards as the beginning of the second Sino-Japanese War.
: A gala themed “neighbors across a narrow strip of water co-creating the future” hosted by the Union of Chinese Residing in Japan, features representation of what Xinhua calls warm moments in exchanges between China and Japan through dances, songs, and instrumental music performances.
: A Chinese survey vessel enters Japan’s territorial waters near Kagoshima in the seventh such intrusion since July.
: Japan joins Taiwan and South Korea in a US-led “Chip 4” Alliance as a bulwark against China’s semiconductor industry.
: US Secretary of defense Lloyd Austin and Japanese counterpart Hamada Yasukazu strongly condemn China’s military exercises near Taiwan and its firing of ballistic missiles that landed in Japan’s Exclusive Economic Zone.
: Taiwan designates two former legislative chiefs, Su Jia-chyuan, currently head of the Taiwan-Japan Relations Association, and former speaker of the Legislative Yuan Wang Jin-pyng, to attend former Prime Minister Abe’s funeral
: Two Chinese Luyang II missile destroyers sail between the main island of Okinawa and Miyakojima without entering Japanese territorial waters.
: To strengthen defense of the remote islands, mainly the Nanseis, the SDF will receive Israeli Harop and US Switchblade drones on a trial basis beginning in FY2023.
: Recognizing the vulnerability of Japan’s cyberdefenses, the government explores introduction of an active cyber defense network (ACD) that would continuously monitor cyberspace and respond quickly to suspicious communications and behavior.
: Following Russian-Chinese military drills off the Sea of Japan earlier in September, the MSDF and Indian navies conduct exercises in the strategically important Bay of Bengal. The helicopter carrier Izumo and destroyer Takanami were joined by Indian destroyer Ranvijay and frigate Sahyadri.
: Nippon.com carries lengthy article detailing the achievements of Japanese ODA to China while noting that Beijing’s reticence to inform the Chinese public about Japanese contributions has limited its ability to create mutual understanding.
: In a video message to a symposium on the run-up to 50th anniversary of normalization organized by the Chinese embassy and major business organization Keidanren, Foreign Minister Wang Yi calls on the Japanese government to exercise caution on Taiwan and avoid incentivizing advocates of Taiwanese independence. Xinhua reports that Wang Yi said that good-neighborliness and friendship, and the development and revitalization of Asia are the destinies, aspirations, and responsibilities of China and Japan.
: Nikkei envisions an era of cold peace for Sino-Japanese relations in which the two try to coexist peacefully while dealing with simmering tensions and potential confrontation.
: Responding to mutual anxieties about Chinese activities, Japanese and Indian foreign and defense ministers meet for their second two-plus-two dialogue.
: Four Chinese Coast Guard Haijing-class vessels sail into Japanese-claimed territorial waters around the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands on Sept. 8, staying for about 90 minutes. This is the first such intrusion since August 25 and the 20th of this year.
: Citigroup reports that central banks of China and Japan seek to stem the slide in their currencies that have hurt not only their economies but those of Asian currencies, since they are increasingly tied to the yen and the yuan, with the latter having stronger influence since 2009.
: On the 10th anniversary of Tokyo placing most of the disputed Diaoyu/ Senkaku Islands under government control, Chief Cabinet Secretary Matsuno expresses “extreme concern” over Chinese activities in the area.
: High energy prices, inflation, anti-virus lockdowns, and problems in the property market combine to depress Chinese economic growth in August. Worrisomely for Japan, whose economy is heavily dependent on Chinese purchases, Chinese non-energy imports also declined.
: Asahi editorializes that revisions to Japan’s national security strategy which could radically change the nation’s defense-only policy must be done with transparency and respect for dissenting views.
: Professor at the Central Committee’s Party School acknowledges current difficulties in China’s international situation and placed the onus of improvement on China.
: Yomiuri poll reports that 81% of respondents view China as a threat; 15% do not.
: Reports say that, with China in mind, Japan will revise its Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) program for the first time since 2015, stating that unilateral attempts to change the status quo will not be tolerated.
: Chief Cabinet Secretary Matsuno Hirokazu expresses serious concern about six Russian and Chinese warships firing machine guns into the Sea of Japan during joint maneuvers off Hokkaido.
: Defense Minister Hamada Yasukazu says that more fuel and ammunition storage facilities will be stored on the Nansei Islands.
: Global Times praises the introduction of Japanese dramas into China over the past several decades as enabling Chinese to better understand “their close neighbors across the sea.”
: Global Times states that unless Japan is willing to resolve key points of friction in its China policy, nothing can be accomplished.
: Lu Chao, research fellow at the Liaoning Institute of Social Sciences, tells Global Times that Japan remains a factor of uncertainty and a disturber of regional peace and security.
: LTG Stephen Rudder, commander of US Marines in the Indo-Pacific region, says that US and Japanese possession of long-range missiles are key to deterring China, and urges a wider US-Japanese intelligence gathering network.
: Yomiuri editorial urges China to rectify its behavior based on violations cited in the report of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
: Japanese Foreign Minister Hayashi states his willingness to meet Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly’s opening meeting, while stressing that nothing has been decided.
: An article in right-of-center Japan Forward accuses Chinese behavior of replicating that of militaristic Imperial Japan.
: Reports say Japan’s Defense <inistry plans to reinforce missile and electronic warfare units stationed on the Nansei Islands near Taiwan.
: In light of Japan’s deteriorating national security environment, the defense ministry requests a 3.6% increase for fiscal 2023, just below last year’s record-setting amount.
: Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin describes Japanese concern with a “China threat” as an excuse for military expansion.
: Bloomberg reports that Japan will develop and mass produce a cruise missile and a high-velocity ballistic missile as it seeks the ability to strike more distant targets.
: Global Times mourns the death of business management expert Kazuo Inamori for his contributions to development of bilateral trade and Sino-Japanese friendship.
: Chinese ambassador to Tokyo Kong Xuanyou urges prudence on Japan’s part, warning that bilateral relations are at a new crossroads and face a fresh round of conflicts.
: Mindful of China’s growing influence over Sri Lanka, Japan, its second-largest creditor, seeks to organize a conference to resolve Sri Lanka’s debt crisis.
: Global Times criticizes Japan for its failure to acknowledge forced labor abuses during World War II.
: According to Nikkei, Sino-Japanese financial cooperation may have hit its high water mark 10 years ago, with a proposed agreement on cross-ownership of each other’s bonds having fallen into abeyance.
: Asahi reports that more Japanese companies, concerned with COVID-induced supply chain disruptions, higher wages in China, and issues of quality control, are moving facilities back to Japan or, in some cases, to Vietnam.
: PM Kishida, speaking at the triennial Tokyo International Conference on African Development, pledges $30 billion in investments in human resources, mainly in the agricultural and health sectors
: Jiji reports meeting between Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen and a supra-partisan group of Diet members who favor stronger Taipei-Tokyo relations. Delegation head Keiji Furuya terms Chinese intimidation of Taiwan “absolutely unacceptable.”
: After a nearly two and a half year ban, China will allow foreign nationals, including Japanese, to apply for visas to study in the PRC.
: In what appears to be an attempt to soften relations ahead of the September commemoration of the 50th anniversary of mutual diplomatic recognition, an article in China Daily describes the 30-year friendship between the Tsukamoto family of Osaka and Xi Jinping.
: To stem the exodus of domestic firms from defense-related production, Japan’s Defense Ministry will seek a special budget to dissuade them from doing so.
: Japan’s Defense Ministry announces plans to equip MSDF vessels engaged in long-term voyages with the system offered by SpaceX to boost telecommunications capabilities and resolve the issue of manpower shortages in the MSDF.
: Mindful of Chinese and Russian advances in hypersonic missile technology, Japan’s budget requests for fiscal 2023 will include funds to strengthen Japan’s capability for detection and interception.
: With a Taiwan contingency in mind and mindful of the missile gap with China, the Japanese government announces plans to station more than 1,000 long-range missiles, most of them from Kyoto to the Nansei Island chain.
: Chinese military experts respond that there is no connection between Tokyo’s decision to deploy more and longer-range missiles and Chinese actions; the true motivation is to revise Japan’s pacifist constitution and enhance its military power.
: Chinese state councilor Yang Jiechi and head of Japan’s national security secretariat Akiba hold talks on the security implications of China’s recent activities in areas surrounding Taiwan
Aug. 19, 2022: In a telephone conversation with Solomon Islands Foreign Minister Jeremiah Manele, FM Hayashi expresses Tokyo’s concerns about the security pact that the Solomons concluded with China in April.
Aug. 19, 2022: In a telephone conversation with Solomon Islands Foreign Minister Jeremiah Manele, FM Hayashi expresses Tokyo’s concerns about the security pact that the Solomons concluded with China in April.
: On the eve of the anniversary of Japan’s surrender after World War II, Zhong Sheng “Voice of the Central [Party]” a pseudonym for a highly authoritative entity, issues a litany of complaints against Japan including its most recent criticisms of China’s legitimate countermeasures in the Taiwan Strait.
: Nikkei reports a rise in anti-Japanese sentiments in China, resulting in the cancellation of events and removal of paintings that public opinion regard as “too Japanese.”
: Four Chinese Coast Guard vessels enter Japanese territorial waters near the disputed Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands.
: Reacting to Nishimura’s visit and the 77th anniversary of Japan’s surrender after World War II, Global Times observes that more countries are becoming concerned that Japan may return to militarism. It does not mention any specific countries.
: About 150 children and parents attend the showing of a dinosaur-themed film at the Japanese embassy in Beijing, with a paleontologist explaining that Japan and China were contiguous at the time the dinosaurs lived.
: In the 17th such intrusion so far this year, two Chinese Coast Guard ships enter Japanese waters around the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands.
: China’s Foreign Ministry issued stern representations to Japan over its ministers’ behavior in visiting the Yasukuni Shrine.
: Economics Minister Nishimura Yasutoshi visits Yasukuni Shrine, the first member of Kishida’s Cabinet to do so.
: Japanese logistics company SBS Holdings calculates that buying electric vans assembled in China will lower its operating costs by 30% over gasoline-powered vehicles.
: Huang Xingyuan, representative director of the Japan-China Friendship Center, advises Japan to rectify its mindset of relying on China for its economy and the US for security and to drop its emphasis on the US-Japan alliance.
: Newly appointed Defense Minister Hamada Yasukaza expresses concern about China’s military exercises near Taiwan and pledges to increase the defense of Japan’s southwestern islands.
: In response to Japan signing a G7 letter of protest against Chinese actions against Taiwan, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi cancels meeting with counterpart Hayashi that was to be held on the sidelines of the ASEAN meeting.
: Japan’s government protests after five Chinese missiles shot in retaliation against Taiwan hosting US Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi land in Japan’s EEZ.
: Speaking at CSIS, Foreign Minister Hayashi emphasizes China’s behavior in the Indo-Pacific, saying the “logic of brute force” was gaining traction over the rule of law.
: Global Times denounces the cross-party visit of Japanese lawmakers to Taiwan as nonsensical actions by politicians seeking Instagram-worthy publicity.
: Stating that Japan must be able to deal with the drastically changing security environment, LDP Secretary-General Toshimitsu Motegi urges that defense spending increase from 5.4 trillion yen in fiscal year 2022 to the mid-6 trillion range in 2023.
: At least seven Chinese cities cancel annual Japan-themed Matsuri festivals after some incidents, including a woman who enshrined Japanese war criminals at a Nanjing temple and, separately, unspecified comments by others that were made during the public debate over former Japanese prime minister Abe.
: Xinhua responds to the white paper by describing it as showing a total disregard for facts and full of bias.
: Defense of Japan 2022 takes note of China’s ramping up civil-military fusion, its “relentlessly continuing unilateral attempts to change the status quo by coercion near the Senkaku Islands, and the creation of faits accomplis in the South China Sea” and highlights the need for deterrence.
: A Chinese navy ship sails through Japanese territorial waters, the sixth such intrusion of the year and the first since April.
: Draft basic guidelines indicate that Japan is to invest heavily in high-tech areas that involve the nation’s security.
: Taiwan’s China-leaning opposition party the KMT’s decision to lower the flag at its Taipei headquarters to half-staff in honor of former PM Abe draws criticism from the party’s more assertively pro-China faction.
: US satellite operator Planet Labs releases photographs from base in Xinjiang showing a mockup of a Japanese SDF aircraft destroyed, apparently from a missile.
: China’s foreign ministry lodges “stern representations” with the Japanese government over Taiwanese vice-president William Lai’s attending Abe’s funeral.
: Taiwan Vice President William Lai becomes the most senior official to visit Japan since Tokyo broke relations in 1972 to recognize the PRC.
: According to a Japan expert at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Japan saw in the NATO summit an opportunity to join with the US and some European countries to encircle China, possibly intervene militarily in the Taiwan question, and consolidate the Japan-US alliance thus increasing US military presence in the region.
: Global Times describes late former Prime Minister Abe as a controversial figure who ruined his contribution to bilateral ties by visiting the Yasukuni Shrine, “denying” Japan’s invasion history, and declaring that a Taiwan emergency is a Japanese emergency.
: Japanese government lodges a diplomatic protest after two Chinese Coast Guard ships stayed continuously in the territorial waters around the disputed Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands for 64 hours and 17 minutes from July 5-7, the longest single intrusion since 2012.
: Japanese defense ministry official expresses “serious concern” about the numbers of Chinese and Russian warships circumnavigating Japan, with speculation centering on their checking SDF surveillance capabilities and tracking systems, with information being shared between the two countries.
: Veteran Japanese political analyst Yoichi Funabashi argues that Japan and China look as if they are being pulled back to the starting point of normalization 50 years ago, with both lacking domestic support for better relations.
: Japanese government lodges protest to Beijing through diplomatic channels about the passage of a Chinese frigate through the contiguous zone around the disputed Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands, the fourth such instance since June 2018.
: Aiming to bolster Japan’s ability to defend the Nansei Islands from Chinese expansionist activities, the defense ministry contracts for the delivery of 12 next-generation offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) from fiscal year 2023.
: At G7 press conference, Kishida says he wants to hold summit talks with Xi Jinping; although there are no plans for a summit, it’s important to keep dialogue at various levels.
: In response to Kishida’s efforts to broaden NATO’s concerns to the Indo-Pacific, Global Times cites Mencius saying that a gentleman [NATO] should not stand under a dangerous wall, and that the sewage of the Cold War should not be allowed to flow into the Pacific Ocean.
: Speaking at the G7 summit in Germany, Kishida takes the unusual step of criticizing China by name, saying “The G7 countries need to present measures to deal with China’s unfair and opaque financing for development projects.”
: Global Times reports first successful voyage of the “golden channel” Qingdao-Osaka fast logistics route since the RCEP trade agreement came into effect on January 1.
: Japan Coast Guard confirms that two China Coast Guard vessels intruded into Japanese territorial waters off the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands and stayed for 64 hours, repeatedly attempting to approach a Japanese fishing boat.
: Citing the launch of the PRC’s third aircraft carrier and the joint Chinese-Russian circumvention of Japan’s home islands, Asahi, normally accommodative to Chinese government positions, editorializes that China’s “reckless military buildup is needlessly stoking tensions.”
: Chinese luxury market analyst Jing Daily attributes Japanese fast fashion behemoth Uniqlo’s exceptional success despite the pandemic partly to its refusal to comment on political matters such as sourcing of cotton from Xinjiang, which has hurt several of its rivals.
: Having confirmed Chinese construction work suspected to be for gas field exploration in contested waters, the Japanese government lodges a protest over this and repeated intrusions by Japanese ships into waters around the contested Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands.
: Japan’s defense ministry reports that two Chinese navy vessels, one of which is a destroyer, are spotted navigating through the Tsugaru Strait toward the Pacific with seven Russian navy vessels, including a destroyer and an intelligence-gathering ship, and may be conducting joint training exercises when the Chinese vessels are deployed in the Pacific.
: On the sidelines of the SLD and marking the first meeting between Chinese and Japanese defense ministers since 2019, Kishi raises “serious concerns” over the continuation of joint Sino-Russian military exercises around Japan to counterpart Wei Fenghe.
: Speaking at the SLD, Japanese DM Kishi says that joint military operations by Russia and China are upending international norms and that Japan is on the front lines of the increased tensions.
: Responding to Kishida’s speech, former vice-president of the PLA’s Academy of Military Science states “on the so-called issue of unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force in the East China Sea, it was Japan who firstly and illegally ‘nationalize’ [sic] the Diaoyu Islands and other relevant island [sic] around the region.”
: Head of Yomiuri’s international news department argues that, faced with China’s militaristic rise and North Korea’s missile development, the Japanese public has given up its utopian dream and now supports strong defense spending.
: In a keynote speech to the Shangri-La Dialogue (SLD), Kishida says that Ukraine could be tomorrow’s East Asia, chiding China for not complying with the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and stating that unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force in violation of international law are continuing.
: Elaborating on the Yang-Akiba telephone call, Global Times asserts that “Japan needs a head blow to wake up.”
: In a telephone conversation with Japanese national security chief Akiba Takeo, his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi states that old problems in bilateral relations are intertwined with new ones and that challenges cannot be ignored.
: Japan’s defense ministry is studying the war in Ukraine to prepare a response to an invasion by an unnamed power and decide what equipment and what an enhanced budget should focus on.
: Jiji describes mood ahead of the 50th anniversary of the normalization of China-Japanese relations as far from festive, as persistent tensions mean it will be difficult to hold large-scale government-sponsored events, leaving the private sector to play the major role.
: Japanese government establishes 30-member team to designate by year’s end the use of land plots viewed as important for national security, such as remote islands and areas near Self-Defense Forces bases.
: Japan’s Foreign Ministry protests presence of Chinese ships apparently releasing observation equipment in Japan’s EEZ about 73 km north of Ishigaki Island.
: In response to strong concerns from the LDP, Japan’s government revises a draft document with a timeline of five years for comprehensive strengthening of Japan’s defense.
: Nikkei assesses that Japan’s economic strength in Southeast Asia has declined relative to that of China, which does three times more trade with ASEAN countries even though Japan leads in accumulated investment.
: Japan announces plans to develop drones to support fighter aircraft, and is considering equipping drones with missiles that would intercept enemy-launched missiles. To be developed with the US to ensure interoperability, the drones will be equipped with artificial intelligence.
: Chinese media describe reports that Izumo will participate in RIMPAC exercise and Indo-Pacific Deployment as further examples of Japan’s violation of its pacifist constitution.
: Japan’s Defense Ministry announces that its de facto aircraft carrier Izumo will make 12 ports of call that include four South Pacific states as well as fellow Quad members.
: Japanese companies are cautiously resuming operations in Shanghai, though concerned about another extended lockdown and pessimism over how soon the Chinese economy will recover.
: Japan’s foreign ministry creates internal strategy group tasked with monitoring Chinese activities.
: Komeito representative states that Japan should discuss possessing the ability to strike enemy bases that are preparing an attack.
: Global Times editorializes that the Quad is an insidious effort to contain China.
: Prime Minister Kishida and President Biden confirm their commitment to oppose China’s and Russia’s expanding military activities in East Asia.
: DM Kishi describes Beijing and Moscow’s sending warplanes near Japan’s airspace during the meeting of the Quad “provocative,” with China responding that they were part of an annual military exercise.
: Quad members Australia, India, Japan, and the US announce a satellite-based plan to help Indo-Pacific countries track illegal fishing and unconventional maritime militias.
: Reuters reports that Japan is asking its universities for greater scrutiny of foreign students and scholars to prevent technology leaks to places like China.
: A Japanese academic urges caution on Taiwanese lobbies in Japan who call for a version of the Taiwan Relations Act, which he worries will give China a pretext for aggression.
: In a videoconference with Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, FM Hayashi states that Japanese public opinion is very critical of China, and expresses deep concern about Chinese activity in the East China and South China seas, Hong Kong, in Xinjiang, and in the Taiwan Strait. Xinhua omits Hayashi’s words.
: Former Pentagon official Elbridge Colby terms the Kishida administration’s plan to move toward spending 2% of GDP on defense as too late to meet the threat.
: Yomiuri reports Japanese and UK governments are coordinating in development of a successor to the ASDF’s F-2 fighter jet, with Lockheed Martin to participate in a limited role.
: Yomiuri reports that China will soon unveil its third aircraft carrier which, despite rumors to the contrary, may not be equipped with an electromagnetic catapult system since the required amount of electricity is not currently available.
: Spurred by concerns over China and Russia, Japan passes a law strengthening supply chains to procure semiconductors and other vital products and facilitate development of artificial intelligence and other cutting edge technologies through public-private partnerships.
: Responding to an LDP party member’s criticism of Chinese air force planes entering Taiwan’s air defense identification zone, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson states that “there is no reason for Japanese individuals to force themselves into the spotlight.”
: China’s leading military newspaper describes Prime Minister Kishida’s visit to Asian and European countries from April 29 to May 6 through the guise of a free and open Indo-Pacific as having strategic intentions of gathering support for the revision of Japan’s constitution.
: Foreign Minister Hayashi visits Fiji and Palau to discuss concerns over Chinese expansionism in the South Pacific in the wake of Beijing’s security agreement with the Solomon Islands.
: US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, meeting with Japanese counterpart Kishi Nobuo, reiterates the US commitment to defend the contested Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands.
: Japan protests the presence of a Chinese ship in its territorial waters.
: At a seminar hosted by the Japan-China Investment Promotion Organization to mark the 50th anniversary of the normalization of Sino-Japanese relations, the Chinese ambassador to Tokyo describes relations as at a crossroads, listing three main areas where Japan needed to improve, and points out that Sino-Japanese trade volume is about the same as that with the US and EU combined.
: Professor at Japan’s Chuo University warns that Japan’s support for the US position on Ukraine could backfire against its economy.
: Asahi editorializes against the proposal to allow a counterattack capability on grounds that it could endanger Japan’s security should a mistake be made in judging an enemy’s intentions.
: Commander of the US 7th Fleet Vice Adm. Karl Thomas, speaking to US Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel and Foreign Minister Hayashi aboard the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln, links Russian aggression in Ukraine with Chinese expansion in the Pacific region.
: A multiparty group of 103 Diet members including ministers visit the Yasukuni Shrine on its spring festival, resuming a practice interrupted by the pandemic.
: In response to the publication of the Japanese Foreign Ministry’s Diplomatic Blue Book, Da Zhigang of the Heilongjiang Provincial Academy of Social Sciences opines that the reason Japan had not reacted as strongly against China as against Russia was not only because of the upcoming 50th anniversary of normalization but because there “would be no diplomatic wiggle room for Japan if it defines both of its nuclear-armed neighbors as enemies at the same time.”
: Granted a waiver from Taiwan’s inbound visa quarantine requirement, an 11-person delegation from the LDP’s youth division is to visit Taiwan May 3-7 to pay respects at former President Lee Teng-hui’s grave and meet high-ranking Taiwan officials.
: In an address to the Japan Forum for Strategic Studies, Abe warns that Japan will become a laughing stock if it doesn’t raise its defense budget in line with NATO countries’ 2% of GDP.
: Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern of New Zealand and Kishida begin talks on a “seamless” sharing of classified information; The New York Times interprets this as a move toward including Japan in the Five Eyes intelligence sharing partnership.
: LDP Research Commission on Security recommends use of the term “counterattack capability” to allow the SDF to strike an enemy base should it be believed to be preparing for a missile attack against Japan.
: Global Times reports that a well-known Japanese lawyer has organized a grassroots “emergency rally” to persuade his government to return Chinese relics stolen during World War II.
: Reacting to a sharp slowdown in exports to China, rising energy prices, and the conflict in Ukraine, Japan’s March trade deficit amounts to more than four times that of market forecasts, though the economy is predicted to grow to an annualized 4.9% in the current quarter.
: Japanese energy group JERA is exploring expanding business operations to include China, with one scenario being that LNG stocks in the PRC be diverted to Japan to meet a shortfall. JERIA is also engaged in building facilities in Vietnam.
: Japan expresses concern about interdiction of its seabed cables, most of which are concentrated in two landing stations, in time of conflict with China.
: Australian sources reveal that China has built a new long-range early warning radar that can be used to detect ballistic missiles from thousands of miles away, likely giving it coverage of all of Japan.
: Yomiuri editorializes on the need for Japan and the US to work together to help coastal states improve their capabilities against China’s aggressive expansion into the South China Sea.
: Abe states that Xi must not doubt Japan’s resolve concerning Taiwan, nor its intention to defend the Senkaku (Diaoyu) Islands and urges the United States to abandon its policy of strategic ambiguity and make clear that it will defend Taiwan against any attempted Chinese invasion.
: MSDF patrol aircraft monitors the passage of a Chinese Dongdiao-class reconnaissance ship that passed through the Tsushima Strait though without entering Japanese territorial waters.
: Draft of the National Defense Program Guidelines under preparation by an LDP commission calls for changing the description of China from “serious security concern” to “a threat to Japan’s security” and increasing defense spending to 2% or more of GDP from its current 0.957%.
: Two Chinese academics urge the International Court of Justice to issue an advisory opinion on the illegality of Japan’s planned dumping of contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the sea.
: US naval expert opines that Japan cannot outpace Chinese naval construction, recommending that it harness the latest technologies to increase the capabilities of its existing platforms.
: 2+2 meeting between Japan and the Philippines agrees to formal discussions on a defense pact that will allow reciprocal visits by their troops for training and to increase interoperability in equipment.
: Defense Minister Kishi Nobuo announces that discussions will proceed on acquiring the capability to attack enemy bases.
: Chinese companies have displaced their Japanese counterparts in producing automotive battery materials, which account for about a third of the price of EVs and are a major factor in whether an EV can compete on the world market.
: Japan’s ambassador to Australia warns Canberra against overreliance on Chinese trade.
: Air Self-Defense Force says it will upgrade its irregular mobile radar unit on Yonaguni to permanent in response to increasing Chinese activities in the area.
: Chinese Ministry of Defense spokesperson reiterates that Taiwan is China’s internal affair that Japan must stay out of.
: Investigation division of the Japanese defense ministry establishes global strategy intelligence officer position in response to the Chinese military’s introduction of advanced technologies like artificial intelligence.
: Japan’s defense ministry says the disparity—in which Japan’s Coast Guard had 69 patrol vessels of 1,000 tons or larger as of the end of fiscal 2020, compared to China’s 131 of comparable size at the end of calendar 2020—is likely to widen.
: Global Times responds to Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa’s statement that Japan would help African countries escape China’s debt trap, calling it an absurd, futile attempt to slander Chinese-Africa cooperation.
: Xinhua reports the opening of an exhibition on China’s terra cotta warriors at a museum in Kyoto, in recognition of the 50th anniversary of the normalization of Sino-Japanese diplomatic relations.
: Yomiuri complains that Chinese fishing vessels continue to appear in the South China Sea off the Philippines.
: Japan’s Diet passes an expanded defense budget aimed at strengthening the alliance with the US, including up to $164 million for advanced virtual combat training systems for joint exercises.
: Responding to Abe’s video call to Tsai, a spokesperson for China’s Taiwan Affairs Office criticizes “certain people” for making malicious remarks.
: Director of Japanese studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences accuses Japan of using the Ukraine crisis to push further against the constraints of its pacifist constitution.
: Japan commissions its first new Mogami-class multirole frigate, designed to help defend the southwestern Nansei islands against Chinese expansionism.
: Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen and Abe hold a half-hour videoconference as part of an annual meeting of the 270-member Japan-Republic of China Diet Members’ Consultative Council. Abe reiterates support for Taiwan joining the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership.
: Japan analysts interpret Tokyo’s tougher response to the Ukraine invasion as likely to portend a stronger response to China should it follow Putin’s lead.
: National security expert Takamizawa Nobushige advocates total security, including economic power, should be assembled in preparation for a deterrence by denial capability “against outrageous acts.”
: Japan’s Coast Guard’s Mobile Cooperation Team, now in its fifth year of guidance, has been dispatched to 14 countries to advise on tensions in the South China Sea and piracy.
: Kishida pushes Indian counterpart Narendra Modi for a clearer response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
: Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian accuses Japan of using the Russia-Ukraine conflict to further its militarist motives.
: Japanese amphibious rapid deployment brigade and Okinawa-based US marines hold first airborne landing and combat training exercise.
: Sanctions on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine reportedly give Japanese banks huge leverage over the Chinese economy.
: Kyodo predicts China may take a softer approach to Japan to curb possible economic downturn as Xi Jinping is eager to secure a third term as leader, but that Tokyo is unlikely to reciprocate.
: Japan’s largest and second-largest circulation newspapers, the center-right Yomiuri and the center-left Asahi, editorialize against the PRC’s declaring respect for territorial integrity while not opposing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
: Yomiuri editorializes that China cannot achieve stability while complicit with Russian aggression and its economic outlook is cloudy.
: Members of both the LDP and opposition parties call for a discussion on a nuclear-sharing arrangement with the US, with weapons to be stationed in Japan.
: Concern with China’s increasing aggression is believed to be a decisive factor in the re-election of a pro-base and pro-Self Defense Forces mayor in Ishigaki, Okinawa.
: Nikkei poll shows that 77% percent of Japanese are concerned that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will spill over into China using force against Taiwan.
: Chinese media interpret an Abe statement that Japan should consider a nuclear-weapons sharing agreement with the US in the wake of the crisis in Ukraine as unlocking the country’s militarism.
: Xinhua reports that, after a call by Abe to discuss nuclear sharing, Prime Minister Kishida Fumio informs the Diet that “it is unacceptable given our country’s stance of maintaining the three non-nuclear principles.”
: Japanese Press Research Institute survey shows that the proportion of Chinese who have a favorable view of Japan has plunged 13.4 percentage points to an all-time low of 26.3%.
: Speaking on a morning television talk show, Abe says that it is time for the US to abandon strategic ambiguity about Taiwan and make clear that it would defend Taiwan from a Chinese invasion.
: Japanese officials warn that the international community’s failure to hold Russia in check would send the wrong message to China.
: After an investigation into the Japanese embassy’s complaint that one of its diplomats had been detained in violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, Chinese authorities announce that the Japanese claim is not acceptable.
: Chinese media object to the Japanese ambassador to Canberra’s statement that his country is fully behind Australia on its allegation that a Chinese naval ship pointed a laser at its patrol aircraft.
: In response to concerns over leakage of classified information, the Japanese government seeks 100 billion yen ($8.7 million) for the fiscal year 2022 budget to buy technical documents from such companies.
: China Daily emphasizes the supply chain difficulties Japanese firms will have if the government’s economic security bill becomes law.
: In a step toward diversifying Japan’s semiconductor supply chain, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, along with Sony and auto parts maker Denso, will increase its investment in TSMC’s first plant in Japan.
: Quad foreign ministers meet in Melbourne a week after China and Russia declared a “no limits strategic partnership,” their most detailed and assertive statement to work together.
: US and Japanese forces conduct exercise Noble Fusion involving the Aegis-equipped Kongo destroyer and a US aircraft carrier and amphibious assault ship.
: Asahi criticizes the PRC policy of disappearing people and editorializes that China’s Olympic diplomacy risks creating rifts by not urging Vladimir Putin to refrain from reckless military action.
: Taipei removes overall ban on products from the Fukushima area, though some items will remain excluded.
: China becomes the largest importer of Japanese goods for the first time in 2021.
: With China and Russia making progress on the development of high-power microwave (HPM) weapons, Japan’s defense ministry will begin full-scale research and development on HPMs in the fiscal year that begins in April 2022.
: Japan’s Cabinet Office warns that the country’s import structure was “risky,” with 23% of the country’s imports in 2019 coming from China.
: Japan expert at Shanghai’s Fudan University expresses concern that rightwing forces are slowly taking the initiative in Japan to provoke Sino-Japanese conflict.
: Responding to Japan’s House of Representatives adopting a resolution of concern on China’s policies in Xinjiang, Tibet, Inner Mongolia, and Hong Kong, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson states that Japan has no authority whatsoever to speak on the topic.
: Tokyo Review speculates that Beijing’s recent fairly restrained attitude toward Japan reflects its assessment that Washington is the real instigator of heightened tensions in the Taiwan Strait.
: Honda executive predicts that EV sales in China will make or break the company in the next five years.
: In what Yomiuri says was aimed at countering China’s growing influence in Tonga, Japan dispatches relief supplies to the island kingdom where China accounts for about 60% of external debt.
: China’s air force sends 39 warplanes toward Taiwan, the largest such intrusion since the record-setting 56 planes of Oct. 4, 2021.
: Nikkei reports that Japan aims to become self-sufficient in quantum computing, with China seen as catching up, and in some areas surpassing the US.
: Japan’s defense ministry announces that it scrambled fighter jets against possible airspace intrusions 785 times from April to December 2021, the highest for the same period over the last five years, with 571 or over 70%, being against Chinese aircraft.
: Japan’s ambassador to Poland describes Poles as finding promised China’s economic benefits less than they had expected and advocates that Japan strengthen relations with Poland.
: China’s foreign ministry accuses Japan and the United States of “baselessly smear[ing] and attack[ing] China and wantonly interfer[ing] in China’s domestic affairs” at their recent meeting as well as.
: Kishida tells Biden that he “intends to consider” possession of capabilities to attack enemy bases.
: Chinese analysts interpret Biden’s virtual meeting with Kishida as a probe to test Tokyo’s loyalty to Washington rather than aimed at producing concrete results.
: Former SDF Chief of Staff Oriki Ryochi, chair of a study group on policy proposals for the upcoming revision of the National Security Strategy, advocates enhancing Japan’s ability to act independently.
: China becomes the world’s largest importer of liquefied natural gas in 2021, surpassing Japan.
: Kyodo reports that China is considering a face-to-face ceremony to mark the 50th anniversary of the normalization of relations with Japan and would invite “political and business leaders who have contributed to the development of relations.”
: Chinese Coast Guard vessels patrol within the territorial waters of the disputed Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands on Jan. 15 for the first time in 2022.
: Former Prime Minister Abe Shinzo describes Taiwan as the biggest issue of 2022 and calls on the international community continue sending support to Taiwan.
: Yang Yu, China’s charge d’affaires to Japan, describes Sino-Japanese ties like “a boat sailing against the current…we must forge ahead or it will be driven back.”
: Chinese company Huawei announces it will follow Tesla by selling large-scale battery systems for renewable energy storage in Japan, with both Chinese and US companies able to sell at prices far lower than Japanese producers.
: Mageshima Island is chosen as new training site for US carrier-based aircraft currently using Iwoto for landing practice.
: Japanese defense industry reportedly contracts even as the threat from China and North Korea grows.
: At a Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association meeting, Chairperson Ohashi Mitsuo calls for more chip tie-ups between the two; Taiwanese ambassador-equivalent Chiou I-jen thanks Japan for his country’s bid to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership.
: Yomiuri reports that since spring 2021, Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyers have repeatedly sailed through waters outside the territorial waters of areas that China claims as its territorial waters.
: Center-left Asahi editorializes that while Japan “may need enough defense to discourage China from taking actions that threaten the regional peace and security.”
: Observing the mismatch between Japanese and Chinese military strength, a Nikkei correspondent advocates giving the Self-Defense Forces the ability to strike back.
: Chinese professor at Yokohama University interprets the Australia-Japan agreement and the US-Japan 2+2 meeting as Tokyo seeking to discard the shackles of its constitution by joining with the US to contain the PRC.
: At the virtual 2+2 meeting of foreign affairs and defense ministers, the US and Japan agree to bring together their scientists and engineers to collaborate on emerging defense technologies, including ways to counter hypersonic missiles, increase shared use of facilities, and affirm their commitment to the peaceful resolution of cross-Strait issues.
: Beijing municipal government fines Japanese-owned 7-11 stores $23,500 for describing Taiwan as an independent country on its website.
: Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson expresses strong dissatisfaction with the 2+2 agreement, with an academic describing it as motivated by rightwing politicians to justify changing Japan’s war-renouncing constitution.
: Australia and Japan sign a defense agreement to allow greater interoperability of military forces.
: Taiwan’s foreign ministry declines to comment on reports that when, in February 2019, it proposed to the Japanese government that the two sides regularly exchange intelligence about the locations and activities of Chinese warplanes, it was turned down on grounds that the two have no formal diplomatic ties.
: While not referencing threats, an Asahi editorial expresses skepticism about the government’s plan to increase defense spending given worsening fiscal problems due to higher social security payments and anti-pandemic measures.
: Komeito leader Yamaguchi Natsuo advocates Japan create a permanent framework which would include the US, China, and the other countries of the Indo-Pacific region.
: Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement enters into force.
: Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department issues a warrant for the arrest of a Chinese citizen in connection with cyberattacks on Japan’s Aerospace Exploration Agency.
: Yomiuri reports that Japan is to establish an embassy in Kiribati and a consular office in Noumea, New Caledonia, to better compete with China.
: Chief Cabinet Secretary Natsuno Hirkazu announces that China and Japan agreed to launch a military hotline next year.
: LDP policy chief Takaichi Sanae criticizes the lateness of the government’s decision on not sending government officials to the Beijing Winter Olympics.
: Center-left Asahi editorializes that the absence of Japanese officials at the Beijing Winter Olympics notwithstanding, continued dialogue with China is essential.
: Chinese and Japanese defense ministers hold video talks. China’s leading military paper quotes Gen. Wei Fenghe as stressing China’s determination to safeguard its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea, and urging Japan to learn from history. It does not mention, but Kyodo reports, that Kishi “strongly demanded” an explanation for China’s new coast guard law, which gives it the right to search and seize other countries vessels in the islands contested between the two countries.
: Japan’s Taipei ambassador-equivalent Hiroyasu Izumi describes 2021as the year of Taiwan since more countries have stood up to support its free and democratic way of life.
: Bilateral forum backs a partnership between Hitachi Zosen and Yulin Chemical to develop a renewable alternative to natural gas for industrial and household use, though cost remains a major hurdle.
: Japan-Taiwan Co-Prosperity Chiefs Alliance, comprising 127 Japanese city and local officials, holds its first meeting and calls on Tokyo to draw up a Japanese version of the US Taiwan Relations Act.
: Japanese Cabinet approves a 1% increase in the FY 2022 defense budget to $291 billion.
: Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno announces that Japan will not send Cabinet members or high-level officials to the Beijing Winter Olympics.
: Japan Coast Guard and Maritime Self-Defense Forces conduct a joint exercise to simulate responses to a Chinese military vessel approaching waters near the contested Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands.
: Kyodo reports that the Japanese and US armed forces have a draft plan for a Taiwan emergency under which the US marine corps would set up temporary bases and deploy troops on the Nansei at the initial stage of a Taiwan emergency.
: Global Times depicts Japan as struggling under the burden of hosting US troops.
: China’s leading military newspaper notes Tokyo’s concern that if the US were to adopt a no-first-use nuclear policy, its function as an umbrella for Japan would be lost.
: Chinese state-owned FAW group, targeting the Japanese market for electric cars, will offer a hybrid version of its SUV next summer.
: China’s leading military newspaper describes Abe’s remarks as driven by rightwing adventurism, citing a Japanese academic’s opinion that Abe is obsessed with realizing what his Class-A war criminal grandfather Kishi Nobusuke could not.
: Global Times, referencing Abe’s “repeated provocations over the Taiwan question” describes him as Japan’s chief anti-China politician.
: Former defense minister and current head of the LDP’s public relations division Kono Taro backs a visit to China by current Foreign Minister Hayashi.
: Former PM Abe warns Beijing that it would be “suicidal” to invade Taiwan and advises that Taiwan, the US, and Japan to work together to strengthen their deterrent capabilities.
: Ninth annual meeting of the Japan-Taiwan Cultural Exchange Summit is held in Kobe, with the organizers reporting that attendance was greater than expected due to resistance to China’s coercive tactics.
: Beijing uses commemoration of the 1937 Nanjing Massacre as a “barometer” of Japan’s support for the Beijing Olympics warning that if Japan does not participate, the bilateral relationship will veer into a downward spiral.
: Observing that 99 members of Japan’s House of Representatives including nine deputy ministerial-level government officials visited the Yasukuni Shrine on the 80th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, China’s leading military newspaper criticizes the action as “a slap in the face of the United States.”
: Sugiura Yasuyuki, senior researcher at the National Institute for Defense Studies, tells Yomiuri that Japan must have the “correct” amount of fear about China.
: Oxford Economics note says that in 2020 Japan spent a greater percentage of its foreign direct investment in the ASEAN 5 economies (Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines) and the Asian Tigers (Singapore, South Korea, Hong Kong and Taiwan) than it did in China.
: Retired Japanese admiral advocates that Japan consider hosting US intermediate-range ballistic missiles. An accompanying chart shows the discrepancy between the reach of Chinese vs Japanese naval missiles.
: Chinese foreign ministry summons Japan’s ambassador in Beijing to an emergency meeting to refute Abe’s remarks, calling them “erroneous” and a violation of the basic norms of relations.
: Former Prime Minister Abe warns that a Chinese attack on Taiwan would be an emergency for Japan and could meet the conditions for Tokyo to use military force.
: Japanese government approves a supplementary budget increase defense spending for FY 2021 to $52,8 billion, or 1.09% of GDP, the highest percentage in a decade.
: Citing threats stemming from North Korea and China, Kishisda says that he does not rule out options such as striking at enemy bases.
: Yomiuri points out the importance of the conversion of two destroyers into de facto aircraft carriers given their role in case of a Chinese attack on Japan’s remote islands.
: Japan and Vietnam sign a cybersecurity agreement as they step up military ties amid concerns over China’s growing assertiveness.
: Nikkei reports that Japan and Australia will sign a pact enabling each country’s forces to enter the other for joint exercises.
: Former Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi invites counterpart Hayashi to visit the PRC, but without setting a date. The last such visit was in December 2019.
: Nikkei reports that the Japanese government will exercise tighter scrutiny on supply chains for missiles, ships, and other equipment, restricting the use of Chinese-made equipment.
: Japanese government protests the apparently intentional entry of a Chinese navy survey ship into Japanese coastal waters on Nov. 17.
: In his first telephone call to counterpart Wang Yi, newly appointed Japanese Foreign Minister Hayashi emphasizes the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.
: A joint bilateral opinion poll in August and September finds that 66.1% of Chinese have a bad impression of Japan, up 13.2 points over the previous year and the first time that impressions had worsened since 2013.
: Yomiuri reports that the United States and Japan have conducted their first joint drills, citing MSDF Chief of Staff Admiral Yamamura Hiroshi as saying that the drills show the high level of interoperability between the forces of the two countries.
: Chinese military analysts play down the significance of the joint US-Japan exercises, with expert Song Zhongping terming any attempt to hunt PLA submarines a “daydream.”
: Global Times cites a Japanese professor at Shenzhen University as disputing Japanese concerns about the outflow of technology to China, 2021: truth is that more research in China is brought back to Japan than vice-versa.
: Japanese destroyer Inazuma escorts Australian frigate Warramunga during a joint exercise, the first time a Japanese vessel has protected warships other than those of the US.
: In what Nikkei calls one of the most aggressive international expansions by a Japanese restaurant brand, sushi chain Sushiro plans to open between 42 to 46 locations in China in addition to the one it opened in Guangzhou in September.
: Asahi editorializes that the Chinese Communist Party’s effort to rewrite history so that the public will embrace the official version of its past will only push China further away from the rest of the world.
: Hayashi announces his intention to resign as chair of the Japan-China Friendship Association “to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings in performing [his] duties as foreign minister.”
: Kishida appoints pro-China former Defense Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa as foreign minister.
: Defense Minister Kishi, welcoming the first port call by a German warship to Tokyo in 20 years, says that the two countries will step up their military cooperation in defense of a free and open Indo-Pacific. The frigate Bayern participated in two days of exercises with MSDF destroyer Samidare.
: Japan Times editorializes that Beijing is building a military to rewrite rules of the Indo-Pacific region, and urges Tokyo to increase its defense budget while integrating more deeply with the US and other security partners.
: Asahi editorializes that Xi Jinping and Kishida must make efforts to stop the cycle of mutual mistrust.
: Japan’s Government Pension Investment Fund (GPIF) decides to exclude renminbi-denominated Chinese sovereign bonds from its portfolio.
: According to a Taiwanese Public Opinion Foundation poll, 58% of respondents think it possible that Japan would send troops to defend Taiwan.
: Chinese internet conglomerate Tencent is to acquire a 6.86% stake in Japanese publishing giant Kadokawa, making Tencent Kadokawa’s third largest shareholder.
: Foreign Minister Motegi Toshimitsu describes ties with China as remaining in a difficult situation as the two prepare for the 50th anniversary of the normalization of bilateral diplomatic ties.
: Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Isozaki Yoshihiko states that the government has been monitoring the passage of a joint Chinese-Russian flotilla traversing Japanese chokepoints.
: Foreign Minister Wang Yi offers five suggestions on improving China-Japan ties such as managing their differences and upgrading cooperation in sundry spheres.
: Sony’s Chinese subsidiary is fined $156,000 for violating China’s advertising laws over its plan to hold a new product launch event on the anniversary of the Marco Polo bridge Beijing commemorates as the beginning of the war with Japan.
: Kishida expresses willingness to specify the possession of capabilities to destroy enemy missile bases in the new National Security Strategy.
: Chinese media criticize Japanese plans to double the defense budget, seeing them as connected with attempts to revise the country’s constitution by clarifying the role of the military.
: Sony discusses with the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) the possibility of jointly building a new semiconductor plant.
: US analysis urges US and Japanese officials to think through many potential scenarios in a Taiwan contingency and clarify to each other privately their potential responses, since a Taiwan contingency is likely to require quick thinking and a decisive response.
: Japan’s defense ministry plans to enlist YouTube stars and other opinion leaders to help it lobby for a bigger defense budget, due to the gap between Chinese military spending and that of Japan.
: Bloomberg reports that Japanese utilities are stepping in to help ease China’s fuel crisis by selling excess liquefied natural gas at sky-high prices.
: China’s leading military newspaper takes issue with Suga’s presence at the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue just before leaving office.
: Chinese media criticize the Takaichi-Tsai meeting, particularly video footage of Takaichi hanging the Taiwan and Japanese flags side by side.
: Prime Minister candidate Kono Taro describes a best-case scenario for defense as aligning with the “Five Eyes”—Australia, Britain, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States—with Japan as the sixth eye.
: Takaichi Sanae, another contender in the LDP leadership race, confers with Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen, with The Japan Times noting that it is extremely rare for a Japanese politician to hold a meeting with any senior Taiwanese officials.
: Kishi urges European states to speak out against China’s military expansion.
: According to former dean of Beijing University’s School of International Studies Jia Qingguo, China’s bid to join the CPTPP is designed to split the US and Japan.
: Kishi states that the Diaoyu/Senkaku are “unquestionably Japanese territory” and will be defended as such.
: Chinese observers of Japan’s largest Self-Defense Forces exercises since 1993 describe them as designed to challenge the PRC’s sovereignty and demonstrate loyalty to the US Indo-Pacific strategy.
: Yomiuri editorializes that the Japan Coast Guard must strengthen its ability to protect the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands against Chinese encroachment.
: Responding to Kishi, the PRC embassy in Vietnam accuses Japan of interference in China’s affairs through the Taiwan question.
: In a speech in Vietnam on his first overseas trip as defense minister, Kishi Nobuo criticizes China and highlights the key role Taiwan can play in the world.
: Japan Coast Guard confirms a submarine believed to be Chinese is cruising underwater within Japan’s contiguous zone east of Amami Oshima.
: Taiwan Japan Academy is launched at Taipei’s National Chengchi University, with ambassador-equivalent head of the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association Izumi Hiroyasu saying that the passing of the old generation of Japanese-speaking Taiwanese such as former president Lee Teng-hui makes the academy’s work more important than ever.
: Nikkei observes that US Space Force head Gen. John Raymond didn’t give a direct answer when asked if the US would consider applying the mutual defense provision of the US-Japan security treaty to the space domain.
: Global Times describes the passage of a Chinese destroyer flotilla in the waters between Taiwan and Japan as sending a warning to Japanese right-wing forces and Taiwan secessionists at a time when the two have been colluding to sabotage the peace and stability of the region.
: Global Times editorializes that Japan is in its worst geopolitical environment since the Meiji Restoration and terms its hatred toward China as “morally dirty.”
: Commander of British aircraft carrier visiting Japan reveals that the carrier had been escorted and shadowed by Chinese units, but in a safe and professional manner.
: In a surprise remote call to a conference on Japan-Taiwan relations, Deputy Defense Minister Nakayama Yasuhide declares that Japan and Taiwan are not friends but family members.
: A Kyoto-themed shopping complex in Dalian is forced to suspend operations after internet criticism that the Japanese government is engaged in a cultural invasion.
: Yomiuri editorializes that should Japan steadily enhance its defense capabilities in response to China’s military buildup, with particular attention to detecting hypersonic glide vehicles.
: An opinion piece in Japan Forward advocates that Japan establish a “territorial army” to counter China’s maritime militia, with special reference to the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands.
: Global Times editorializes against taking too seriously Kishida’s vow to make dealing with China a top priority if elected.
: Speculating on Beijing’s concern with any post-Suga shift in Japan’s Taiwan policy, Kyodo cites unnamed Beijing diplomats’ opinion that China would avoid taking a hardline approach to Japan until after the Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympics in February and March, since it wants Japanese participation.
: Signaling increased concern with Chinese assertiveness in the waters around Japan, British aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth makes its first port call in Japan.
: Former Foreign Minister Kishida Fumio, a candidate to succeed Prime Minister Suga, says that Japan should seek to cooperate with Taiwan and countries that shares its values of freedom, democracy, and the rule of law. He would encourage Taiwan to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership if it “can meet the necessary high standards.”
: Japan’s Defense Ministry notified Okinawa prefectural authorities that it plans to install an SSM battery at the GSDF’s Katsuren sub-camp so that, together with other installations, the Miyako Strait will have full protection. The intent is to prevent enemy landings on outlying islands, including the disputed Senkaku/Diaoyu group.
: Noting Suga’s stance that a Taiwan crisis could have ripple effects on Japan and the need to “focus on Taiwan,” Japan Forward says it sends a message to China that there is the possibility of joint US-Japanese military intervention on behalf of Taiwan.
: Seeking to strengthen Japan’s defenses against China’s growing assertiveness, the defense ministry requested a 2.6% increase to ¥ 5.48 trillion ($49.86 billion) in its budget for fiscal year 2022.
: In a potential flashpoint for the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands dispute, Japanese fishing boats operating in the surrounding waters may face enforcement actions under China’s new Maritime Traffic Safety Law imposing fines on foreign-flagged vessels for sailing in waters it claims as its own.
: In the third consecutive day of Chinese drone sightings, the ASDF scrambles planes after three Chinese military aircraft, one of them an TB-001 unmanned aerial vehicle, enter airspace between the main island of Okinawa and Miyakojima.
: The first-ever Taiwan-Japan security talks take place, largely focusing on Taiwanese chip makers’ potential investment in Japan.
: Japan participates in the annual Malabar naval exercise alongside Australia, India, and the US, with Global Times denigrating the operation.
: Yomiuri editorializes that China’s buildup of silos, reportedly for the Dongfeng-41 intercontinental missile that would pose a major threat to the United States, goes far beyond its claim to keep nuclear capabilities at the minimum level required.
: Referencing reports that security talks will be held between the LDP and the DPP, a spokesperson for the Chinese State Council’s Taiwan Affairs Office admonishes Japan and Taiwan’s ruling party.
: Yomiuri editorializes that the Japanese government needs to rebuild the nation’s research system as soon as possible, since science labs are the new front line with a rising China.
: Nikkei cites unnamed analysts who say that Japan’s plan to station anti-aircraft, anti-ship missiles, and hundreds of troops on Ishigaki island, 300 km from Taiwan, is aimed as much at defending Taiwan as Japan.
: Japan’s defense ministry decides not to request funds in the fiscal 2022 budget for a sea-based missile defense system that would also have monitored Chinese naval ships’ advances into waters around Japan.
: Japan’s defense ministry announces that it will seek a fiscal 2022 budget of more than ¥5.4 trillion ($49.3 billion) that could surpass the longstanding cap of 1%.
: Jiji reports that, at the request of the Japanese side, the LDP will hold online talks with Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party within the month, the equivalent of the 2-plus-2 security dialogues between governments.
: Japanese exporter of a motor that converts electrical signals into movements of a machine is preventedfrom exporting to China over the products’ potential military purposes.
: China’s Association of Performing Arts calls for a boycott of actor Zhang Zhehan after photos of him visiting Yasukuni Shrine in 2018 and 2019 circulated online.
: In response to Chinese ships entering Japanese territorial waters near the Senkakus and illegal fishing by Chinese and North Korean vessels, Japan reportedly intends to launch a new surveillance system that identifies suspicious ships by combining artificial intelligence and satellite technology.
: A second Cabinet member, Defense Minister Kishi, visits the Yasukuni Shrine, eliciting a solemn response from the Chinese government. A spokesperson for China’s defense ministry admonishes Japan to reflect truthfully on its history of aggression and objects to “a lot of negative acts” when dealing with China.
: Asahi takes Nishimura Yasutoshi, head of the central government’s effort against the pandemic, to task for ignoring his own advice by visiting the Yasukuni Shrine during the state of emergency.
: Japan’s surge in orders of Taiwan pineapples after China banned them results in improved sales, with a Taiwan Council on Agriculture official announcing that “the bleeding was stopped before it even began.”
: Speaking at the ASEAN Regional Forum, Foreign Minister Motegi Toshimitsu voices Japan’s strong opposition to unilateral attempts to change the status quo in the East and South China seas by force.
: Global Times compares Japan’s military construction on the islands close to Taiwan to cannon fodder for the US to contain China’s rise.
: Defense Minister Kishi confirms plans to station an additional 500 to 600 missile defense personnel on Ishigaki, which is close to the disputed Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands and 185 miles from Taiwan.
: China’s embassy in Australia claims its ambassador “excoriated” his Japanese counterpart at a National Press Club event for downplaying imperial Japan’s wartime atrocities, but a spokesperson for the Japanese embassy denies that the incident took place.
: New Zealand Herald reports that a video circulating on official CCP channels warns that if Japan so much as deploys one soldier, plane, or ship in defense of Taiwan China will not hesitate to use nuclear weapons.
: Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian responds to the publication of Japan’s 2021 defense white paper by admonishing Japan to maintain basic respect for China’s internal affairs.
: Center-right Yomiuri, noting signs of softening in the Chinese economy such as chip shortages, rising resource costs, a stronger yuan and the ongoing dispute with the US, predicts that a downtrend will likely have a significant negative impact on Japan.
: On the fifth anniversary of the Permanent Court of Arbitration’s judgment against China’s claims in the South China Sea, The Japan Times editorializes in favor of the ruling, calling it a “brick in the wall supporting the rules-based order” that must be supported.
: Asahi applauds defense ministry’s decision against replacing last year’s “strong national security concern” to “strong national security threat,” but criticizes the review for not specifying what should be done to build a peaceful, stable relationship with the PRC.
: Contributor to Jiefangjun Bao opines that Japanese politicians’ recent activity on the Taiwan question reflects Japan’s sense of helplessness at China rise, its sense of loss at its declining influence over the Taiwan question, and its sense of fear for its security when China achieves “full reunification.”
: Japan’s 2021 defense white paper is released, devoting three times as much coverage to China than to the United States in outlining the defense programs of various nations.
: A film shown on Chinese television urges that, if Japan intervenes militarily on the side of Taiwan, China should be exempted from its pledge of no-first-use of nuclear weapons
: Global Times responds to Aso’s statement by saying that if Japan involves itself militarily in the Taiwan question it will be “digging its own grave.”
: Twenty-four memorial halls in 14 of China’s provincial-level regions commemorate the 84th anniversary of the full-scale Sino-Japanese War.
: Director of the Institute of Northeast Asian Studies at the Heilongjiang Provincial Academy of Social Sciences says Tokyo is using Taiwan as a bargaining chip in order to increase its discourse power on the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands issue and to contain China’s influence in the Asia-Pacific region.
: Deputy Prime Minister Aso Taro states that if China were to invade Taiwan, the move could be interpreted as a threat to Japan’s survival, enabling the SDF to be deployed for collective self-defense under security laws enacted in 2015.
: Japan’s Defense Ministry announces plans to increase cybersecurity staff in response to increasingly sophisticated attacks.
: Japanese Communist Party is the sole major party in the Diet not to extend its congratulations to the Chinese Communist Party on the centenary of the latter’s founding in 1921.
: A ranking of 15 global cyberpowers by London’s International Institute for Strategic Studies places Japan in the bottom of the three tiers, below China and Russia.
: Financial Times reports that the US and Japan have been conducting war games and joint military exercises in the event of a conflict with China over Taiwan.
: State Minister of Defense Nakayama Yasuhide says it was necessary for countries including Japan and the US to “wake up” to Beijing’s pressure on Taiwan and protect the island as a democratic country.
: Chinese official Jing Duan, addressing the United Nations Human Rights Council, urges Japan to treat the issue of World War II-era sexual slavery in an honest and responsible manner.
: Japan ratifies the Chinese-led Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.
: Two US analysts advocate that Japan respond to increasing Chinese assertiveness by disavowing pacifism and embracing collective defense.
: Chinese Coast Guard 2301 fleet conducts a patrol in the territorial waters off the disputed Diaoyu/Senkaku islands, the sixth time since the beginning of 2021 such patrols have been publicly announced.
: Speaking to the European Parliament’s security and defense subcommittee, DM Kishi expresses “serious concern” with China’s steady buildup of its military capacity and lack of clarity about its intentions.
: In an interview with Bloomberg, Kishi says explicitly that the security of Taiwan is directly connected to that of Japan, and that Tokyo is closely watching China-Taiwan ties as well as Chinese military activity.
: Draft of the Japanese defense military’s 2021 white paper states, for the first time, the strategic importance of Taiwan for Japan’s national security and the stabilization of the international community.
: Chinese Academy of Social Sciences expert accuses Japan of making a “wild bet on the Taiwan card.” He predicts that such actions as sending vaccine to Taiwan and expressing concern about the Taiwan Strait situation in a two plus two meeting with Australia would send China-Japan relations “back to the freezing point.”
: China’s State Council Taiwan Affairs Office objects to “the latest moves by multiple Japanese government officials who have openly referred to Taiwan as ‘a country.”
: Chief Cabinet Secretary Kato Katsunobu says there has been no change in Japan’s basic policy to maintain working relations with Taiwan at the nongovernment level.
: Joint opinion poll by Yomiuri and South Korea’s Hankook Ilbo finds that 88% of Japanese and 72% of South Korean respondents think that the military pressure that China is putting on its neighbors is a threat to their countries.
: Tokyo University Professor Sahashi Ryo urges the Japanese government to end its policy of excessive self-imposed restraints on official interactions with Taiwan for fear of offending Beijing.
: Reports say Japan’s education ministry will ask 14 universities that host Confucius Institutes to provide information on matters like funding, number of participating students, and whether the CI intervenes in research.
: LDP’s Foreign Affairs Division proposes third update to US-Japan defense guidelines including Japanese participation in freedom of navigation exercises in the South China Sea and a focus on contingencies during a conflict in the Taiwan Strait.
: Japanese Coast Guard confirms presence of four China Coast Guard vessels in the contiguous zone off the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands, and that they mark a record 112 consecutive days of such intrusions.
: Japan’s first shipment of 1.4 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine arrives in Taiwan, sent via the unofficial Taiwan-Japan Relations Association to avoid charges of violating Beijing’s one China policy.
: Suga, speaking at the Pacific Islands Leaders Meeting, urges the 18 nations to unite against authoritarianism and in favor of freedom navigation in the high seas and respect for international law.
: Director of the Institute of Northeast Asian Studies at the Heilongjiang Provincial Academy of Social Sciences characterizes an LDP-proposed growth strategy linking economic policies and business activities directly to national security as a revival of fukoku kyōhei, the Meiji-era’s call to “enrich the country and strengthen the military.”
: In response to repeated advances of China’s carrier fleet into the Pacific Ocean, it is reported that Japan’s defense ministry will deploy the Air Self-Defense Force’s mobile radar unit to the Ogasawara Islands to watch for violations of Japanese air space.
: Japanese and EU leaders release a joint statement that “underscored the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait” and calls for “enhanced cooperation for a free and open Pacific.”
: Yomiuri reports that, with China in mind, Japan will strengthen regulations to prevent the outflow of military-related technology.
: Specifically referencing China’s increased capabilities as well as new areas of warfare such as space, cyber, and electromagnetics, Defense Minister Kishi Nobuo signals the end of Japan’s self-imposed 1% GDP cap for annual defense spending.
: China denies any connection between its flotilla passing through the Miyako Strait and the joint Japanese, US, French, and Australian exercises that had concluded the day before.
: For the first time, the Japanese government publicly identifies China as responsible for a cyberattack.
: Annual report of the Japanese Coast Guard reveals that the number of large-sized Chinese Coast Guard vessels has more than tripled over the past eight years.
: ARC21—large-scale joint military maneuvers among Japan, the US, and France—take place for the first time on Japanese soil.
: Yomiuri covers a ceremony to commemorate the centennial of the start of a dam and irrigation project in southern Taiwan led by an engineer from Kanazawa.
: Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin describes moves by Japan and the United States to make supply chains less reliant on the PRC violations of the principles of fair competition.
: China’s leading military newspaper says that Japan is moving yet further from the defense-only stipulation in its constitution.
: A retired GSDF officer urges Japan to develop a deterrent credible enough to convince China that armed clashes over Taiwan would be unproductive and irrational.
: US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin suggests a new concept of integrated deterrence that calls for Japan to assume a role in the numerous chokepoints of the Nansei Islands group.
: A report says leading Japanese infrastructure companies such and NTT and Kyushu Electric Power are replacing Chinese-made drones due to concerns with security.
: Japanese government lodges diplomatic protest against the presence of a Chinese marine research vessel conducting unauthorized research within Japan’s Exclusive Economic Zone, the first confirmed incursion around the Okinawa area since July 2019.
: Documents obtained by Kyodo from the US National Archives reveal the Fukuda administration in April 1978 asked then-US President Jimmy Carter’s government to amend its position of neutrality over the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands but was rebuffed.
: Panasonic reveals plans to outsource production of televisions to its Chinese rival TCK, the world’s largest TV maker.
: Controversy swirls around the security implications of Chinese company Tencent’s acquisition of a 3.65% share in wireless carrier Rakuten that did not receive the pre-screening by Japan’s newly amended Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Act.
: China issues solemn representations to Japan over the latter’s newly released diplomatic blue book, which terms the Chinese Coast Guard’s repeated entries into Japanese territorial waters a violation of international law.
: Japanese newspapers report that the Chinese navy, already the world’s largest, has launched three new vessels—a ballistic missile submarine, a destroyer, and an amphibious assault ship.
: 74% of respondents to a Nikkei telephone poll reportedly support Japan’s engagement in Taiwan issues.
: To bolster its claim to the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands, China’s Ministry of National Resources releases a topographical study of the area based on satellite images.
: Japan lodges forceful protest demanding the removal of a tweet by a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman adapting a famous Hokusai print into an image of nuclear waste being poured into the sea by people in Hazmat suits.
: Yao Chung-yuan, former deputy director of Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense’s strategic planning department, argues that a quasi-military alliance has emerged among Japan, Taiwan, and the US to counter the threat from China.
: A signed editorial by Global Times’ editor-in-chief warns Japan that if they follow the US, they will definitely become the target of the PLA.
: Nikkei reports that although Suga deflected pressure from NSC Indo-Pacific Coordinator Kurt Campbell for a Japanese version of the US Taiwan Relations Act, Biden had not raised the issue, with Suga informing his aides afterward that “the Senkakus and Taiwan are linked.”
: South China Morning Post reports that, in response to an opposition politician in the Diet asking about Japan’s commitment to defend Taiwan at the summit with Biden, Suga replied that the statement “does not presuppose military involvement at all.”
: Renmin Ribao notes that,although Suga sent a ritual masakaki offering to the Yasukuni shrine’s spring festival he did not personally attend, nor did Cabinet ministers.
: Aiming to counter China’s rapid expansion in the construction of undersea communication cables, Japanese, Australian, and US officials reportedly agreed to strengthen information sharing on China’s activities and cooperate in financing submarine cables in strategically important areas.
: Asahi editorializes that, although solid backing from the US is vital to defending the Senkaku Islands, the joint statement about the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait puts Japan in danger of being drawn into a security emergency.
: China’s Foreign Ministry expresses its “strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition” to Japan’s decision to release treated radioactive water accumulated at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
: Regarding Suga’s meeting with President Biden, the Chinese Foreign Ministry expresses “serious concerns” over negative moves and collusion between the two countries against China.
: At two-plus-two security talks, German and Japanese foreign and security ministers exchange views on China’s territorial claims in the East and South China sea and express grave concern over the situation in Hong Kong and Xinjiang.
: Japan calls for an in-person Quad summit on the sidelines of the G7 meeting in June.
: Suga announces plans to visit India and the Philippines, both of whom have border disputes with the PRC, in late August, though the trips are later cancelled over COVID concerns.
: Signaling a closer defense relationship with India, Japan makes its first project-type grant to an Indian-owned Andaman island.
: In a telephone call to Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Japanese counterpart Motegi expresses Japan’s “serious concerns” over China’s treatment of Uyghurs and Hong Kong. Wang responds that China opposes interference in its internal affairs. Motegi also voices concern over China’s activities in the South China Sea and its new law empowering coast guard vessels to fire on foreign ships within a maritime jurisdiction determined by China.
: Global Times reports that Wang warned Motegi that bilateral ties had been “soured by Japan’s intense hobnobbing with the US,” and its interference in China’s internal affairs regarding Xinjiang and Hong Kong.
: Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning and five escort vessels pass through the Miyako Strait for the first time since April 2020.
: Declassified documents obtained by Kyodo from the US National Archives reveal that the US government rejected requests from its military to resume use of a bombing base in the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands lest it become involved in the China-Japan dispute over their sovereignty.
: Yomiuri cites a source close to the Defense Ministry saying that, in response to China’s military buildup, the large-scale deployment of F-35Bs will be a “decisive measure for the defense of remote islands.”
: Nikkei reports that a meeting of LDP lawmakers last week heard that China is planning to build up land around the disputed Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands and move 20,000 people there.
: Chinese Foreign Ministry expresses “grave concern” over Japan-Indonesian 2+2 talks, saying that the Indonesian side had “clarified the situation” (without specifying how) and urges Japanese media to stop creating false news.
: Two-plus-two talks between Japan and Indonesia centering on shared concerns over China’s growing territorial claims in the East and South China seas result in agreement on the transfer of Japanese defense equipment and technology to Jakarta.
: According to Renmin Ribao, at the third annual meeting of the China-Japan maritime and air liaison mechanism and fifth round of working-level consultations on defense affairs, China reiterates that the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands are China’s inherent territory and urges Japan to stop provoking China and making groundless accusations against it. Japanese papers do not mention the meeting.
: Japanese government sources state that local opposition to the deployment of a Ground Self-Defencs Forces detachment on Yonaguni Island has diminished.
: Yomiuri editorializes on the urgency of drawing up clear rules to prevent technology leaks to China and other countries.
: Chief Cabinet Secretary Kato, expresses “grave concern” over PRC human rights violations but points out that Tokyo lacks a legal framework for the imposition of “sanctions directly and explicitly connected to human rights issues.”
: It is reported that Toyota will manufacture key components of fuel cell vehicles in the PRC as early as 2022. This will be the first time Toyota has produced such components outside Japan.
: DM Kishi hints that the SDF and US military may conduct joint drills around disputed Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands.
: Chief Cabinet Secretary Kato Katsunobu expresses “strong displeasure” at a comment by a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson that Japan is a “strategic vassal” of the United States.
: The MSDF commissions the Aegis-equipped destroyer, the Haguro, completing its fleet arrangement as advocated in the 2013 National Defense Program Guidelines.
: Center-left Asahi editorializes against allowing the Quad to be seen as anti-China.
: It is reported that two Japan-based manufacturers of semiconductor wafers, one headed by a Chinese national, are turning to China in an effort to catch up with top producers Shin-etsu Chemical and Sumco.
: It is reported that, led by chip-making equipment, nonferrous metals and plastic, Japanese exports to China reportedly rise 3.4% in February.
: A US defense website reports that Japan’s Office of National Space Policy has signed a “historic” memorandum of understanding to launch two US payloads into Geostationary Earth Orbit on Japan’s Quasi Zenith Satellite System to help surveillance of Chinese space activities.
: Japanese Ambassador Yamagami Shingo assures Australia that it “is not walking alone” in dealing with an increasingly aggressive China, which is of great concern to his country.
: Responding to the 6.8% increase in China’s defense budget, an Asahi editorial asks how the world can buy the narrative of peaceful development that China is trying to sell.
: Chinese military newspaper Jiefangjun Bao, says it is a nation’s right to determine its defense expenditure and how it will be used.
: Nikkei reports that, amid worsening ties with China, the pro-China wing of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party has lost ground to its pro-Taiwan wing.
: Japan’s coast guard reports that 14 Chinese marine patrol vessels entered Japanese waters in the first month that China’s new law on its coast guard went into effect.
: According to a memo written in 2018 and declassified in the final days of the Trump administration but not made public until February 2021, the US will defend both Taiwan and the Senkaku Islands in an “emergency.”
: Article 7 of police duties execution law permits Japan Coast Guard to use weapons on vessels trying to land on the Senkaku Islands when perpetrators who commit crimes categorized as violent and dangerous offer resistance.
: Chinese analysts opine that, due largely to their high volumes of trade with the PRC, Japan and Germany “are less likely [than the other G7 members] to be roped into joining the US-led ‘counter China alliance.’”
: South China Morning Post reports increasing resistance to influential LDP policymaker Nikai Toshihiro within his own party for his ties to Beijing.
: Chinese netizens voice approval of a seven-tip list for Japanese in a Chinese competition show, including avoiding “culturally sensitive topics” like the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake, visits to the Yasukuni Shrine, “confusing statements regarding the keyword Taiwan,” and wearing clothing that features the Japanese flag.
: Kyodo cites a statement by Defense Department press secretary John Kirby that the US “support[s] Japan obviously in that sovereignty,” appearing to back Japan’s sovereignty over the islands and contradicting past statements that the US takes no position. Another Defense Department spokesperson later “clarifies” that “there is no change to US policy.”
: Japanese ambassador to Bangladesh Ito Naoki states that Japan has been incentivizing its companies to shift manufacturing facilities out of China.
: Japan’s Foreign Minister Motegi Toshimitsu describes as “truly regrettable and unacceptable” Chinese coast guard vessels’ intrusion into what the Japanese government considers its territorial waters for two successive days.
: It is reported that Japan will build three transport ships to supply ammunition, fuel, and provisions to troops stationed on its outlying islands. The expected date of deployment is 2024.
: Kyodo reports that the Japanese government is hesitant to impose sanctions on Myanmar following the military coup, fearing that doing so would drive the military closer to China.
: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) approves a plan to invest up to $177.7 million in a fully owned subsidiary in Ibaraki prefecture that will expand its research into 3D semiconductor material.
: Japan Parliamentary Alliance on China adopts a statement condemning the PRC government for its violations of Uyghur human rights and calling for legislation to impose sanctions on high-ranking foreign government officials and organizations involved in the violation of human rights.
: Foreign Policy Research Institute analysis states that if China is to establish maritime primacy in the Indo-Pacific, it must first get its navy beyond the Ryukyu Islands.
: LDP leaders reportedly form Taiwan project team to consider ways to strengthen relations with Taiwan.
: Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin states that its coast guard’s intrusion into territorial waters claimed by Japan are legitimate measures taken to safeguard sovereignty in accordance with the law.
: Head of the LDP’s Foreign Affairs Division announces creation of a Taiwan project team that will, inter alia, discuss the possibility of a counterpart to America’s Taiwan Relations Act.
: A Nikkei article co-authored by a Chinese and Japanese argues that Beijing must realize that it needs the world on its side if it is to realize the Chinese dream.
: Tokyo conveys “strong concerns” to Beijing over China’s new coast guard legislation.
: Japanese and British foreign and defense ministers express concern about China’s new law empowering its coast guard to use weapons against foreign vessels in contested waters claimed by the PRC.
: Global Times criticizes Tokyo for taking the West’s side in opposing the military coup in Myanmar.
: Professor at the Japan Coast Guard Academy observes that increasing numbers of Chinese fishing vessels is leading to resource depletion in the Sea of Japan the South China Sea, and the Galapagos Islands.
: Japan’s participation is expected with Five Eyes in a multinational fund for the development of 5G telecommunications technology and strengthening of the supply network to prevent the spread of equipment made in China.
: Japanese manufacturer Panasonic withdrawal from solar cell and panel production in 2022 is announced, as it cannot compete with Chinese rivals’ ability to produce the items at lower cost, leaving Kyocera and Sharp as the only major Japanese companies that produce solar batteries and panels.
: Japan’s government reacts to new Chinese regulations allowing its coast guard to enforce restrictions, including the use of weapons, in areas administered by Japan but claimed by China, with an unnamed Defense Ministry official warning it has the potential to “shake the order based on international law.”
: Japan’s government requests its embassy-equivalent in Tokyo to ask Taiwan, the world’s largest production base for semiconductor products, to increase output since chips for automobiles are in short supply.
: Chinese orders placed with Japanese machine toolmakers increase 23.5% in 2020 even as companies suffer sharp falls from the US and even more so from Europe.
: Responding to affirmations for Japan’s position on the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands by Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Defense Secretary Austin, and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, a Chinese military expert comments that the PLA needs “emergency plans as well as plans for potential combat in the future.”
: The Second Japan-China Capital Markets Forum, an initiative to strengthen cooperation between the securities markets of the two countries, is held online.
: In first US-Japanese ministerial-level talk since President Biden took office, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin affirms to Defense Minister Kishi Nobuo that the Senkaku Islands fall within the scope of the Japan-US Mutual Security Treaty.
: The Standing Committee of China’s National People’s Congress adopts a law empowering the coast guard to take action, including the use of weapons, when national sovereignty, sovereign rights, or jurisdiction is “illegally” infringed on or threatened by foreign organizations or individuals at sea.
: Taiwan’s iconic Taipei 101 skyscraper begins displaying LED messages proclaiming the strong friendship between the peoples of Japan and Taiwan.
: Joint Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)-Taiwan Academia Sinica NKCU Institute of Space and Plasma Sciences team reports breakthroughs in energization and radiation in geospace with important implications about how electrons work at higher altitudes as well as communications and electrical systems on earth.
: At a virtual conference on maritime security, the director-general of the Japanese foreign ministry’s Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau protests Chinese ships’ activities around the Diaoyu/Senkaku islands.
: Statistics show China imports 22% of Japanese exports in 2020, surpassing the US at 18.4%.
: Report shows Japan’s increased engagement with Myanmar to counter Chinese dominance. Measures include support for education and health initiatives, negotiating peace between the Burmese military (Tatmadaw) and the Arakan Army insurgents, and financial contributions to the troubled $8 billion Dawei Special Economic Zone project.
: A Japanese research fellow at London’s International Institute for Strategic Studies advocates redefining Japanese and British efforts to meet their common challenge from China.
: Japan’s largest discount store Don Quijote opens first branch, known locally as Don Don Donki, in Taipei.
: Japanese government reportedly seeks to convince Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. to set up advanced manufacturing facilities in Japan to rejuvenate the country’s lagging chip industry and fending off competition from China.
: Japanese government plans to commercialize the mining of cobalt and other rare metals on the seabed near Minamitorishima, in the Ogasawara Islands.
: The Japanese government honors 90-year old Taiwanese librarian Liu Yao-tzu with its Order of the Rising Sun for his services in promoting cultural services between Japan and Taiwan.
: Official Chinese military newspaper Jiefangjun Bao criticize Japan’s draft military budget for developing multidomain combined combat capabilities with the US as breaking the boundaries of the country’s pacifist constitution.
: PRC’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology announces that companies will be required to follow export control laws and regulations regarding the export and import of rare earth minerals.
: Takeuchi Ryo, a Nanjing-based Japanese documentary film director, explains polls showing Japanese people’s negative impressions of China as the result of a significant number of programs smearing China on Japanese TV.
: Naha coast guard officials confirm the presence of four Chinese government ships in the contiguous zone off the contested Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands on Jan. 1.
: Commenting on Japanese interest in becoming the sixth eye of the Five Eyes alliance, a research associate at Fudan University’s Center for Japanese Studies opines that Japan is “strong in will but weak in capability,” but will continue to move closer to the alliance.
: Global Times terms fabricated “out of thin air” a report in center-left Mainichi Shimbun saying that Japanese elites have been inoculated with Chinese vaccines suspected to have been smuggled into Japan.
: Back-to-back articles in Yomiuri reveal that at least 44 Japanese researchers have been involved in China’s Thousand Talents Program to attract high-level scientists from overseas. Questioned about their motives, the scientists cite China’s more attractive research environment.
: Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post describes China’s strategy to wear down Japanese resistance to its claim over the Senkaku Islands through repeated air and sea incursions.
: Bracing for further advancements in China’s military and the rise of drone warfare, Japan begins to develop unmanned, remote-controlled fighter aircraft with the goal of having them operational by 2035.
: Japanese newspapers comment approvingly in response to reports that the frigate Hamburg will be dispatched to the Indo-Pacific out of concern for a rising China.
: Yomiuri, citing unnamed sources familiar with China-Russia relations, states that the two states have agreed to aim missiles at Japan or other US allies in Asia if the US deployed missiles in those nations.
: Sankei Shimbun discloses that research and development is being conducted on a new type of weapon akin to domestic Tomahawks. If deployed on the Nansei Islands, they could reach Pyongyang and Beijing.
: Global Times predicts that China’s third aircraft carrier, carrier-based stealth fighter jets, and a newly developed frigate with integrated propulsion system will be among the new weapons debuting in 2021 and that “there is no doubt that China will continue to develop new, world-class weapons for years to come.”
: State Minister of Defense Nakayama Yasuhide urges president-elect Biden to “be strong” in supporting Taiwan in the face of an aggressive China and quickly announce a policy on Taiwan so that Japan could prepare its response in accordance with it.
: Japanese bookseller Tsutaya opened the second of a planned 100 stores in China, which is experiencing a boom in bookstores.
: In response to increasing Chinese incursions, Japan reportedly will assign 22 coast guard ships of 1,000 tons or more to the East China Sea chain by 2023.
: Reacting to Japan’s 1.1% increase in the FY 2021 defense budget, leading Chinese military newspaper Jiefang Junbao criticizes Japan for “chanting” its defense only principle while introducing military equipment that would empty the principle.
: Japan and China sign a memorandum of understanding to create one of the world’s largest methane production facilities in northern China.
: Kishi says Japan will develop new standoff weapons and anti-ship missiles that can target warships at greater distances around the chain of southwestern Okinawa island chain, including near the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands.
: Japanese exports to China rose 3.8% in November, weaker than the 10% rise in October, even as Japan’s exports as a whole declined by 4% from a year earlier.
: Xi’s failure to visit the Daming Temple during his November visit to Yangzhou is seen as a snub to Japan.
: Defense Minister Kishi Nobuo and Chinese counterpart Wei Fenghe take part in their first discussion, via telephone, since Kishi took office in September.
: China Daily, noting that the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention has been working with Japan’s National Institute of Infectious Diseases, suggests that collaboration be expanded to prevent future outbreaks and emerging infectious diseases.
: Chen Xi, head of the CCP’s Organization Department and a Politburo member speaks at the seventh national memorial day for the victims of the Nanjing Massacre slaughtered by Japanese troops in 1937.
: Japanese defense ministry commissions a consultancy to help crucial defense subcontractors in danger of going out of business apply for tax incentives and subsidies.
: In his first press conference since being appointed ambassador to Beijing, Tarumi Hideo, despite being a member of the “China School” of the Japanese foreign ministry and ties to pro-China LDP secretary-general Nikai, calls China’s stance on the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands “completely unacceptable.”
: Renmin Ribao cites Japanese opposition parties’ objection to building two ships equipped with Aegis missile interceptors as unconstitutional.
: In what Nikkei describes as an effort to offset Africa’s China tilt, FM Motegi leaves to visit Tunisia, Mozambique, South Africa, and Mauritius, where he emphasizes Tokyo’s more transparent business environment.
: Meeting at a trilateral forum, Japan and the US pledge to provide financial assistance to Vietnam for the construction of LNG-fired power plants as part of a plan to offset Chinese influence.
: Jiji reports that five young Taiwanese members of the Fukushima Zenshin-dan visited the tsunami-nuclear meltdown area of Fukushima, sponsored by the Taiwan Society of Tokyo.
: Reacting to Xi’s announcement that China would consider joining the CPTPP, a Yomiuri editorial expresses doubt that the PRC will submit to its rules and urges member nations to build a consensus to abide by them.
: According to Yomiuri, the Japanese government will replace over 1,000 of its drones “aimed from a national security standpoint at effectively eliminating Chinese-made units currently in use.
: Nikkei observes that active recruitment by the Chinese government has increased the trend of Japanese scientists taking jobs in China due to higher salaries and better research opportunities.
: Asahi predicts Xi’s long-awaited visit to Japan will not take place until 2022, perhaps on the 50th anniversary of the normalization of Sino-Japanese diplomatic relations.
: Nikkei reports that repeated Chinese incursions into the Diaoyu/Senkaku area was the key topic of the 20-minute meeting between Suga and visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Wang replies that the islands should not stand in the way of advancing bilateral relations and that the two countries should work together on economic recovery and the pandemic.
: Wang’s discussions with Japanese Foreign Minister Motegi Toshimitsu result in agreement to establish a fast-lane travel corridor for essential personal exchanges by the end of November so as to facilitate the resumption of business activities.
: According to a private sector study commissioned by the defense ministry, the costs of building two additional Aegis class ships and their equipment will amount to about ¥500 billion, vis-à-vis the ¥400 billion cost of Aegis Ashore.
: Japanese diplomatic sources reveal that 2016 plans for a freedom of navigation operation in the South China Sea in response to Chinese pressure on the Diaoyu/Senkakus were called off because Abe feared it would jeopardize a visit by Xi.
: Mitsubishi Electric, which plays a major role in supporting Japan’s national security and infrastructure, is again targeted in a sophisticated cyberattack.
: Chinese authorities cancel the anti-Japanese war-themed drama series Leiting Zhanjiang (Lightning General) because of its “excessive entertainment factor.”
: As part of efforts to deter Chinese activities in and near its remote islands, the uninhabited island of Mageshima is to become an SDF base in addition to serving for field carrier landing practice for US carrier-borne aircraft.
: 8th century cultural treasures loaned to a Shanghai museum are returned to Toshodaiji temple which had lent them, enabling performance of a rite that the temple has performed annually for eight centuries without fail.
: Yomiuri notes that the Japanese government’s unwillingness to use the word “threat” when discussing China for fear of provoking the PRC has proved ineffective as a deterrent and advises augment “a military buildup that is firm enough not to give China the smallest opening to pounce upon.”
: Taking note of President-elect Biden’s commitment to applying Article 5 of the Japan-US Security Treaty to the Diaoyu/Senkaku islands, China’s leading military newspaper cautions Japan against allowing relations to deteriorate again due to “external factors.”
: Annual Japan-China opinion poll conducted by Japanese nonprofit think tank Genron NPO finds that 89.7% of Japanese respondents have an unfavorable or somewhat unfavorable impression of China.
: A new air freight route is launched linking Changsha, in central China, with Osaka.
: Japan signs the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) pact, marking Japan’s first free trade agreement with both China and South Korea.
: An internal Japanese defense ministry document indicates that the alternative to the Aegis Ashore system that was scrapped a few months ago will cost 1.5 times as much.
: Japan’s Coast Guard is test-flying the US-made SeaGuardian drone, able to patrol a wider part of the Pacific and allow the coast guard to concentrate personnel and equipment in waters near the Diaoyu/Senkaku islands.
: Global Times accuses foreign media of “stirring up trouble” and avers that every country has the right to carry out activities in waters and airspace under its jurisdiction, including the use of force, pointedly accompanying its article with a photograph of a China Maritime Surveillance ship patrolling the Senkaku/Diaoyu islands.
: Yomiuri reports that the Japanese government has asked Beijing to suspend the illegal operations of Chinese fishing boats in and around the Yamato Bank area, which is part of Japan’s EEZ.
: China’s National People’s Congress posts draft legislation that empowers the coast guard to investigate and seize foreign ships venturing into territorial waters claimed by China, and to use weapons under certain conditions.
: As India, US, Japan, and Australia begin their largest naval exercises in more than a decade, Beijing complains of a “cold war mentality.”
: Chief Cabinet Secretary Kato Katsunobu terms the presence of Chinese ships in the contiguous zone off the Senkaku/Diaoyu islands for the 283rd day this year as “an extremely serious matter.”
: Sources say Tokyo’s Metropolitan Police Department will separate its China and North Korea operations in what seems a belated response to China’s 2017 requirement for its citizens to cooperate with the government’s espionage activities and repeated intrusions off the Senkaku/Diaoyu islands.
: Taking note of Xi’s plans for future development of the PRC’s economy, the Asahi Shimbun editorializes concern that China is aiming for a self-imposed isolation.
: Global Times reacts to a Kyodo dispatch that Japan’s Defense Ministry is mulling construction of what would be the MSDF’s largest destroyer by calling it an excuse to break through the limits of Japan’s peace constitution by hyping threats from neighboring countries.
: Global Times responds favorably to Suga’s first policy speech to the Diet since his inauguration interpreting his statement that a stable China-Japan relationship as indicative of a “mild” attitude, adding that recent rhetoric and moves that are not conducive to positive developments do not represent the whole picture of the Suga administration’s China policy.
: Xinhua describes Suga’s visits to Vietnam and Indonesia as an attempt to bring ASEAN into the Indo-Pacific framework being pushed by the US and Japan.
: Responding to the intrusion of an unusually large number of Chinese fishing boats into Japan’s Exclusive Economic Zone, the Japanese Fisheries Agency requests that Japanese boats avoid those areas, to the annoyance of the impacted fishermen.
: Suga, in Indonesia, emphasizes Japan’s commitment to the Free and Open Indo-Pacific, also endorsing the Jakarta-initiated ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific. Suga and Prime Minister Joko Widodo will work toward holding a second “two-plus-two” round of foreign and defense ministerial talks, Indonesia being the only ASEAN member with such a channel.
: US information security company Crowdstrike reveals that some Japanese research institutions developing coronavirus vaccines have been hit by cyberattacks, apparently from China.
: Yomiuri editorializes that, in light of large-scale acquisitions in Hokkaido and other areas in Japan by Chinese and Chinese-related companies, the government should move quickly on legislation to monitor the sale of land around SDF bases and on remote border islands.
: Global Times protests the ritual offering, referring to it as a “potted plant,” that Suga sent for the Yasukuni Shrine’s autumn festival.
: In a modest effort to enhance control over the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands, Japan’s environment ministry reportedly will conduct a survey of the islands’ endangered species and overall ecology, using satellite imagery to avoid an actual physical presence there.
: Yomiuri Shimbun speculates that China’s recent intrusions into the area around the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands was related to Japanese participation in the Quad, which opposes Chinese expansionism. The article notes that the Standing Committee of China’s National People’s Congress has begun deliberations on the specific duties of the coast guard that could lead to an increase in provocative actions in the disputed waters in cooperation with the Chinese navy.
: A commentator for the Japan Times characterizes China’s recent intrusions into Japanese territorial waters as a test for Suga and a continuation of its policy of normalizing its presence in the area.
: Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan’s Friendship Association for the East Asian region officially invites Abe to give a speech to the LY next year.
: Miki House, purveyor of upscale children’s apparel, is targeting affluent customers in China and elsewhere in Asia as the Japanese birthrate declined, with 80% of its new shops having opened outside Japan since 2019.
: Japan launches the first of a new class of diesel-electric submarines, the Taigei (Big Whale), in a response to China’s military modernization and increasing assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific.
: Osaka police announce arrest of a former worker at a major Japanese chemical firm suspected of disclosing information to China on the manufacturing process of conductive particles which are used in smartphone touch panels.
: Chief Cabinet Secretary Kato Katsunobu “strictly protests” the entry of Chinese Coast Guard ships into disputed East China Sea waters for three days and their refusal to leave despite repeated warnings.
: A Global Times opinion piece describes the new generation of Japanese politicians as focused on cooperation with the US, Europe, and the Indo-Pacific strategy, with containment a core concern. China must be vigilant on where they will take Japan’s future policies.
: Three MSDF vessels conduct anti-submarine drills in the South China Sea. Japan’s Defense Ministry gives no details on the geographical location of the drills, but notes that the three vessels will stop in Vietnam, which contests part of the South China Sea with the PRC, “to replenish supplies.”
: Concerned about Chinese purchases of water sources and tracts of land (particularly those on remote islands and near Self-Defense Force bases), Japan’s government reportedly will establish a law to more closely monitor them.
: Earmarked in the Japanese government’s 2021 budget request is 6.2 billion yen ($60 million) to promote “workations,” combining work with vacation, on remote islands as a way to preserve the nation’s territory while also promoting tourism.
: Japan’s government lodges a diplomatic protest against China’s new 3-D museum.
: Speaking at a meeting of the Quad with Australia, India, and the US, Suga indicates that he will follow Abe’s strong commitment to a Free and Open Pacific (FOIP) to counter China’s growing assertiveness.
: Pew poll shows a rise in unfavorable views of China in 14 countries, including Japan, where 52% said their views were “very unfavorable” and 34% “somewhat unfavorable.”
: Chinese government announces the creation of a 3-D museum including archives and maps that reiterate Beijing’s claim to the disputed Diaoyu/Senkaku islands.
: Columnist for the Japan Times argued that Japan had spent too long on the defensive, and must frustrate China’s strategy of incrementally altering the status quo without incurring substantive costs.
: Nikkei editorializes that Suga obtain the understanding of the Japanese people before trying to improve relations with China.
: Nikkei’s Beijing correspondent interprets Renmin Ribao’s prominent coverage of Xi’s phone call with Angolan President Joao Lourenco vis-à-vis its treatment of his call with Suga as a message to Japan that it will not receive preferential treatment from the PRC. Xi was number seven on Suga’s call list.
: Suga and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi agree to elevate their special strategic and global partnership and step up cooperation in security and economic efforts in support of a “free and open Indo-Pacific,” with the US and Australia, code language for opposition to Chinese assertiveness in the area.
: Xinhua reports that, in a telephone call with Suga, Xi Jinping said that China stands ready to work with Suga’s government to properly handle key sensitive issues and that China supports Japan in hosting a successful Olympic games next year.
: The Japanese defense industry advocates deploying a missile-defense system on a floating platform that will use the radar and other equipment from the abandoned land-based Aegis Ashore project.
: Reviewing the fifth anniversary of the enactment of a set of new security laws, Yomiuri assesses that they have strengthened the US-Japan alliance against China’s maritime push and North Korea’s nuclear and missile development programs.
: China expresses concern with Suga’s appointment of Kishi Nobuo, a friend of Taiwan, as defense minister, with PRC foreign ministry spokesperson expressing China’s hope that “the Japanese side will abide by the ‘One China’ principle and refrain from any form of official exchanges with the Taiwan region.”
: Former Prime Minister Abe Shinzo tweets that he visited Yasukuni Shrine after resigning to report his resignation to the souls of the war dead. This was Abe’s first physical visit to the shrine since 2013.
: Global Times reports that Abe’s visit to Yasukuni was “blasted” on social media, which it says shows that rightwing politicians have yet to reflect on their country’s war crimes even as they try to be friendly with China, and predicts that Abe’s visit will set a bad example for Suga.
: Former Prime Minister Mori Yoshiro attends a memorial service for former Taiwan President Lee Teng-hui. He evades questions about Taiwan and Japan developing security cooperation in the face of China’s military intimidation, but says that Suga had called him to express hope of talking with President Tsai Ing-wen “if there were an opportunity.” Both sides declare that there are no plans for such a conversation.
: Speaking just two days after Suga’s election, one of his major backers, LDP heavyweight and China-friendly Nikai Toshihiro, voices hope that Xi Jinping’s state visit will take place soon and that a fifth political document will establish China-Japan intentions for “co-creation to achieve world peace and prosperity led by Japan and China together.”
: China Daily predicts that Suga will try to further improve relations with China but at the same time take a tough stance in defense and security policies.
: Global Times editorializes that the question of whether Suga’s attitude will be better is “insignificant,” and that China should continue to boost its attractiveness to Japan, weaken Japan’s ability to restrict China’s development, and gradually suppress Japan’s idea of taking an opportunistic line toward China.
: Debating with contenders for the presidency of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the prime ministership, front-runner Suga Yoshihide vows that, if elected, he would stand his ground with Beijing.
: Chinese specialists on Japan dismiss Suga and other candidates’ remarks as campaign rhetoric, opining that no leader would abandon the benefits achieved during the past few years, especially those relating to the economy and trade.
: India and Japan sign a pact for reciprocal provision of supplies and services between their armed forces, seen as strengthening Quad—with Australia and the US—efforts to contain China’s influence in the Indo-Pacific.
: Yomiuri reports that, due to China’s continued provocations in areas surrounding Japan despite the pandemic, Japanese Ground Self-Defense units have been conducting large-scale drills in Nagasaki and Hokkaido prefectures to prepare for the defense on remote islands. A record number of 17,000 personnel participated in the Hokkaido exercises.
: Speaking at think tank in Washington, then-Defense Minister Kono Taro explains that although as foreign minister he referred to China as a grave concern, as defense minister, he must say that China is a security threat to Japan.
: Disclosing hitherto unknown details of secret negotiations involving a Chinese fishing boat ramming two Japanese Coast Guard vessels a decade ago, Nikkei comments that China’s unwillingness to compromise means that “Japan once again faces the question of whether it is ready to tackle big issues regarding its powerful neighbor—and at what cost.”
: China Daily reports on the opening in Heilongjiang of a major exhibition related to the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression that it says presents mainly new evidence of Japan’s human experiments and biochemical weapons.
: Global Times describes China’s commemoration of the 75th Anniversary of the victory of the Chinese people’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression as low-key, which it attributes to improving China-Japan relations.
: Japan, Australia, and India agree to diversify supply chains away from China, a major trading partner for all three.
: Japanese brokerage house Daiwa Securities Group announces that it will set up a joint venture, Daiwa Securities (China) with $146 million in capital. It will be 51% owned by Daiwa, 33% an investment company owned by the city of Beijing, and 16% by Beijing Xicheng Capital Holdings.
: Yomiuri reports that Japan is seeking to reduce security risks inherent in its dependence on China by establishing a supply chain network that combines Japan’s technological capabilities with Australia’s natural resources and Indian information technology, with the participation of the Association of Southeast Asian states.
: Japan Oil, Gas, and Metals National Corporation announces successful excavation of rare metals from inside the seabed of Japan’s EEZ, describing it as an important step in Japan’s plans to reduce its reliance on China for these commodities.
: Referencing a virtual summit between the Indian and Japanese prime ministers in early September, a research director at Tsinghua University opines that India’s anticipated effort to “rope Japan into” an effort to suppress China is doomed to fail because Tokyo needs stable economic relations with Beijing in the post-pandemic era.
: China Daily runs a mildly critical article on the memorial service headlined “War End Anniversary Sees No Abe Apology.” The unnamed author advised Japanese policymakers to “recognize the status quo and thus explore the potential of bilateral relations more boldly and aggressively to find new growth policies for economic cooperation with China.”
: In response to news that Abe visited a hospital for a health check-up, Global Times opines that the Japanese economy, having suffered a 27.8 % contraction in the last quarter, also needed a check-up.
: Local Chinese authorities reportedly instruct fishermen not to sail within 30 nautical miles of the Diaoyu/Senkakus, possibly as a hedge against worsening relations with the US.
: In a government memorial service for the war dead, Abe does not mention “taking the lessons of history deeply into our hearts,” which has been standard since then Prime Minister Murayama Tomiichi first included it in 1995.
: Four Cabinet ministers visit the Yasukuni Shrine on the anniversary of Japan’s defeat in World War II, the first such Cabinet-level visit since 2016 when two ministers attended. Abe does not, but sends a representative who paid for a ritual offering of the sacred sakaki tree. Uncharacteristically, Xinhua barely mentions the visit.
: Kono states that unspecified members of the Five Eyes intelligence sharing consortium are seeking closer cooperation with Japan in response to China’s growing military expansion but opines that he does not think Japan needs to in the formal sense.
: A rally of support for Chow takes place in Tokyo.
: Due to concern that China is siphoning off advanced technological information in the name of joint research, legislation on a certification system for those handling such data will be submitted to next year’s Diet session. Japan is the only G7 member lacking such a certification system.
: Japanese government boosts its stockpile of rare metals to reduce its dependence on China which, despite earlier efforts, still accounted for 58% of rare earth imports in 2018.
: A Nikkei survey reveals that in 2019 China surpassed Japan in 12 hi-tech markets and in now and second only to the United States.
: Tweets with the hashtag “FreeAgnes” go viral in Japan in response to activist Agnes Chow’s arrest in Hong Kong for violating the new national security law, with more than 290,000 messages posted under it.
: A delegation led by former Prime Minister Mori Yoshihiro visits Taiwan to pay respects to Lee, meeting with President Tsai as well. Mori conveyed to her Abe’s “heartfelt gratitude for Lee’s guidance for Japan.”
: Reacting to news that Tokyo would welcome an invitation to join the Five Eyes (FVEY) intelligence alliance, Chinese expert on Japanese issues Liu Junhong attributes Tokyo’s interest to its mistrust of China “despite bilateral relations being generally positive in the last two years.”
: Defense Minister Kono warns China that the SDF and Japanese Coast Guard will respond to intrusions around the Diaoyu(tai)/Senkaku Islands, declining to elaborate on what such actions might entail.
: According to a Japanese industry ministry source, China’s recent showering of praise on Japanese companies seems part of a campaign to build a supply chain that cannot be blocked by Washington.
: All major Japanese newspapers carry obituary of Taiwan’s former President Lee Teng-hui, mentioning his impressive knowledge of Japan. Prime Minister Abe Shinzo praises Lee for contributing to enhancing Japan and Taiwan’s bilateral relations and for promulgating freedom and democracy in Taiwan.
: In the first explicit commitment to help address recent Chinese encroachment in the waters around the contested Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands, Lt. Gen Kevin Schneider, commander of American forces in Japan, says that “the United States is 100% absolutely steadfast in its commitment to help the government of Japan with the situation … that’s 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”
: In what Nikkei describes as a snub to China, the Chilean government chooses Japan’s trans-Pacific fiber-optic cable route in preference to China’s. When completed, the cable will be the first to directly connect South America with the Asia-Pacific.
: Reflecting what an anonymous Japanese Coast Guard source describes as his government’s “sense of crisis,” the JCG deploys three large patrol vessels of 3,500 to 6,500 tons in Okinawa and Kagoshima prefectures.
: Sankei Shimbun reports that NTT DoCoMo, Japan’s largest mobile phone operator, is heading a movement to bring together different countries to build a low-cost communication network without Huawei technology.
: A consortium of Japanese companies bests China in a bid to build a $2 billion liquified natural gas-fired power plant in Myanmar, with a projected capacity of about 20 percent of the country’s existing power plants. Myanmar, with access to the Indian Ocean, is a key part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, with Chinese companies having secured the rights to a similar-sized power plant in 2018.
: Chinese government ships sail into waters surrounding the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands for the 100th straight day.
: Japanese government protests to Beijing over a Chinese maritime scientific survey ship that operated for 10 days inside the EEZ claimed by Japan around Okinotori.
: The Japanese government will invite Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) to take part in joint projects in Japan, in response to a potential threat from China’s efforts to build systems to enable its companies to produce finished products, including semiconductors, all on their own.
: Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry announces first tranche of companies eligible for “China exit subsidies;” 87 companies will receive a total of $653 million.
: In a move that symbolizes the Japanese government’s hope for warmer ties with the PRC, Tarumi Yoshio, a member of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ China School, is appointed ambassador to the PRC. Tarumi is close to LDP Secretary-General Nikai Toshihiro, who is known for his pro-China views.
: In an interview with Nikkei, Taiwan’s Audrey Tang warns Japan that putting China’s equipment in its core telecom infrastructure is akin to inviting a Trojan horse into the network.
: Japan’s Ministry of Defense releases its 2020 White Paper, accusing China, inter alia, of unilateral attempts to change the status quo by coercion, lack of transparency in its defense budget and enhancing its capabilities in space, cyberspace, and the electromagnetic spectrum, leading to “a situation of grave concern.”
: Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson describes the Defense of Japan 2020 White Paper as fraught with bias against China and false information, while providing no details.
: Yomiuri editorializes on the importance of countries like Japan, the US, and Australia to support ASEAN in its concern for freedom of navigation in the South China Sea through such mechanisms as the RIMPAC naval exercise. Yomiuri also expresses concern about the increasing number of Chinese planes making threatening flights around Taiwan.
: Xinhua reports on a joint statement by Japanese civil groups to commemorate the 83rd anniversary of the outbreak of hostilities at Marco Polo Bridge in 1987.
: Kyodo reports that two Chinese Coast Guard vessels stayed in the territorial waters of the Senkaku/Diaoyu(tai) Islands for 39 hours and 23 minutes, longer than the 30 hours 17 minutes recorded on July 3, over which the Japanese government issued a protest.
: An unusually long article in Kyodo covers Taipei City’s celebration of Japan’s contribution to Taiwan’s tap water centered around the premiere of a documentary film, Tracing Roots, that focuses on the country’s transformation during the Japanese colonial period.
: Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhou Lijiang responds to an LDP draft resolution criticizing China for its new security law for Hong Kong by saying the statements “are meaningless and I do not have the time or interest to deal with them.”
: Japan’s passes revised state secrets law that allows exchanges with partners such as India, Australia, and the UK as well as existing exchange with the US, making it easier to share data on Chinese movements. It also allows Japan to exercise its right to collective self-defense and supply fuel and ammunition to other militaries in situations that pose a threat to Japan.
: Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga says that China’s imposition of a national security law for Hong Kong is “regrettable,” particularly after strong concern expressed by the international community, and that his government will continue to appropriately address the issue with the countries involved.
: Taiwan’s widely read anti-unification Liberty Times points out that all the protestors to Ishigaki’s changes to the names of disputed areas were from the opposition KMT and accused the party of seizing on the issue to divert attention from its poor approval ratings.
: Kono explains his decision to identify a submarine that ventured near Japanese territorial waters as Chinese as necessary to raise awareness.
: Xinhua reports without editorial comment Japan’s decision to end its Aegis Ashore program, quoting Japanese official sources on the high cost of the project.
: Defense Minister Kono Taro, after taking the unusual step of naming China as the probable owner of the submarine that passed through Japan’s contiguous zone announces that the government had heightened vigilance against Chinese incursions.
: Yomiuri describes urgent need for discussions on how to respond to China’s development of hypersonic missiles that is pushing the US-Japan alliance to a turning point and must be addressed in negotiations on burden sharing.
: Both China and Taiwan protest a vote by the Okinawa city council of change the administrative status of the disputed Diaoyu/Senkaku islands from “Tonoshiro” to “Tonoshiro Senkaku,” purportedly to avoid confusion with another area of Ishigaki, which administers the islands.
: Wall Street Journal reports that, after helping to organize a statement critical of China’s actions in Hong Kong, the Japanese government is encouraging Hong Kong financial professionals to move to Tokyo.
: Da Zhigang, director of Heilongjiang’s Institute of Northeast Asian Studies, opines that Japan is unlikely to permanently abandon the Aegis Ashore system but if awaiting an opportune time to restart the deployment.
: A submarine, presumed but not specifically identified as Chinese, passes through the contiguous zone off the cost of Amami-Oshima island in southern Japan, the first such incident since January 2018.
: Chinese ships operate in the contiguous zone to the contested Diaoyu/Senkaku islands for the 65th day, surpassing the previous record of 64 in 2019.
: Several dozen Taiwanese protest outside the Taipei office of the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association after reports that Okinawa’s Ishigaki City, which administers the disputed Senkaku/Diaoyu(tai) Islands, is planning to change the administrative designation of the islands from Tonoshiro to Tonoshiro Senkaku.
: Yomiuri comments that a revised Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Law identifies 558 companies in 12 sectors as particularly important for national security, and requires all foreign investors seeking to acquire more than 1% in and of them to notify the government in advance.
: The conservative Japan Forward urges that Japan stop ignoring its, and Asia’s, China problem, suggesting a joint operational headquarters in Japan where US and Japanese forces could coordinate the defense of Northeast Asia, consider Taiwan’s defense part of its mandate, and increase defense spending by 10% for the next five years.
: LDP Diet members call on the government to vigorously protest China’s repeated stalking of Japanese fishing boats in waters near the disputed Senkaku/Diaoyu islands and again urge the government to carefully reconsider a visit by Xi.
: Motegi says in a television interview that Xi’s visit would not take place until after the G20 summit slated for November, and a major factor is China’s National People’s Congress passage of draconian security legislation for Hong Kong.
: Criticizing Japan’s reluctance to join other democracies in denouncing PRC legislation on Hong Kong, a Kyorin University professor emeritus accused his country of “judo diplomacy.”
: A commentary in Japan Times takes note of a May 8-May 10 standoff between the Japanese Coast Guard (JCG) and two Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) ships in waters around the disputed Senkaku (Diaoyu) Islands as the CCG pursued a Japanese fishing boat.
: Asahi notes Japan’s struggle to cooperate with China in the economic sector while strengthening its defense alliance with the US.
: Foreign Minister Motegi Toshimitsu addresses China’s National People’s Congress passing a draconian national security law that would affect Hong Kong’s freedoms, saying that he had had his deputy call in the Chinese ambassador to express Japan’s concern.
: A document delivered to Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga by two LDP foreign policy panels urges reconsideration of plans for a state visit by Xi Jinping due to “grave and serious concern from the standpoint of respecting freedom and democracy.”
: Asahi’s lead editorial is entitled “Taiwan’s Success in Containing the Virus Should Be a Lesson Passed On.”
: Global Times warns Japan that, if it wants to maintain sound economic and trade relations with China, it had better not side with the US as Australia has.
: Japan Airlines evacuates Taiwanese who had been stranded in Russia for two months due to the pandemic, re-routing a flight from Helsinki to stop in Moscow to pick them up.
: Japanese newspapers react negatively to the 6.6% increase in the PRC’s announced military budget, with Asahi asking when China will stop its aggressive military buildup “that exacerbates global security risks” and Nikkei describing the increase despite falling revenue as reflecting an “aggressive diplomatic posture.”
: China Daily reports on close work between Chinese and Japanese ornithologists to save the crested ibis from extermination, emphasizing the need for “people to put aside their conflicts and pursue a common goal.”
: Several Japanese newspapers report that a draft of the Japanese defense ministry’s annual white paper may accuse China of spreading false information about the coronavirus outbreak in order to bolster its geographic influence.
: Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga Yoshihide congratulated Tsai Ing-wen on her inauguration, using her formal title of president, eliciting protest from China.
: A security expert interviewed by Asahi states that China’s approximately 2000 intermediate-range missiles can reach anywhere in Japan, while the US, because it signed the now-expired Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Treaty with Russia, has none.
: Mitsubishi Electric reports that a cyberattack last year “likely” leaked information on the hypersonic glide missile provided by the Japanese Defense Ministry’s Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics Agency (ATLA), for purposes of bidding on a contract to develop them.
: Global Times calls Japan’s 2020 Diplomatic Blue Book, which, for the first time voices support for Taiwan’s observer status in the World Health Assembly, a “hypocritical move.”
: Japan’s Ground Self-Defense Force reportedly receives its first new rifles in 31 years to assist it in defending the Nansei (southwestern) Islands against increasing Chinese pressure.
: A retired senior colonel from the PLA’s Academy of Military Science construes Japan’s call for Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2020 military exercises to be held on schedule as indicative of its desire to expand its influence in the area.
: In Global Times, director of Northeast Asian Studies at the Heilongjiang Academy of Social Sciences notes that while Japan is reducing industrial plans in China and encouraging industries to relocate back to Japan, it has also signed the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Trade, promoted the China-led Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, and is an active partner in the China-Japan, South Korea Free Trade Agreement.
: Yomiuri quotes a member of the National Security Secretariat as saying that unless the country nurtured new technologies it would not have any technologies left to protect.
: Yomiuri reports on a 2019 Chinese language document that enumerates 63 industrial technologies not possessed by China and the names of foreign companies and research institutes that possess them, including Japanese semiconductor materials and carbon fibers.
: Although dismissive of Japan’s stimulus package for subsidies to businesses to move production back to Japan, Beijing is sufficiently concerned to press Japanese authorities to explain the meaning of the measure and poll Japanese businesses in China on whether they plan to leave.
: Center-right Yomiuri Shimbun publishes interview with former Renmin Ribao commentator Ma Licheng in which Ma repeats his past calls for reconciliation with China.
: Noting the implications of 5G telecommunications technology for warfare, and China’s push to dominate the underseas cable industry, Yomiuri urges Japan to act swiftly to ensure the safety of its information and communications systems.
: Eager to get its economy back to normal, the Chinese government proposes easing its travel ban in anticipation of large numbers of Japanese tourists, assuming that the number of new cases declines.
: The Japanese government announces more stringent regulations on foreign investment in 518 firms it identifies as having operations critical to national security.
: Two of four China Coast Guard vessels in waters around the contested Senkaku Islands approached and chased a Japanese fishing boat, resulting in an immediate protest to the Chinese embassy in Tokyo.
: Pentagon announces deployment of four B-1 bombers to Guam on a “strategic deterrence mission.”
: Yomiuri editorial expresses concern that the PRC is exploiting the pandemic to escalate tensions in the South China Sea.
: Yomiuri editorial expresses concern that the PRC is exploiting the pandemic to escalate tensions in the South China Sea.
: Asahi criticizes the Ground Self-Defense Force’s highly-touted preparations for defending remote islands from Chinese encroachment, noting that the camp on Miyakojima still has no missiles or ammunition depots.
: South Korea and China agree to start some business travel under a “fast-track” immigration arrangement.
: Asahi criticizes the Ground Self-Defense Force’s highly-touted preparations for defending remote islands from Chinese encroachment, noting that the camp on Miyakojima still has no missiles or ammunition depots.
: US Department of Commerce announces new rules to tighten exports of certain sensitive technologies to China.
: US Department of Defense authorizes release of three videos of unidentified aerial phenomena to “clear up any misconceptions,” about videos already circulating.
: Australian government launches coronavirus tracing app, using Bluetooth to log when people are close to each other, enabling health officials to trace people potentially exposed to the illness.
: G20 health ministers online meeting; draft statement “scuppered” by US over positive references to WHO.
: China’s space agency names its first Mars exploration mission Tianwen-1, which is expected to be launched this year.
: Virtual US-ASEAN ministerial meeting is conducted, but the joint statement is reportedly delayed by disagreement over reference to China’s handling of the pandemic.
: Trump announces 60-day suspension of immigration into the US, to ensure US workers are first to get jobs.
: Australian frigate HMAS Parramatta joins three US warships in the South China Sea near an area Chinese vessels are suspected of exploring for oil.
: Daily NK, a Seoul-based online journal run by activists and defectors with sources inside North Korea, alleges that Kim Jong Un is recovering from a medical procedure, setting off international speculation about the North Korean leader’s well-being.
: Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne calls for independent inquiry into the coronavirus outbreak and how it developed and spread.
: UN report finds that North Korea evaded international sanction and has raised millions of dollars through hacking and smuggling.
: USAF ends 16-year Continuous Bomber Presence on Guam.
: Nikkei cites Chinese economic sources expressing concerns about the Japanese government’s subsidies for relocating supply chains outside China, and worrying that other foreign companies may be incentivized to do the same.
: G7 leaders call for a review and reform of the World Health Organization.
: North Korean defector Thae Yong-ho, running with the conservative opposition party, wins a South Korean National Assembly seat despite a ruling party landslide.
: Nikkei cites Chinese economic sources expressing concerns about the Japanese government’s subsidies for relocating supply chains outside China, and worrying that other foreign companies may be incentivized to do the same.
: US State Department report speculates that China secretly set off low-level underground nuclear test explosions.
: North Korea celebrates the Day of the Sun, national founder Kim Il Sung’s birth anniversary. Kim Jong Un does not attend.
: North Korea test-fires short-range cruise missiles.
: ASEAN and ASEAN Plus Three Summit on the COVID-19 coronavirus are conducted via video conference.
: Trump announces the US will halt funding to the WHO while investigating its mismanagement of the coronavirus response.
: Chinese automakers ramp up production in Myanmar in a challenge to dominant entrenched Japanese rivals in the fast-growing market there.
: A Global Times editorial accuses Japan’s Yomiuri Shimbun of bias against China after its Beijing bureau chief wrote that the PRC should be held responsible for the coronavirus outbreak.
: Chinese automakers ramp up production in Myanmar in a challenge to dominant entrenched Japanese rivals in the fast-growing market there.
: A Global Times editorial accuses Japan’s Yomiuri Shimbun of bias against China after its Beijing bureau chief wrote that the PRC should be held responsible for the coronavirus outbreak.
: Chinese government lodges a protest against an exchange of tweets between Abe and Tsai Ing-wen in which they pledged to join hands to overcome the coronavirus threat.
: Japan’s Ministry of Defense reveals that a five-ship Chinese carrier defense force transited the Miyako Strait toward the Philippine Sea.
: Chinese government lodges a protest against an exchange of tweets between Abe and Tsai Ing-wen in which they pledged to join hands to overcome the coronavirus threat.
: Japan’s Ministry of Defense reveals that a five-ship Chinese carrier defense force transited the Miyako Strait toward the Philippine Sea.
: Philippines Department of Foreign Affairs expresses solidarity with Vietnam after protests over the sinking of a Vietnamese fishing boat by China in the disputed South China Sea.
: Abe approves an economic stimulus package worth about $1 trillion and plans direct payments to households and businesses in coronavirus emergency.
: China is appointed to a panel on the UN Human Rights Council, serving as representative of Asia-Pacific states.
: Vietnam protests China’s of sinking a Vietnamese fishing boat near the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea.
: Nikkei editorializes that countries should be wary of the CCP’s strategic penetration of the leadership of international organizations.
: Nikkei editorializes that countries should be wary of the CCP’s strategic penetration of the leadership of international organizations.
: Taiwanese app that tracks inventories of face masks praise in the Japanese media, suggesting that Japan should learn from Taiwan’s use of technology for crisis management.
: Taiwanese app that tracks inventories of face masks praise in the Japanese media, suggesting that Japan should learn from Taiwan’s use of technology for crisis management.
: Japanese destroyer Shimakaze and a Chinese fishing boat collide in the East China Sea about 400 miles west of Yakushima, with one fisherman reportedly injured.
: Japanese destroyer Shimakaze and a Chinese fishing boat collide in the East China Sea about 400 miles west of Yakushima, with one fisherman reportedly injured.
: Nikkei reports that China is aggressively courting Japanese companies to gain access to their Internet of Things knowledge in manufacturing.
: Nikkei reports that China is aggressively courting Japanese companies to gain access to their Internet of Things knowledge in manufacturing.
: Japanese government will provide an estimated ¥ 200 billion in subsidies for companies that move their production bases from the PRC to Japan and Southeast Asian countries.
: North Korea launches two short-range ballistic missiles.
: Japanese government will provide an estimated ¥ 200 billion in subsidies for companies that move their production bases from the PRC to Japan and Southeast Asian countries.
: Kyodo reports that Yuan Keqing, a prominent Chinese scholar at Hokkaido University who disappeared while visiting his mother’s funeral in China in mid-June, has been charged with espionage.
: Trump signs the TAIPEI (Taiwan Allies International Protection and Enhancement Initiative) Act into law.
: Kyodo reports that Yuan Keqing, a prominent Chinese scholar at Hokkaido University who disappeared while visiting his mother’s funeral in China in mid-June, has been charged with espionage.
: A Shenyang congee restaurant that hung a large banner over its door “welcoming” the coronavirus to the US and hoping it will remain in Japan for a long time is sharply criticized on Japanese social media. The restaurant later apologizes and takes down the banner. Global Times reports that the owner of the chain has fired the local manager.
: Chinese website China Military Online opines that Japan’s motive in selling the J/FPS-3 air defense radar to the Philippines is to fill the void created by the US military’s withdrawal from Asia and to expand its international diplomatic presence.
: G7 virtual ministerial meeting fails to issue a joint communique, reportedly over Pompeo’s insistence on including reference to the “Wuhan virus.”
: Secretary of Defense Mark Esper signs order freezing the movement of US military personnel for 60 days over concerns from the coronavirus pandemic.
: G7 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting is held via video conference call, attended by the US, Italy, France, Canada, Germany, the United Kingdom, Japan, and the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.
: Chinese website China Military Online opines that Japan’s motive in selling the J/FPS-3 air defense radar to the Philippines is to fill the void created by the US military’s withdrawal from Asia and to expand its international diplomatic presence.
: A Shenyang congee restaurant that hung a large banner over its door “welcoming” the coronavirus to the US and hoping it will remain in Japan for a long time is sharply criticized on Japanese social media. The restaurant later apologizes and takes down the banner. Global Times reports that the owner of the chain has fired the local manager.
: Abe and International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach agree to reschedule the Olympics for the summer of 2021 at the latest.
: Modi orders nationwide lockdown in India, including a shutdown of all nonessential government offices and private businesses, and for all Indians to remain at home.
: Japan attempts to persuade more Asian states to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership since COVID-19 exposed the risks of supply chains that are overly dependent on China.
: South Korea’s armed forces track two North Korean short-range ballistic missiles launched into the Sea of Japan.
: Japan attempts to persuade more Asian states to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership since COVID-19 exposed the risks of supply chains that are overly dependent on China.
: In a further move toward cooperation with the US military against China, the MSDF commissions the Maya, its first ship equipped with the Cooperative Engagement Capability, allowing allies to instantly share the location of enemy missiles and aircraft.
: Indonesian and Malaysian foreign ministers discuss virtual cooperation and collaboration amid COVID-19 pandemic.
: North Korea test-fires two short-range ballistic missiles.
: In a further move toward cooperation with the US military against China, the MSDF commissions the Maya, its first ship equipped with the Cooperative Engagement Capability, allowing allies to instantly share the location of enemy missiles and aircraft.
: After clinical trials in Wuhan and Shenzhen, China approves Fujifilm Holdings’ Avigan (Favipiravir) for treatment of COVID-19 even as doubts remain in Japan about its effectiveness.
: Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs announces that it will revoke press credentials of Americans working for The Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, and the Washington Post.
: China reports zero new local infections of COVID-19.
: After clinical trials in Wuhan and Shenzhen, China approves Fujifilm Holdings’ Avigan (Favipiravir) for treatment of COVID-19 even as doubts remain in Japan about its effectiveness.
: China and Cambodia participate in third annual Golden Dragon exercise in Cambodia’s Kampot province, focusing on counter-terrorism and humanitarianism.
: Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, Lijian Zhao implies on Twitter that US military brought coronavirus to Wuhan.
: WHO officially labels COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic.
: Trump announces measures to tackle COVID-19, including by suspending most travel from Europe.
: Editor of conservative Japanese monthly Seiron advocates creation of a suprapartisan advisory body modeled on the United States Economic and Security Review Commission.
: Editor of conservative Japanese monthly Seiron advocates creation of a suprapartisan advisory body modeled on the United States Economic and Security Review Commission.
: North Korea launches three short-range projectiles.
: US defense contractor Lockheed Martin temporarily suspends production of fifth-generation Lightning II F-35Astealth fighter aircraft at a facility in Nagoya over coronavirus concerns.
: Yomiuri, stating that the decision to postpone Xi’s visit was partly due to domestic opposition, urges China to take steps to improve Japanese sentiment toward China in order to ensure the success of a visit.
: Yomiuri, stating that the decision to postpone Xi’s visit was partly due to domestic opposition, urges China to take steps to improve Japanese sentiment toward China in order to ensure the success of a visit.
: Xi Jinping’s visit to Japan is postponed, presumably until fall, with Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga Yoshihide explaining that “it is necessary to make thorough preparations for [Xi’s] state visit in order to achieve sufficient results.”
: Xi Jinping’s visit to Japan is postponed, presumably until fall, with Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga Yoshihide explaining that “it is necessary to make thorough preparations for [Xi’s] state visit in order to achieve sufficient results.”
: Chinese research scientists allege that their research shows the new coronavirus evolved into two strains.
: US imposes restrictions on the number of Chinese state-owned media employees allowed to work in the US.
: North Korea fires what appears to be two short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea. China’s foreign ministry calls for dialogue.
: US Department of Justice announces charges against two Chinese nationals for money laundering conspiracy and operating an unlicensed money transmitting business. The defendants, Tian Yinyin and Li Jiadong, allegedly laundering “more than $100 million in cryptocurrency that had been stolen by ‘North Korean actors.’”
: South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff reports that North Korea launched two short-range ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan.
: Toyota announces it will build a new $1.22 billion electric vehicle plant in Tianjin with local partner FAW as well as expand its EV manufacturing in Guangzhou with another partner, the GAC Group.
: Toyota announces it will build a new $1.22 billion electric vehicle plant in Tianjin with local partner FAW as well as expand its EV manufacturing in Guangzhou with another partner, the GAC Group.
: Malaysia names Muhyiddin Yassin prime minister.
: US elevates warnings against travel to regions in Italy and South Korea.
: US and South Korea decide to postpone joint military exercises over coronavirus concerns.
: New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Arden meets Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison in Sydney, where she criticizes Australia’s policy of forcible deportations of New Zealand citizens.
: Plans to deduct 5,000 yen ($45) from the salary of each LDP Diet member for coronavirus relief in China are modified into voluntary contributions after complaints from conservatives.
: New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern meets Fijian Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama in Suva, Fiji.
: Indonesian House of Representative commission on defense, intelligence, and foreign affairs approves previous defense arrangements between Indonesia and the United States, including “a plan for the navy to receive up to 14 ScanEagleunmanned aerial vehicles and upgrades for three Bell 412 helicopters from the U.S. government.”
: Plans to deduct 5,000 yen ($45) from the salary of each LDP Diet member for coronavirus relief in China are modified into voluntary contributions after complaints from conservatives.
: US Defense Secretary Mark Esper says that South Korea should contribute more financially to its own defense.
: Thailand, the US, Singapore, Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, and South Korea participate in Exercise Cobra Gold 2020. Cobra Gold focuses on “humanitarian civic action, a cyber exercise, an amphibious assault exercise, a humanitarian assistance and disaster relief exercise, culminating in the combined arms live fire exercise.”
: Malaysia’s king installs Mahathir Mohamad as interim prime minister following his shock resignation.
: President Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi meet in Ahmedabad, India.
: Center-right Sankei Shimbun editorializes against Chinese provocations against the Senkakus and Taiwan, terming them particularly insensitive at a time when the PRC should be cooperating with the international community to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
: Center-right Sankei Shimbun editorializes against Chinese provocations against the Senkakus and Taiwan, terming them particularly insensitive at a time when the PRC should be cooperating with the international community to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
: A Japanese government source opines that China’s relatively favorable statements about Japan are motivated by an effort to ease its international isolation, but that Beijing has not compromised on security issues.
: A Japanese government source opines that China’s relatively favorable statements about Japan are motivated by an effort to ease its international isolation, but that Beijing has not compromised on security issues.
: Researchers from Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanic Garden, led by Dr. Yu Webin publish research suggesting that the coronavirus was introduced from outside the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market, but then spread rapidly within it.
: A Nikkei columnist terms the rupture between the CCP and the Japan Communist Party the JCP’s “long goodbye.”
: Malaysia declares that it will choose a 5G partner based on the country’s own security standards amid strong pushes from the US to exclude Huawei.
: A Nikkei columnist terms the rupture between the CCP and the Japan Communist Party the JCP’s “long goodbye.”
: South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha meets with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to discuss cooperative measures to combat COVID-19, as well as the potential delay of Xi’s planned Seoul.
: UN experts accuse North Korea of increasing imports and exports of banned and restricted good such as coal and petroleum products despite explicit sanctions.
: US and Europe reach a general agreement on confronting China.
: South Korean and Canadian Foreign Ministers agree on efforts to expand bilateral economic cooperation and bolster exchanges of high-level officials at Munich Security Conference.
: China Daily declares that the fight against the spread of the coronavirus has brought China and Japan closer together.
: Director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office Zhang Xiaoming is replaced by Xia Baolong, chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.
: Japan reports its first death related to coronavirus.
: China Daily declares that the fight against the spread of the coronavirus has brought China and Japan closer together.
: Reversing its Jan. 20 statement that no defense-related data had been affected by last year’s cyberattacks, Mitsubishi Electric states that some sensitive information may have been compromised.
: A former head of Japan’s National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies credits Abe’s China policy with hedging the risk of China’s unilateral attempt to change the regional order while engaging the PRC in multilateral norm- and rule-building, as well as promoting cooperation in beneficial projects.
: Reversing its Jan. 20 statement that no defense-related data had been affected by last year’s cyberattacks, Mitsubishi Electric states that some sensitive information may have been compromised.
: A former head of Japan’s National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies credits Abe’s China policy with hedging the risk of China’s unilateral attempt to change the regional order while engaging the PRC in multilateral norm- and rule-building, as well as promoting cooperation in beneficial projects.
: Philippines declares intent to terminate major security pact that has allowed US forces to train in the country.
: WHO proposes “COVID-19” as official name for the illness caused by the new coronavirus.
: Chinese PLA Air Force flies into Bashi Channel during exercise, prompting a Taiwanese response.
: South Korea and the US hold working group meeting in Seoul spotlighting issues of policy coordination on inter-Korean exchanges between North and South Korea.
: Thailand bars passengers from Holand America’s MS Westerdam cruise ship from disembarking, amid fears of the coronavirus.
: Global Times, while thanking the Japanese government and civilians for aid in dealing with the coronavirus epidemic, states that despite better government-to-government relations, “we cannot be overly optimistic about the prospect of bilateral relations.”
: US State Department official involved in nuclear talks with North Korea arrives in South Korea for a meeting of a bilateral policy coordination working group on the regime.
: South Korean Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul reaffirms the need for inter-Korean cooperation in railways, roads, and tourism, as South Korea seeks to expand cross-border exchanges as part of efforts to continue its engagement with North Korea.
: The coronavirus death toll in China climbs above 1,000.
: Global Times, while thanking the Japanese government and civilians for aid in dealing with the coronavirus epidemic, states that despite better government-to-government relations, “we cannot be overly optimistic about the prospect of bilateral relations.”
: Bank of Japan appoints its top China expert to head the BOJ’s international department, a post previously dominated by officials with experience in Western financial centers.
: Hong Kong imposes a mandatory two-week quarantine on all arrivals from mainland China, including daily phone calls and spot checks.
: Bank of Japan appoints its top China expert to head the BOJ’s international department, a post previously dominated by officials with experience in Western financial centers.
: UN Security Council panel approves sanctions exemptions to three aid agencies allowing humanitarian assistance to North Korea.
: Coronavirus allegedly kills Li Wenliang, who had been reproached by Wuhan police for “spreading rumors” about the coronavirus.
: Philippine foreign secretary warns that abrogating the Visiting Forces Agreement with the US would threaten crucial security, trade, and economic interests.
: Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen visits Beijing, making a public vote of confidence in China’s ability to control the coronavirus epidemic.
: A Chinese field hospital, built in under two weeks, opens to coronavirus patients in Wuhan.
: Japan’s Ministry of Defense confirms plans to procure new standoff missiles.
: Investigators from the International Criminal Court begin collecting evidence involving alleged crimes against humanity by Myanmar against Rohingya Muslims.
: Brunei carries out military exercise in a rare display of how the state thinks about and acts with respect to its own defense.
: US and Japan conclude 2020 Iteration of Exercise Forest Light Western Army.
: Commissioning of three vessels marks quick completion and operationalization of the program for Singapore’s Navy.
: Japan quarantines Yokohama-bound cruise ship, the Diamond Princess, after a man who sailed on it tested positive for coronavirus.
: Japanese government sources announce that expanding support for the domestic drone industry, and that in the fiscal year beginning April 1, the coast guard will replace its Chinese drones with versions produced domestically or outside China.
: Japanese government sources announce that expanding support for the domestic drone industry, and that in the fiscal year beginning April 1, the coast guard will replace its Chinese drones with versions produced domestically or outside China.
: China reports a total of 11,821 cases (cases reported includes Hong Kong, Macau, and Taipei) and 259 deaths. Worldwide, 132 cases of coronavirus were reported outside China in 23 other countries.
: Hong Kong government announces that a passenger on the Diamond Princess who disembarked on January 25 has tested positive for COVID-19.
: NEC reports that it had come under major cyberattacks over several years, including unauthorized access to files related to its business with the Defense Ministry, but that no damage had resulted.
: Trump administration announces travel restrictions, barring entry by foreign nationals who recently visited China.
: NEC reports that it had come under major cyberattacks over several years, including unauthorized access to files related to its business with the Defense Ministry, but that no damage had resulted.
: Singapore Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan makes a working visit to Malaysia, meeting with a variety of ministers on bilateral issues.
: China’s new ambassador pledges efforts for “great” development of South Korea-China ties.
: North Korea and South Korea close Joint Liaison Office in Kaesong over concerns about the coronavirus outbreak.
: WHO declares the coronavirus outbreak a public health emergency and a significant threat beyond China.
: US State Department issues advisory to Americans to not travel to China because of the public health threat posed by coronavirus.
: The headline of a front-page article in Yomiuri describes Taiwan as a “nation of immigrants” and “model for democracy in Asia.”
: US military begins issuing furlough warnings to almost 9,000 civilian South Korean employees as cost-sharing negotiations remain at an impasse.
: Democratic US senators urge administration officials to reconsider demands in defense talks with South Korea, highlighting the risks of failing to reach an agreement.
: South Korea sends $1 million in aid and a government delegation to help Australia recover from bushfires.
: The headline of a front-page article in Yomiuri describes Taiwan as a “nation of immigrants” and “model for democracy in Asia.”
: USS Montgomery conducts first 2020 FONOP in South China Sea.
: WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus meets Xi Jinping to share latest information on the novel coronavirus outbreak.
: US Department of State confirms efforts to extricate diplomats from virus-hit city of Wuhan.
: Malaysian watchdog files a lawsuit against Singapore home minister after it is accused of violating Singapore’s fake news law.
: US confirms second case of coronavirus involving a Chicago women returning from Wuhan.
: Yomiuri reports that conservative Diet members applauded each mention of Taiwan, and that there was considerable opposition to a state visit by Xi Jinping without improvement on such issues as the intrusions of Chinese ships into Japan’s territorial waters and human rights.
: UN’s International Court of Justice orders Myanmar to prevent Rohingya Genocide.
: Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte renews threat to terminate accord that allows US forces to train in country unless Washington restores the visa of a political ally linked to human rights violations.
: Wuhan officials announce a complete travel ban on residents, suspending urban buses, subways, ferries, and long-distance passenger transport in the city.
: Yomiuri reports that conservative Diet members applauded each mention of Taiwan, and that there was considerable opposition to a state visit by Xi Jinping without improvement on such issues as the intrusions of Chinese ships into Japan’s territorial waters and human rights.
: ASEAN Secretariat invites India to attend a February 2020 RCEP meeting in Bali.
: WHO issues a statement suggesting human-to-human transmission of 2019-nCoV is taking place in Wuhan.
: Foreign tour agencies report that North Korea has closed its borders with China.
: Concerned about Chinese entities purchasing land near security-related facilities including military bases and nuclear plants, the Japanese government considers a screening process for such sales.
: Global Times op-ed criticizes newly announced plans for Indonesian-Japanese coast guard cooperation and President Joko Widodo’s plan to invite Japan to invest more in the Natunas.
: Speaking in his capacity as prime minister in a Diet meeting, Abe references Taiwan three times, the first time in 14 years that a sitting prime minister has mentioned the country’s name in the Diet.
: United States confirms its first case of COVID-19.
: China’s new envoy to ASEAN arrives in Jakarta as tensions rise over Chinese conduct in South China Sea.
: ASEAN foreign ministers agree to hold summit with Trump.
: Vietnam chairs ASEAN-IPR meeting in Jakarta.
: US confirms the first patient diagnosed with the new coronavirus in Washington state.
: Concerned about Chinese entities purchasing land near security-related facilities including military bases and nuclear plants, the Japanese government considers a screening process for such sales.
: Speaking in his capacity as prime minister in a Diet meeting, Abe references Taiwan three times, the first time in 14 years that a sitting prime minister has mentioned the country’s name in the Diet.
: Global Times op-ed criticizes newly announced plans for Indonesian-Japanese coast guard cooperation and President Joko Widodo’s plan to invite Japan to invest more in the Natunas.
: Mitsubishi Electric, a major supplier to the Japanese defense and SCADA sectors, reveals that its internal computer networks were hit by a cyberattack, believed to be by a Chinese-affiliated hacker group.
: Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Thai Navy begins a two-day introductory visit to Singapore to meet the Singaporean Minister for Defense.
: First case of the “Wuhan coronavirus” is reported in the US. A traveler from China in Seattle is identified as the first case in the US. South Korea also reports its first case.
: WHO issues its first situation report on the Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV). As of Jan. 20, there were 282 confirmed cases from four countries including China, Thailand, Japan, and South Korea.
: Singapore Ministry of Health announces that temperature screenings at Changi Airport will be extended to all travelers arriving from China.
: Mitsubishi Electric, a major supplier to the Japanese defense and SCADA sectors, reveals that its internal computer networks were hit by a cyberattack, believed to be by a Chinese-affiliated hacker group.
: Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo pledges to bolster Japan’s role under its security pact with the U.S. in “outer space and cyber space.”
: Japanese Communist Party (JCP)’s first platform revision since 2004 describes Beijing’s quest for great-power chauvinism and hegemonism “problematic,” with JCP head Shii Kazuo adding that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) does not deserve the name “communist party.”
: Japanese Communist Party (JCP)’s first platform revision since 2004 describes Beijing’s quest for great-power chauvinism and hegemonism “problematic,” with JCP head Shii Kazuo adding that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) does not deserve the name “communist party.”
: Abe, in his capacity as Liberal Democratic Party chair, congratulates Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen on her re-election. Tsai notes Japan’s participation, with the US, in the Global Cooperation and Training Framework as an example of deepening bilateral relations.
: Xi Jinping visits Myanmar for his first overseas visit of 2020. Xi and Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi sign 33 agreements related to infrastructure development, trade, manufacturing, and special economic zones.
: Vietnam’s largest telecommunications company, Viettel, announces it would move forward with development of domestic 5G technology.
: Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Sar Kheng meets Vietnamese Minister of Public Security To Lam, and signs a cooperation plan for 2020.
: The US begins additional screening procedures for passengers from Wuhan at three airports- San Francisco, New York, and Los Angeles.
: Abe, in his capacity as Liberal Democratic Party chair, congratulates Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen on her re-election. Tsai notes Japan’s participation, with the US, in the Global Cooperation and Training Framework as an example of deepening bilateral relations.
: Xinhua reports that the University of Tokyo fired a faculty member and owner of an artificial intelligence company after he said the company would not hire a Chinese and, separately, that the university favored those with leftwing political views.
: Xinhua reports that the University of Tokyo fired a faculty member and owner of an artificial intelligence company after he said the company would not hire a Chinese and, separately, that the university favored those with leftwing political views.
: Japan confirms its first case of the new coronavirus.
: “Phase 1” United States-China trade deal is officially signed in a White House ceremony featuring President Trump and Vice Premier Liu He.
: Thailand Army chief Gen. Apirat Kongsompong visits Indonesia Army chief Gen. Andika Perkasa in Aech, Indonesia. They extend their security cooperation and sign an intelligence pact.
: The United States and Japan conduct a one-day naval exercise in the East China Sea.
: Japan’s Defense Minister Kono Taro visits the Pacific Missile Range Facility on the Hawaiian island of Kauai.
: WHO works with officials in Thailand and China following reports of a confirmed novel coronavirus case outside of China, in Thailand.
: China shares the genetic sequence of the novel coronavirus with the WHO.
: A 61-year-old man dies from pneumonia in Wuhan and is cited as “the first victim of the outbreak that began in December.”
: US Department of State approves the possible sale of 12 F-35Bs to Singapore. The sale is subject to congressional approval.
: Hong Kong requests that China provide genetic information on the “mystery virus” behind the Wuhan outbreak, after Chinese authorities identified the disease to be of a new coronavirus strain.
: Aiming to counter China’s rapidly increasing presence, Japan’s Internal Affairs and Communications Industry formulates an overseas expansion action plan covering areas such as the export of telecommunications infrastructure that includes specific policy to support submarine cables.
: Japanese Coast Guard announces that Chinese government vessels sailed just outside Japan’s territorial waters near the disputed Senkaku Islands and in the East China Sea on 282 days in 2019, the highest since record-keeping began in 2008. 126 ships entered the territorial waters around the Senkakus, 56 more than in 2018.
: Chinese researchers identify a new virus as the pathogen behind the outbreak of a pneumonia-like illness in Wuhan as a new coronavirus.
: Aiming to counter China’s rapidly increasing presence, Japan’s Internal Affairs and Communications Industry formulates an overseas expansion action plan covering areas such as the export of telecommunications infrastructure that includes specific policy to support submarine cables.
: Japanese Coast Guard announces that Chinese government vessels sailed just outside Japan’s territorial waters near the disputed Senkaku Islands and in the East China Sea on 282 days in 2019, the highest since record-keeping began in 2008. 126 ships entered the territorial waters around the Senkakus, 56 more than in 2018.
: US Embassy in China warns Americans in China to avoid animals and contact with sick people.
: Japanese Foreign Minister Motegi Toshimitsu and Vietnamese Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh meet in Hanoi. Motegi and Minh discuss the importance of maintaining freedom of navigation and the rule of law in the South China Sea, and agree to coordinate Japan’s push for a free and open Indo-Pacific with ASEAN’s efforts to promote stable growth.
: Chinese health authorities report 59 cases of an unknown viral pneumonia that is not SARS, MERS, or bird flu.
: WHO publishes its first Disease Outbreak News on the new unknown virus in Wuhan.
: Myanmar and Bangladesh hold a senior-level border conference, putting the spotlight on efforts to manage strained security ties.
: Japanese press agency Jiji, noting that the removal of an import ban has often been used as a political goal, expresses hope that the ban China has imposed on products from Tokyo and other prefectures will be lifted prior to Xi Jinping’s visit in the spring.
: Japanese press agency Jiji, noting that the removal of an import ban has often been used as a political goal, expresses hope that the ban China has imposed on products from Tokyo and other prefectures will be lifted prior to Xi Jinping’s visit in the spring.
: Malaysia officially confirms that it will reopen its embassy in North Korea.
: Wuhan police bureau issues letter to Dr. Li Wenliang to stop illegal behavior, alleging he spread “illegal and false” information and “severely disrupted social order,” by telling a group of doctors on the messaging platform WeChat that seven cases of SARS had been confirmed linked to a seafood market in Wuhan.
: Chinese health authorities report that they are trying to identify what is causing an outbreak in Wuhan, as the number of cases rose to 44 and rumors on social media suggested the outbreak could be linked to SARS.
: Singapore’s Ministry of Health takes precautionary measures, warning medical practitioners to look out for suspected cases of pneumonia related to travel from Wuhan. Temperature screenings are implemented at Changi Airport for all travelers arriving from Wuhan.
: Helicopter crash in Yilan, Taiwan kills Taiwanese Gen. Shen Yi-ming.
: WHO maintains ongoing contact with authorities in China over an “unidentified outbreak of viral pneumonia” in Wuhan.
: WHO China Country Office is notified of cases of pneumonia of unknown cause in Wuhan.
: China’s National Medical Products Administration approves pneumonia vaccine developed by Chinese drugmaker Walvax Biotechnology.
: Hong Kong increases vigilance and temperature screenings at border checkpoints after the “mysterious outbreak of viral pneumonia” in Whuan.
: Xue Li, director of the international strategy division of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences opines that Japan is attempting to counter China through a variety of means, such as participation in assorted international organizations and dithering on participation in the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.
: Kyodo reports that the Japanese government prevented a Chinese corporation from obtaining operating rights at a port in El Salvador by warning that it would withdraw $102 million in Official Development Assistance if the El Salvador government agreed to the Chinese tender.
: Chinese health authorities investigate 27 cases of “viral pneumonia” in Wuhan, linked to the seafood market in the city. Seven were in critical condition and “the cause of the disease is not clear.”
: Nikkei notes that, in his reply to Xi, Abe did not use Xi’s pet phrase “a community with a shared future for humanity,” that Chinese authorities are trying to insert into a fifth communique. A compromise statement at the meeting was “shared responsibility for peace and stability in Asia and the world.”
: LDP lawmaker Akimoto Tsukasa is arrested and charged with accepting bribes from Chinese company 500.com to push through legislation enabling the construction of an integrated resort facility.
: An elderly couple visit a Hubei Provincial with symptoms of fever, cough, and fatigue. Their CT images are seen by Dr. Zhang Jixian, who noticed features different from flu or pneumonia. Zhang reports the discovery of the viral disease to be probably infectious.
: After years of lobbying by Tokyo, boneless beef from Japan aged 30 months or less is allowed into China for the first time since September 2001.
: Abe and Xi, meeting in Beijing, pledge to “jointly open a new future for relations,” with Xi saying that they were “facing an important development opportunity.” According to Foreign Ministry spokesman Otaka Masato, Abe did not shy away from sensitive areas, including Hong Kong, Xinjiang, detained Japanese, and maritime security.
: Kono, addressing the crew of the helicopter destroyer Izumo, describes the security environment as severe due to Chinese government ships’ repeated intrusions into Japanese territorial waters in the East China Sea and North Korean missile launches.
: The Japanese defense budget for fiscal year 2020 is revealed to be 5.13 trillion yen ($43.66 billion), the bulk of which will go toward enhancing capabilities in outer space and cyberspace, purchase F-35B stealth fighters, and developing a fighter to replace the ASDF’s F-2s.
: Kono and his Chinese counterpart, General Wei Fenghe, meet in Beijing, agreeing to set up a defense hotline and work together to denuclearize the Korean peninsula.
: Reportedly concerned about leaks in sensitive technology due to the large increase in foreign students, the Japanese government struggles to find regulations that do not elicit criticism that their real target is foreign students from the PRC.
: Japanese authorities search the home of a Diet member and former minister in charge of integrated resorts issues with regard to the illegal transfer of millions of yen from a Chinese investor who wished to build a resort complex in Hokkaido.
: Two days before he was to leave for Beijing and a day before the official launch of China’s first indigenously built aircraft carrier, Japanese Defense Minister Kono Taro lashes out against the PRC’s military buildup, saying that countries cannot expand their spheres of influence by force.
: A meeting between Japanese and Chinese politicians, at first postponed after Beijing demanded that over 40 Diet members take part in a meeting in Gansu, to compensate for the 17 who attended a meeting in Taiwan, is cancelled.
: A group of nationalist Diet members formally state to the Prime Minister’s Office of Japan their opposition to Xi’s anticipated visit.
: Nine of the Japanese Coast Guard’s 12 new large patrol vessels will be deployed around the disputed Senkaku Islands where, despite improved Sino-Japanese relations, Chinese vessels sailed for a record 264 days this year.
: The Japanese Coast Guard says it will stop procuring and using several dozen Chinese-made drones due to concerns about information security.
: The symptoms of confirmed cases of novel coronavirus are first confirmed, according to a World Health Organization (WHO) report.
: The number of Japanese studying in China is reported to be rising, with an increasing number expressing interest in working for Chinese companies.
: In light of recent maritime advances by China, the Japanese government reportedly purchases Mageshima, a privately owned uninhabited southwestern island, for the US military and the Self-Defense Forces to use.
: Nikkei describes the acquisition of Panasonic’s chip business by Taiwan corporation Nuvoton as the latest example of a budding cross-border tech alliance.
: Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga Yoshihide reveals that a Japanese in his 50s had been detained in Hunan since July on undisclosed charges.
: Nikkei reports that Japanese dominance of the Southeast Asian auto market is increasingly challenged by Chinese brands. Japanese automakers, heavily invested in large gas-powered vehicle plants in Thailand, have been slow to respond to government-promoted efforts to increase sales of electric and hybrid powered cars.
: Kyodo reports that Japanese corporations Sony and Sharp are among the suppliers to Hikvision Digital Technology, one of the entities the US has blacklisted for human rights violations, while Honda continues joint research with the blacklisted facial recognition company SenseTime.
: Xinhua notes that Xi and Abe have sent congratulatory letters to the first meeting of the China-Japan high-level consultation mechanism on people to people and culture exchanges.
: Xi, speaking with former Japanese Foreign Minister Kawaguchi Yoriko, said that although China must do some things to improve its image, the responsibility to undo prejudiced and biased views against China rests with Japan.
: Huawei chair Liang Hua, speaking in Tokyo to executives and researchers from Japan’s top companies, says that his company expects to spend $11 billion on procurement in Japan, on a par with what it spends in the US, and employ more than a thousand people in its facilities in Japan.
: Japan hosts its first ever full-fledged arms show, hoping to create a forum that will help it tap technology to counter threats posed by China and North Korea, with demonstrators gathering in front of the convention center to protest a perceived affront to the nation’s constitution.
: Asahi reports that US and Japanese government sources had revealed that in August Chinese officials had warned Japan and South Korea against allowing the United States to base intermediate—range missiles on their soil.
: The first case of someone in China suffering from the novel coronavirus could have been a 55-year old Hubei man, the South China Morning Post reports in March
: China releases Iwatani after Japanese officials hinted that the issue should be resolved in order to create “a good environment” for Xi’s state visit in spring 2020. Iwatani had previously worked for NIDS.
: Zhu Feng, director of Nanjing University’s Institute of International Studies, urges that China do away with a “problem-based perspective” when dealing with Japan and understand that it will take some time to re-establish trust.
: Japan’s National Institute for Defense Studies (NIDS), affiliated with the Ministry of Defense, publishes the 2020 iteration of its annual China Security Report, subtitled “China Goes to Eurasia.”
: Japanese generic drug manufacturers, having become dependent on China for less expensive precursors, found themselves in difficulties after a leading supplier was shut down due to insufficient treatment of waste water. A report jointly sponsored by several Japanese medical associations previously urged supporting domestic production despite greater costs, since the supply of such drugs was a national security issue.
: A 10-person team was established within Japan’s National Security Council in response to alleged intellectual property violations and technology theft by China as well as cyberattacks by North Korea.
: China reportedly seeks what it terms a fifth communique during Xi’s visit to Tokyo in spring 2020, which Beijing hopes will include Abe’s endorsement of China’s Belt and Road initiative.
: Asahi, generally friendly to China, publishes a lengthy obituary on Taiwan activist Su Beng, who passed away in Tokyo aged 100, noting that he “remained committed to Taiwan’s independence until the final moments of this life.”
: According to a Singapore-based analyst, the Chinese-Japanese railway rivalry in the Philippines appears to favor Japan. Research conducted by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) places Japan closer to the country’s economic center of gravity and its projects are proceeding faster than China’s.
: A US coast guard officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, stresses the need for discussions between the Japanese government and public about the Chinese threat, as the PRC continues to build a weapons inventory threatening Japan and other regional states.
: A Japanese historian (later confirmed to be Iwatani Nobu of Hokkaido University) specializing in Sino-Japanese relations in the 1930s is confirmed to have been detained in China on suspicion of espionage. He had previously worked for the National Institute for Defense Studies, a nominally independent think tank associated with the Japanese Ministry of Defense.
: The government of Pakistan’s Sindh region reportedly seeks $2.6 billion in Japanese funds to complete a railway that was envisioned as part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Analysts hypothesize that the economic burden, coupled with concerns over loss of sovereign control, have created buyer’s remorse.
: Minster of Okinawa and Northern Territories Eto Seiichi visits the Yasukuni Shrine. Eto signs the shine’s register book with his formal title, though emphasizing that he had paid for the ritual tamagushiryo with his private funds. Abe sends the sacred masasaki offering, also with his formal title as prime minister, but did not attend. The Chinese Foreign Ministry responds sternly.
: Satellite images released by the Washington-based Center for International and Strategic Studies show what a Singaporean expert termed a factory for aircraft carriers and other very large vessels outside Shanghai.
: Typhoon Hagibis necessitates the cancellation of a seven-nation fleet review which would have included China.
: It is announced that Self-Defense Forces’ pay will be increased more than 5% during the next fiscal year, with recruitment standards requiring higher levels of competence to deal with cyberspace of outer space threats from unnamed sources.
: On the eve of Beijing’s massive celebration of the founding of the PRC, The Japan Times finds few signs of substance behind the alleged warming of Sino-Japanese relations. As China paraded an impressive array of new weapons, Japan sought countermeasures.
: The Pew Research organization reports that, amid a general drop in China’s image, Japanese views of China have declined to 85% unfavorable, 14% favorable.
: A Chinese scholar, noting that the participants in this year’s meeting of the Quad had been raised to foreign ministerial level, states that China must deepen engagement with Japan, India, and Australia.
: For the first time, the Japanese Ministry of Defense’s Defense of Japan 2019 raises China above North Korea as the major threat to Japanese security.
: Reuters reports that Toyota’s management, in order “to strike a fine balance between China and the United States,” will expand its cooperation with Chinese partners Guangzhou Automobile Group and FAW to include production of hydrogen fuel-cell cars.
: A Yomiuri editorial expresses alarm at the Solomon Islands and Kiribati breaking relations with Taiwan in exchange for economic assistance and advocates caution regarding Chinese moves into the South Pacific.
: Yomiuri quotes an unnamed high-ranking Japanese official as saying that China put explicit pressure on African countries not to attend the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD), with delegates from some countries reportedly even turning back en route. Whereas 42 leader-level African countries were represented at TICAD, 53 participated in Beijing’s Forum on China-Africa cooperation.
: International e-commerce support firm Trend Express reports that hundreds of billions of yen are made annually between Japan and China through “social buyers”—Chinese citizens living in Japan buying Japanese goods in bulk to resell on social media sites to followers in China.
: Nikkei cites an unnamed source familiar with Sino-Japanese ties as saying that Chinese municipalities are rolling out the red carpet for Japanese companies, likely on orders from the central government. While some bids have been turned down, other Japanese business interests see a window of opportunity for Japanese corporations.
: Asahi reports that US and Japanese ground forces stage a simulated attack against an enemy ship, with China plainly in mind. This is the first such exercise in Japan.
: Xinhua reports on the 25th iteration of a ceremony to commemorate the 88th anniversary of the Shenyang (Mukden) incident that began the Japanese invasion of Manchuria.
: Chinese President Xi Jinping’s spring visit to Japan is reported to include a forum on infrastructure in third counties, with both countries providing financial and other support to such projects once terms are set.
: Japan and Sweden co-sponsor a conference in Taipei on disinformation, reflecting the Taiwan government’s concern that China is seeking to influence its elections.
: An opinion piece in The Japan Times warns Japanese that China has weaponized its tourist industry, and urges Japan and other Asian destinations to welcome but also diversify away from Chinese tourists.
: Japan’s National Police Agency is reported to have requested funding for a new unit dedicated to protecting the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands. Up to 159 officers could be assigned to Okinawa along with additional helicopters and weapons for patrolling the uninhabited islands of the East China Sea, signaling to China that there will be increased costs if it attempts to advance its gray zone tactics in the area.
: A Global Times article states that warmer Sino-Japanese ties mean an increase in the number of Japanese young people studying in China.
: A Global Times op-ed describes Japan’s aid to Africa as motivated by big-power competition and its desire to become a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, while claiming Chinese aid is aimed at alleviating poverty and creating jobs.
: NHK reports that Japan is to establish a new police unit covering the disputed Diaoyu/Senkaku islands. Its members will be responsible for dealing with unauthorized landings in Okinawa Prefecture and will be armed with submachine guns.
: Responding to Prime Minister Abe Shinzo’s warning to African states not to accumulate too much debt, a Global Times accuses him of implicit hostility to China, to which China was unlikely to turn a blind eye.
: Nikkei, Japan’s leading economic daily, complains of the increasing intrusions of Chinese research vessels into Japan’s EEZ without permission, as required by Article 246 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. China does not recognize the validity of the median line between the two countries’ EEZs.
: Japanese government announces it will request a 1.2% increase in the FY2020 defense budget to a record $5.32 billion, much of it for the purchase of advanced US weapons.
: China announces that it would hold a grand military parade on National Day, Oct. 1, that would demonstrate its rising capabilities.
: Japanese Defense Ministry announced its support for venture capital in Africa.
: In response to Chinese and Russian possession of “killer” satellites capable of disabling other countries’ satellites, the Japanese government is to begin development of interceptor systems.
: Japan surpasses China as the top holder of US Treasuries for the first time since May 2017.
: Praying at his father’s grave, Abe vows to continue efforts to revise the constitution, to which China strenuously objects.
: China Daily repeats Japanese newspapers’ description of vice-ministerial talks as “candid exchanges about bilateral and regional issues,” while adding that a Japanese official had said that a majority of Japanese know little about China and advocated more people-to-people exchanges.
: First China-Japan vice-ministerial level talks in seven years are held in Nagano, Japan. Chinese Foreign Ministry reports the officials had “candid exchanges about bilateral and regional issues,” and indicated that a state visit by Xi was likely to take place in spring 2020.
: Chinese government accedes to the Japanese government’s request to send a representative higher than Politburo rank for an October ceremony related to the enthronement of the emperor: Vice-President Wang Qishan will attend.
: Japan and China are reported to be vying for influence in sports programs in the South Pacific, with China offering to train a large contingent of young athletes in several sports and Japan sending judo experts.
: Nikkei reports that several major Japanese corporations, including Nintendo, Sony, Sharp, Ricoh, and Kyocera, have announced plans to move production out of China in response to higher tariffs.
: Several Chinese are arrested for being “spiritually Japanese” as a result of cartoons deemed to have insulted the Chinese people.
: China publishes 2019 defense white paper, the first in five years.
: The 2019 report of the Japanese Ministry of Economic Revitalization expresses concern about increasing dependence on China in the manufacture of information and communications equipment.
: JXTG, Japan’s largest oil refiner, announces it will close a refinery it owns jointly with PetroChina amid falling demand for crude products in Japan.
: Japan’s Toyota and China’s BYD agree to work together to produce electric sedans and SUVs, as Toyota seeks to narrow German automaker Volkswagen’s lead in the Chinese market.
: Self-Defense Forces (SDF) sources complain that efforts to interdict North Korean smuggling were inhibited by the vessels fleeing into Chinese territorial waters.
: Xinhua reports on a rally in Japan’s Saitama Prefecture to mark the 82nd anniversary of the Marco Polo Bridge incident that was a prelude to the Sino-Japanese war.
: Papers in both countries publish pictures of Chairman Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Abe Shinzo shaking hands at the opening of the G20 conference in Osaka.
: Japanese Coast Guard and Maritime Self-Defense Forces conduct their first joint drill in the South China Sea.
: Commenting on China’s just-released white paper, the center-right Yomiuri Shimbun editorializes that the PRC has expanded its military buildup beyond the scope of defensive aims, thereby undermining regional stability.
: Global Times op-ed argues that China’s increased confidence had enabled it to shape the strategic environment on its own, and that developing better relations with Japan was naturally included in its policy agenda.
: Japan’s Foreign Ministry lodges protest against Beijing for conducting an unauthorized maritime survey near the Senkaku Islands.
: Japanese Coast Guard identifies a ship dangling a cable into the sea about 50 nm off the largest of the Senkakus without seeking prior approval. The ship did not respond to requests to stop the survey, leaving the EEZ about two hours later.
: Chinese and Japanese defense ministers make speeches at the annual Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, pointedly refraining from criticizing each other.
: Global Times op-ed asks rhetorically if Japan could stand up to the US request that it contain China. A second op-ed that appears the same day interprets the many meetings between Trump and Abe as indicative of Abe’s attempt to balance between China and the US while making sure that its views on Korea are not further marginalized.
: Japan and China hold bilateral talks on nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation in Beijing. It is the first time the countries have held bilateral talks on the issue in eight years.
: A Japanese land surveyor is convicted of espionage and receives a 15-year prison term, the heaviest sentence yet in a string of spy cases in China.
: Japan and India announce they will develop Sri Lanka’s Colombo port, the country’s largest, providing a counterweight to China’s presence at Hambantota.
: Cabinet Office announces that Japan’s economy grew by an annualized rate of 2.1% in the first quarter of 2019, marking the second straight quarter of expansion.
: People’s Daily reports that the Oscar-winning Japanese anime film Spirited Away had been approved for showing in China nearly 20 years after its initial release.
: Xinhua reports that Japan had achieved its 57th consecutive month of surpluses in the current account.
: China’s ByteDance Technology announces it will invest $4.6 million in 2019 in a project to find Japanese stars for its popular video app TikTok.
: The 11th round of US, Japan, South Korea Defense Trilateral Talks (DTT) is held in Seoul to discuss regional security issues.
: Japan introduces its version of Anti-Access/Area Denial (A2/AD). There was no immediate comment from Beijing.
: Talks held between Chinese and Japanese foreign ministers in Beijing.
: Japan’s Defense Ministry reports that its fighters scrambled 999 times in fiscal year 2018.
: Chinese Foreign Ministry merges its Korean and Japanese divisions.
: Japanese Coast Guard vessel Kojima embarks on a three-month training cruise that includes visit to Sri Lanka and Greece.
: Kong Xuanyou 59 is appointed ambassador to Japan, succeeding Cheng Yonghua, 64, who held the post for nine years.
: Consortium of China’s Harvest Fund Management and Taiwan’s TPK Holdings bail out LCD manufacturer Japan Display.
: Taiwanese software entrepreneur José Lin advocates avoiding China in favor of Japan since the former has “zero concept of intellectual property rights.”
: Taiwan’s Air Force intercepts two PLAAF jets when they cross the median line between Taiwan and China, thought to be a response to Chinese criticism of warming ties between Taiwan and Japan.
: Air Self-Defense Force scrambles against seven PLA Air Force (PLAAF) planes that transit through the Miyako Strait between Taiwan and Okinawa.
: Japan-Taiwan Exchange Organization, Japan’s unofficial embassy to Taiwan, the also unofficial American Institute on Taiwan, and Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry co-host an international workshop under the Global Cooperation and Training Workshop.
: GSDF establishes new bases on Amami-Oshima Island in Kagoshima and Miyakojima island in Okinawa to enhance defense of the southwestern Nansei islands.
: Japanese fighter jets intercepts two Chinese anti-submarine patrol aircraft north of the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands.
: Japanese government continues to protest Chinese test drilling for resource development near the intermediate line between the two countries in the East China Sea.
: Japan downgrades its assessment of the economy for the first time in three years, blaming the US-China trade war and declining Chinese economic growth.
: An LDP policy group proposes the creation of a National Economic Council to develop and integrate strategy on the economy, national security and diplomacy.
: Japanese Defense Ministry announces that it will develop the nation’s first domestically manufactured air-to-ship cruise missile.
: Taiwan’s foreign minister advocates closer Taiwan-Japan cooperation in the face of common threats such as global warming, cross-border ties, and cyberattacks.
: Japanese Defense Ministry announces plans to construct a new type of patrol ship to be mainly used in the waters around the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands.
: Japanese authorities charge two Japanese nationals with exporting wagyu fertilized eggs and sperm to China without undergoing the required quarantine procedures.
: Japan announces it will send a Maritime Self-Defense Force ship to participate in China’s fleet review.
: Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen is interviewed in Sankei Shimbun and expresses for the first time her interest in direct dialogue with the Japanese government on cybersecurity and regional security issues.
: Bank of Japan adviser to the Ukrainian government expresses concerns about the effect on Japanese security of Chinese entities’ acquisition of sensitive Ukrainian technology.
: China’s leading military newspaper urges remaining vigilant about Japan’s creeping militarization.
: Japan and India agree to work together to combat cyberattacks centered mainly on Chinese telecom Huawei’s equipment.
: Japanese e-tailer Rakuten announces it will upgrade unmanned delivery services by using Chinese counterpart JD.com for delivery of heavier packages over longer distances.
: Japanese Coast Guard announces plan to establish a special 24-person section to liaise with other nations to counter maritime advances by China in the region.
: Japan and Britain agree to cooperate in research in such areas as quantum science and artificial intelligence in response to China’s rapid advances in science and technology.
: Japanese government lodges a protest with China over its continued deployment of a drilling ship in a contested areas of the East China Sea.
: Global Times opinion piece criticizes Japan as seeking to expand its military power by signing agreements with Canada, France, India, Australia, and the US.
: German Chancellor Angela Merkel, visiting Tokyo, states her support for the Abe administration’s initiative for a “free and open Indo-Pacific” to counter Chinese expansionism, and pledges cooperation on preventing the Chinese government from collecting and harnessing vast amounts of data.
: Japanese Coast Guard apprehends a Chinese fishing boat illegally harvesting coral in Japan’s EEZ.
: Beijing’s Global Times reports that Japanese companies continued to invest in China, despite Western analysts’ prediction that the US-China trade dispute would dampen economic ties between China and Japan.
: Senior foreign affairs and defense officials meet in Beijing, agreeing on the importance of promoting confidence-building efforts in the security field.
: Columnist for China Daily criticizes Japan for unrealistic expectations on the return of the disputed Kuril Islands, citing Japan’s alliance with the US as a major factor.
: Yomiuri editorial calls for the US to visibly display its commitment to Taiwan in the face of Chinese pressure, deeming it essential to restraining China and maintaining stability in Asia.
: Asahi reports that wealthy Chinese buyers’ fondness for Kyoto real estate has driven prices beyond the reach of many locals, engendering resentment.
: Japan and France agree to strengthen security cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region.
: Bloomberg announces that, for the first time since 2012, Japanese companies outranked China’s in the total volume of mergers and acquisitions, predicting that the spending spree would continue in 2019.
: BBC reports that, when a periodic United Nations review of members’ budgetary contributions raised China’s contribution from 7.92 to 12.01 percent while lowering Japan’s share from 9.68 percent to 8.56 percent, Chinese media expressed pride at overtaking Japan while Japanese media interpreted it as symbolic of the country’s diminution of status and a blow to its long-cherished desire to become a permanent member of the UN Security Council.
: China announces that it would not release a military white paper this year.
: Yomiuri reveals that the head of Chinese State Security secretly visited Japan at the end of October, with both sides reportedly eager to create a back channel should relations again deteriorate.
: Chinese Foreign Ministry expresses strong dissatisfaction and opposition to the programs’ “false claims and irresponsible remarks,” warning that they are not conducive to the improvement of China-Japan relations nor to the peace and stability of the region.
: Leading Japanese shipping firm Nippon Express conducts trial run to move freight on the Chinese railway that links the PRC’s Xi’an with Duisberg in Germany.
: Japanese government adopts National Defense Program Guidelines and Medium-Term Defense Program for fiscal 2019-23, described as intended to strengthen the nation’s capabilities against China.
: China urges Japan to ensure the legal rights of two Hong Kong residents who were arrested after one set a fire at the Yasukuni Shrine while the other videotaped the act and placed it on Facebook.
: Ceremonies held to commemorate the 81st anniversary of the Nanjing Massacre, although unlike last year, Xi Jinping does not attend.
: Chinese media warns of retaliatory measures if there is discrimination against Huawei and ZTE, accusing the US of trying to create a wedge in China-Japan ties and of making Japan into a vassal state.
: Chinese court sentences a Japanese woman to six years in prison for spying and seized over $7,000 in assets; the woman is to be deported after serving her sentence.
: Citing security concerns, the Japanese government announced its intention to ban products from Chinese companies Huawei and ZTE from telecom devices in ministries, agencies, and the SDF.
: Japanese government protests renewed Chinese drilling in oil fields disputed by the two countries.
: Japanese Ministry of Defense releases Defense of Japan 2018 white paper detailing numerous instances of Chinese intrusions into Japan’s territorial waters and airspace.
: Xinhua announces that Abe and Xi chatted briefly on the sidelines of the G20 conference in Buenos Aires agreeing that they would step up negotiations on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership and the trilateral trade agreement among China, Japan, and South Korea.
: Japanese Ministry of Defense reports few air scrambles and ships entering the territorial waters of the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands from July through September than in the preceding April-June period.
: Citing intensifying activities of the Chinese navy in the East China Sea, the Japanese government announces plans to introduce a new type of destroyer with minesweeping capabilities that will be the core of warning and surveillance activities in the area.
: Yomiuri correspondent embedded on the helicopter destroyer Kaga reports that the ship had been followed by the Chinese guided missile destroyer Lanzhou, and that it had detected a Chinese submarine carrying out covert maneuvers at the entrance to the Strait of Malacca.
: US Vice President Pence and Prime Minister Abe announce a fund that will allocate up to $70 billion for infrastructure development.
: Japan and China held food safety talks, with China declining to provide assurances that it will lift its ban on importing food from the area surrounding the 2011 Fukushima meltdown.
: Yomiuri reported that the Japanese government is considering supplying the MSDF with Avenger drones to strengthen surveillance of Chinese naval vessels.
: Japan’s Defense Ministry announces plans to develop a large underwater drone to guard its remote islands against Chinese incursion.
: The largest ever Keen Sword military exercises are held in Japan, with participation by US, Japan, Canada, United Kingdom, France, Australia, and South Korea.
: Reuters report that Japan and the United States are formulating a combined response to an attack on the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands, which is expected to be finalized in March 2019.
: State-run China Investment Corp. and several of Japan’s largest banks agree to set up a $1.8 billion fund to help Japanese companies seeking to expand their businesses in China.
: Prime Minister Abe visits China and meet President Xi and other senior officials in Beijing.
: Japan announces that it will end its official development assistance (ODA) to China after the end of new projects in the current fiscal year.
: China and Japan disclose plans to resume fleet visits for the first time since 2011.
: China warns again that Japan must learn from history, and that the onus was on Abe to bridge the divide.
: Meeting with French President Macron and clearly referring to China, Prime Minister Abe states that the two countries’ cooperation is important since the international order is being challenged.
: At their meeting in Wellington, Foreign Minister Kōno Taro and New Zealand counterpart Winston Peters discuss their alarm that the debts of small South Pacific states that contracted with China may make them beholden to the PRC.
: Center-left daily Mainichi reports that Japanese firms were “hopping onto” the silk road of China’s One Belt One Road policy.
: Chen Youjun of the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies advocates that Japan show a positive attitude toward economic cooperation with China, since the needs of the two are complementary.
: Japanese government publishes its Medium-Term Defense Program for fiscal 2019-23.
: Global Times, normally highly critical of Japan in general and Prime Minister Abe specifically, publishes an article crediting Abenomics with lifting Japan out of its long economic downturn.
: Japanese Coast Guard reports that the Chinese oceanographic ship Xiangyanghong10 had conducted unauthorized activities inside Japan’s claimed exclusive economic zone.
: Sankei Shimbun reports that a large buoy marked “PRC State Oceanic Administration” had been installed in the vicinity of the Senkaku Islands, and that the government had launched a protest.
: Editorial in Yomiuri urges vigilance against Chinese interference in domestic affairs, pointing to the many Chinese media outlets and Confucius Institutes in Japan.
: The tankan index, a key economic survey of economic confidence among major manufacturers conducted by the Bank of Japan, declines for the third straight quarter, with concerns about the US trade war with China listed as a major factor.
: Popular Japanese singer-songwriter Tanimura Shinji sings in Beijing at a concert to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the signing of the Sino-Japanese Treaty of Peace and Friendship.
Sept. 28, 2018 Japan and the US hold a joint air drill over the East China Sea.
: Tokyo stock exchange reaches its highest level since the collapse of the bubble economy a quarter century ago.
: Fifth high-level political dialogue is held in Suzhou, co-chaired by Director of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)’s Office of Foreign Affairs Yang Jiechi and Japanese National Security Adviser Yachi Shōtarō.
: According to Jiji, Japan’sDefense Ministry is developing supersonic glide bombs to strengthen the defense of remote islands, including the Senkakus, as well as promoting the deployment of GSDF surface-to-ship guided missile units on Miyako and Ishigaki islands.
: Internal PLA magazine obtained by Japanese news agency Kyodo states that a China-Japan maritime crisis would seriously undermine Beijing’s Belt and Road initiative.
: Chinese press report Abe’s re-election to a third term as head of the LDP, adding that he would use it to advance his long-cherished dream of revising Japan’s pacifist constitution.
: Xinhua reports that thousands of people across Japan, including more than 5,000 at Tokyo’s Hibiya Park, rallied to protest the controversial security laws that the Diet had passed three years ago.
: Sankei Shimbun publishes an interview with former Taiwan president Chen Shui-bian.
: Prime Minister Abe Shinzo and President Xi Jinping meet briefly on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, pledging further cooperation on denuclearizing North Korea.
: Following Chinese President Xi Jinping’s pledge to extend $60 billion in finance and investment to Africa, center-right Yomiuri expressed doubts about the real benefits and possible disadvantages for the countries that accepted China’s largesse. The paper praised Japan’s policy of avoiding excess rivalry with China while also exploring ways to cooperate with the PRC including participation in Japan-led projects such as building major roads linking West African countries.
: Writing in The National Interest, a Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force captain and a US Navy captain argued for closer cooperation between the Japanese and Taiwanese militaries.
: Signaling Japan’s intent to maintain a presence in the South China Sea, the helicopter destroyer Kaga and two guided-missile destroyers conducted bilateral exercises with a US aircraft carrier strike group.
: Gunji Kenkyu (Military Research) carried a long article on China’s growing ability to project military power into the South and East China seas. The article, concentrating on the Navy’s amphibious landing operations, followed a previous issue’s focus on aircraft carriers and destroyers.
: ASDF announces it will hold its first joint drills with the Australian Air Force on Japanese territory “amid China’s Pacific push.”
: Japanese Defense Ministry proposes a 2.1 percent increase in the defense budget to $48 billion to counter North Korean ballistic missiles and China’s growing air and sea activities in the waters near Japan.
: Japanese press corps agrees to call off attendance at a meeting between Vice Foreign Minister Akiba Takeo and State Councilor Wang Yi in response to Chinese Foreign Ministry’s decision to exclude a reporter from the conservative Sankei Shimbun.
: China and Japan sign agreement standardizing quick chargers for electric vehicles; together, they control over 95 percent of the market.
: Defense of Japan Annual White Paper 2018 is published, stating that the unilateral escalation of China’s military activities poses a strong security concern for the region including Japan and international community. The Chinese Foreign Ministry responds by accusing Japan of making irresponsible statements about China’s normal marine activities and seeking excuses for expanding its armaments.
: Japanese defense officials express misgivings about Chinese insistence on a 48-hour moratorium before responding to a hotline call in the event of military clashes.
: Citing a recent joint opinion poll, Yomiuri states that coolness between the two countries persists despite an influx of people and money over the past 40 years. 88.3 percent of Japanese have a bad impression of China whereas only 11.5 percent of Chinese have a negative view of Japan.
: Nissan Motors announces plans to invest about $900 million to boost vehicle-making capacity in China by 40 percent, to 2.1 million cars annually, by 2021.
: First of a series of articles on the challenges and possibilities of bilateral ties by Yomiuri notes that although leaders on both sides praised warming of relations, the relationship remains “peculiar.” China had restricted group travel to Japan, was critical of those deemed “jingri” (Japanese at heart) and had criminalized acts deemed to have glorified militarist-era Japan.
: Sentaku reports that Chinese capital was acquiring land in and around Miyakojima City allegedly for solar power generation and unspecified other purposes.
: Report shows that Japanese Air Self-Defense Force scrambled planes against Chinese fighter jets 173 times during in the past fiscal year, an increase of 72 over the previous year.
: Using a proxy, Abe sends a ritual offering to the Yasukuni Shrine on the anniversary of Japan’s surrender in World War II, carefully specifying that it had been made in his capacity as LDP president, i.e. not as prime minister, and paid for at his own expense. Xinhua’s condemnation is relatively mild.
: As a result of a triennial review of members’ contribution to the United Nations’ general budget, China is raised to second largest donor, 12.01 percent, with Japan lowered to third place at 8.56 percent. NHK suggested that Japan promote its presence by stressing the nation’s contributions to the UN’s international and diplomatic activities.
: Li Keqiang and Abe exchange cordial messages marking the 40th anniversary of the Sino-Japanese Treaty of Peace and Friendship.
: Global Times comments that Shoplifters, winner of the recent Cannes Film Festival’s Palme d’Or, exposes Japan’s child abuse, widened wealth gap, and the harsh realities facing women and the elderly.
: Four Chinese Coast Guard ships sail for about two hours in an area off the Senkakus claimed by Japan as territorial waters.
: Chinese and Japanese sources are curiously silent on the anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. Jiji press alone mentions it, albeit briefly and saying only that Abe would not pay his respects.
: Chinese stock market loses its number-two ranking to Japan. Trade issues with the US, Beijing’s efforts to cut debt, and a slowing economy are cited as major factors.
: Kyodo cites an unnamed Japanese official as saying that, despite a recent improvement in bilateral ties and their agreement on free trade, Japan and China remain at odds over China’s military activities in the East China and South China seas.
: Asahi reports the first meeting of a committee to discuss Japanese participation in China’s BRI project will be held in Beijing in September. On the agenda are private sector work on extending the Bangkok mass transit system and the construction of a high-speed railway between its airport and a city in central Thailand.
: Foreign Affairs article by two US analysts argue that Japan should abandon its current forward defense policy against Chinese aggression in favor of an active denial strategy that would hold off invaders until US reinforcements arrive.
: Foreign Minister Kōno Tarō and French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian sign an agreement on defense cooperation aimed at countering Chinese activities in the Indo-Pacific region.
: Hangzhou intermediate court sentences a Japanese man to 12 years in prison for spying and other unspecified charges.
: Business weekly Shukan Diamond publishes a 34-page special expressing concern over the threefold increase in the number of Chinese nationals in Japan since 2000, though adding that the newcomers are helping to invigorate local economics and might help to dispel friction between the two nations.
: China reacts sharply to a report that Japan would send the helicopter destroyer Kaga to the South China Sea and hints that China might have to respond with countermeasures.
: Japanese government states its intention to go ahead with deployment of the Aegis ashore system despite North Korean promises to denuclearize, citing uncertainty about future negotiations and the increasing missile threat from China.
: Responding to a Chinese white paper on Arctic policy that calls the ocean “the silk road on ice,” the Japanese government begins working on a plan to secure the country’s own interests in the area. An unnamed official expresses concern that Beijing would soon deploy submarines in the Arctic.
: Japan lodges a protest with China over its sending a drilling ship to a contested area near, but not over, the side of the median line separating the exclusive economic zones of the two in the East China Sea. China does not accept the validity of the line.
: Following Sankei Shimbun’s interview with Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Jaushieh Wu, the Chinese embassy in Japan lodges a protest condemning the report for “advocating Taiwan independence.”
: An article in the conservative Japan Forward recommends that the Japanese government enact its own version of the Taiwan Relations Act, not shying away from its security aspects.
: Former Taiwan President Lee Teng-hui, visiting Japan at a dinner hosted by the Japan-Taiwan Peace Foundation, calls for the two counties to promote exchanges and cooperation for their common defense.
: According to the Japan National Tourism Organization, tourists from China jumped 29.3 percent in May, to 668,600, vis-à-vis 16.6 percent growth overall.
: Global Times opinion article heaps scorn on Abe’s “rush” for a summit with Kim Jung Un, noting that, in a May 4 telephone call with Xi Jinping, Abe had sought China’s help in arranging the meeting and his “complicated” situation in seeking the summit.
: Taiwan government protests the decision of Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways to comply with Chinese government orders to list Taiwan as a part of China.
: China and Japan are reported to be in talks to unify standards for electric vehicle charging stations. A common standard would give Japanese EV manufacturers a competitive edge over US and European counterparts, who use a different system.
: A retired Japanese admiral, writing in an Indian military publication, accuses China of taking advantage of the world’s preoccupation with North Korea to expand its salami tactics on Japan in the Senkaku and Taiwan on the offshore islands of Quemoy (Jimmen) and Matsu (Mazu).
: Bilateral maritime and aerial communications begin official operation. Japanese Defense Ministry officials hope that, because it is part of a formal agreement, the Chinese military will take it seriously and abide by it.
: Japan announces a plan to set up a maritime dialogue with France as part of its Indo-Pacific strategy “to deter the aggressive maritime advances of China.” France’s overseas territories in New Caledonia and French Polynesia give the country a direct interest in the stability of the region.
: According to conservative magazine Sentaku, Chinese money has been buying land in Hokkaido, particularly near areas with port facilities. Though ostensibly acquired for agricultural purposes, the land has lain fallow, raising questions about the ultimate motive behind their purchase.
: Twenty-one Japanese nationals are detained in Chongqing. Sichuan province, as well as in Hebei, Henan, Guizhou, Shanxi, Liaoning and Ningxia sometime between May 5 and 15, possibly because they were Christians doing missionary work. Five were later returned to Japan.
: Japanese government announces it will use yen loans to develop ports in three Indian Ocean nations (Myanmar, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh) as part of Abe’s “free and open Indo-Pacific strategy” to counter China’s efforts to dominate the sea lanes connecting Asia and Africa via the Middle East.
: //www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201805260034.html">remove an informal cap on defense spending that is 1 percent of GDP that began in the 1970s. It also backs his plan to retrofit the helicopter carrier Izumo into an aircraft carrier, for upgrading the capabilities of Self-Defense Forces, and for Japan to have a stronger presence in space and cyber technology.
: Japan hosts the triannual gathering of leaders of 18 South Pacific countries and territories with Prime Minister Abe pledging fine-tuned assistance in both soft and hard terms.
: Japanese Coast Guard conducts a fleet review for the first time in six years; the suspension was due to the JCG being occupied with intrusions of Chinese government ships into areas administered by Japan but claimed by both countries.
: Citing threats from North Korea’s ballistic missile launches and Chinese activities in the East China Sea, Japan approves a new ocean policy highlighting maritime security. Previous versions, issued every five years since 2008, had largely centered on the development of resources at sea.
: China’s second aircraft carrier, and first entirely indigenously built, begins sea trials, with Japanese media expressing concern over the implications for regional security.
: Conservative daily Sankei Shimbun, citing a government source, reports that a ship registered to a state-owned Chinese company had been undertaking trial digging that could be preparatory to building new offshore platforms.
: Prime Ministers Li Keqiang visits Japan for the first time since taking office. He and Abe sign an agreement on a hotline after a decade of talks.
: //www.the-japan-news.com/news/article/0004421498">establish a public-private council to discuss Belt and Road projects. While Japan hopes to improve ties with the PRC through economic cooperation, the government fears that China is using the initiative to expand its hegemony.
: Adm. Takei Tomohisa, former MSDF chief of staff, states that Japan should remain vigilant to see that China “does not change the status quo in the region,” and that military ties between Japan and Taiwan should be increased.
: Stockholm International Peace Research Institute reported that an Asian arms race was occurring in response to tensions with China. Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post, summarizing the SIPRI study, notes that Japan had boosted military spending for the sixth straight year, while India, loosely aligned with Japan in the Quad arrangement with the United States and Australia, had overtaken France and moved into the world’s top five military spenders.
: Japanese Defense Ministry releases study into the conversion of the MSDF’s helicopter destroyer into a full-fledged carrier “in case Japan were required to provide rear-line support for a U.S.-led war.”
: Commenting on recent Sino-Japanese economic exchanges, a member of the Development Research Center of China’s State Council advocates that the two stand together to protect an open global trading environment, and jointly oppose Trump’s unilateralism.
: Britain’s Royal Navy and the MSDF participate in their first joint exercises in the waters off the Kanto region, designed to enhance their cooperation.
: Replying to a question on a delegation of lower-ranking PLA officers visiting Japan after a six-year suspension of defense exchanges, Ministry of National Defense spokesperson Wu Qian states that China was willing to jointly work with the Japanese side to enhance mutual trust, accumulate consensus, and manage and control disputes.
: Draft law prohibiting people in Japanese military uniforms taking selfies outside memorials and other locations associated with the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression is submitted to the Standing Committee of the National People’s Conference for second review, with supporters stating that “the new clause mainly targets acts that glorify the Japanese invasion and invaders. It clearly states that such behavior won’t be tolerated”
: Yomiuri editorial states that tension between China and Taiwan is directly linked to Japan’s national security, and that the Japanese government should take unspecified steps to counter China’s intimidation tactics.
: Japanese Defense Ministry reveals that it has completed the design concept of fighter jets to replace the ASDF’s currently deployed F-2s.
: British journal Scientific Reports publishes findings confirming massive deposits of rare earth minerals in Japan’s exclusive economic zone near Minami-Torishima Island.
: Fourth high-level Sino-Japanese economic dialogue, and the first in eight years, opens in Tokyo.
: Yomiuri editorializes that “resolute measures” are needed against China’s maritime advances, which could “pour cold water on efforts to improve Japan-China ties.”
: Japan Times editorial applauds Xi Jinping’s promise to loosen trade restrictions, but cautions that follow-through was not automatic and should be carefully monitored.
: Japan activates its first marine unit since World War II. It is described as having been trained to counter occupation by China.
: According to Asia Times, Taiwan has been sharing with Japan information on its investigations into attacks, cyber espionage, and major data breaches. Taiwan is believed to be a testing ground for Chinese techniques before they are deployed against other countries.
: Yomiuri, in a four-part series on the defense of Japan, summarizes efforts to reinforce remote islands against China.
: Sankei Shimbun reports that Japan is to deploy an ASDF mobile radar unit in the Ogasawara Islands to monitor airspace violations and approaching foreign aircraft, to compensate for the lack of fixed radars on surrounding islands.
: Yomiuri editorializes that the recent GSDF reorganization was crucial in dealing with China, whose incursions into Japan’s territorial waters had become a normal occurrence.
: Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, responding to a statement that Japan’s Ministry of Education had amended its curriculum guidelines to teach high school students that the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands are indisputably Japanese territory, urged Japan to face squarely history and reality, educate youth with a correct view of history, and “cease stirring up troubles on the relevant issue.”
: Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana accepts three Beechcraft TC-90 planes from Japan, noting that, although the relationship between his country and China is very strong, the maritime row with China is “still a security worry.”
: A draft of Japan’s third five-year ocean plan will explicitly address security threats including China’s maritime advances.
: The GSDF announces creation of a Ground Component Command, to take effect from March 27. An Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade has been created as well. The reorganization aims to enhance the force’s ability to respond to contingencies on remote islands as well as natural disasters.
: China transfers control of its Coast Guard to the People’s Armed Police (PAP), which was placed under the command of the Central Military Commission (CMC) in January.
: The LDP’s Research Commission on National Security recommends that Japan introduce a multi-mission “defensive” aircraft carrier.
: Japanese government announces that $940 million in investments and loans will be made available to fund space start-ups, to better compete with China and other countries.
: Foreign Minister Wang Yi, in an address to the National People’s Congress, says China is willing to work with Japan to restore relations to healthy, stable growth “as long as Japan does not prevaricate, flip-flop or backpedal but accepts and welcomes China’s development.”
: Reuters reveals that the Japanese government has issued requests for information (RFIs) to the US and Britain for a new fighter plane.
: Yomiuri, Japan’s largest circulation paper, opines that Xi’s consolidation of power “bodes ill for China and the world.” Coupled with the PRC’s sustained military buildup, it is essential for neighboring countries to be vigilant.
: National Institute of Defense Studies’ (NIDS), a think tank attached to Japan’s Defense Ministry, publishes the 2018 version of its China security report, The China-US Relationship at a Crossroad.
: China reacts angrily to the NIDS report, with Ministry of National Defense spokesperson terming it “irresponsible and untenable.”
: A Nikkei analyst, citing a number of efforts China has made to improve its weapons, expand its basing rights, and produce aircraft carriers, accuses China as “acting in a way that recalls European imperialism.”
: Chinese government announces that the country’s defense budget would increase by 8.1 percent in 2018. Asahi reacts with dismay, noting that the PRC’s defense budget is already the world’s second largest even though it does not include many military outlays.
: Japan’s leading business daily describes Abe as making efforts to charm allies to counter Beijing’s growing influence, citing Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s tour of the GSDF training ground and Defense Minister Onodera Itsunori becoming the first foreign dignitary to inspect HMS Queen Elizabeth.
: Japan launches its seventh reconnaissance satellite, an optical satellite that can detect missile launches “and other things at military and other facilities” in North Korea and perhaps elsewhere in Asia.
: China Daily article advocates passage of a law prohibiting the wearing of Japanese imperial army uniforms.
: According to former MSDF executives, and despite the Defense Ministry’s denials, the helicopter destroyer Izumo was designed to be adapted as an aircraft carrier.
: Two men who posed in Japanese military uniforms at an anti-Japanese war monument in Nanjing are arrested after they upload photographs on themselves on social media. According to South China Morning Post, there have been similar instances in the past several months.
: Japan’s MSDF reports a vessel marked Min Ning De You 078 (with Min meaning Fujian, and Ningde a city in North Korea) transferring oil to a North Korean flagged tanker near Shanghai, in violation of UN sanctions. The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson states that the Chinese government attaches great importance to the information and is carrying out an investigation.
: An article in China’s Guoji Wenti Yanjiu predicts that, despite obstacles such as institutional hurdles to constitutional revision, pacifist sentiment, and the inexperience of its military, Japan’s capacity for self-defense is likely to increase in the coming years.
: At a meeting in Sydney, Japan, Australia, the US, and India discuss establishment of a joint regional infrastructure scheme as an alternative to China’s Belt and Road Initiative.
: Japanese economic growth in the last quarter of 2017 was 0.05 percent, the eighth straight quarter of growth and longest since the financial bubble of the 1980s.
: Japanese government announces that, in response to Chinese rapid military expansion it is considering introduction of the F-35B, which needs a much shorter airstrip. It has commissioned a study on the feasibility of converting the helicopter destroyer Izumo into an aircraft carrier, with the defense of Japan’s remote islands in mind.
: An article in Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post credits Japan with taking the lead in countering China’s Belt and Road initiative, citing Foreign Minister Kōno’s visit to Sri Lanka, which had given China rights to the port of Hambantota in exchange for debts.
: Eric Chuo, head of Taiwanese machinery manufacturer Hiwin Technologies announces that his company planned to make Japan its top priority in 2018. The company, with branches in nine countries, is considering building plants in Aichi, and plans to acquire a Japanese machinery maker.
: Yomiuri reports that Japan and China are making arrangements to resume military exchanges begun in 2003 but suspended since the Japanese government bought three of the five disputed Senkaku Islands from their Japanese owners in 2012.
: Chinese Vice Foreign Minister and Special Representative for Korean Peninsula Affairs Kong Xuanyou meets Japan’s Director-General of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs and chief representative for Six-Party Talks Kanasugi Kenji in Beijing.
: The first of an anticipated 10 F-35A stealth fighter jets is deployed at the Japanese ASDF base at Misawa Airbase in Aomori Province.
: A spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry expresses strong dissatisfaction with the opening of an exhibition in Tokyo to showcase Japan’s claim for the Senkaku Islands. China’s resolve to safeguard sovereignty over the Diaoyu Islands, she added was steadfast.
: Japan and France agree to conduct a joint maritime exercise in February that is described as “a show of strength against China’s ambition to make the South China Sea its stronghold.”
: Senior legislators from China and Japan meet in Tokyo and agree to work to improve ties.
: Japanese government announces plans to strengthen naval security capacities to nations in the Indian Ocean.
: Joint training exercises between the Indian and Japanese coast guards were for the first time joined by their counterparts from Sri Lanka and the Maldives.
: China Military Online comments that Japan’s announced intention to unify its capabilities in space, cyberspace, and electronic warfare under one command “is yet another step toward Japan’s ‘normalization of the military’ as well as an attempt to break the ‘purely defensive defense’ and the ‘peace constitution.’”
: Thai professor portrays his country as playing China against Japan “like a bamboo tree in the wind.”
: Conservative Japanese daily Sankei Shimbun asks how, in the face of this fresh provocation, the Abe government could say that improved relations with China were possible.
: Yomiuri reports the first government admission that a submarine, in this case accompanied by a PLAN frigate, had entered the contiguous zone near the Senkaku chain.
: Global Times editorialized that, although the submarine intrusion incident could have been addressed through diplomatic means, Japan had “hyped it up instantly, derailing its recent efforts to improve ties with China.” Jiefang Junbao, official newspaper of the PLA, added that “the Chinese military will continue to firmly defend China’s territorial sovereignty and security interests by all means necessary.”
: Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson urges Japan to stop making trouble over the Diaoyu Islands issue, protesting the entry of two MSDF ships entering the contiguous zone of Chiwei Islet.
: Japanese government announces arrangements to introduce a new missile intercept system on two of its Aegis-equipped destroyers that will be deployed in FY 2019 and 2020.
: Japanese comedian Muramoto Daisuke says if China invaded the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands Japan should immediately surrender, adding that Japan had stolen Okinawa from China. Global Times responds with an opinion piece by a Chinese student in Japan, who said that criticism of the comment revealed “erosion of the concept of free speech in Japanese society.”
: Global Times, reprinting Xinhua, has a relatively low-key response to Abe’s plans to revise the constitution, adding only that there was “staunch criticism” from opposition parties and the public. China Daily runs a cartoon showing a slyly smiling Abe cutting the lock on the cage of a large, vicious lizard, as a frightened dove tried to fly away.
: An opinion piece in Global Times argues that bilateral security cooperation between Australia and Japan is part of a plan to preserve the hegemony of the two plus India and the United States, “reframed as ‘rules-based international order’ on the pretext of supporting a peaceful and stable Indo-Pacific.”
: Xinhua announces the launch of a multi-year effort to compile previously missing historical records from 1931-1945, including “invading, looting, and other crimes of Japanese troops” to help fill in missing gaps. The study is to include an estimated 1 million characters and to be ready for publication in 2020.
: At a press conference, Prime Minister Abe Shinzo announces that his new year’s resolution is to take the net big step toward revising the constitution.
: Speaking at a meeting at a Tokyo hotel, Prime Minister Abe declares that he would like to make 2018 a year in which both the “Japanese and the Chinese people perceive that bilateral relations have greatly improved.”
: Sankei Shimbun reports the Japanese government had begun arrangements for an agreement with like-minded countries to create international rules on electronic commerce.
: Yomiuri reports the Japanese government would cooperate with China in providing aid to African states, hoping that China would make greater efforts to stop North Korean proliferation and easing the way to a Sino-Japanese summit to mark the 40th anniversary of the conclusion of the Japan-China Peace and Friendship Treaty.
: Japan’s Nikkei, citing examples from Australia, New Zealand, and Antarctica, opines that China’s behavior was “sending chills through South Pacific politics.”
: Japanese Coast Guard reports that three Chinese Coast Guard ships entered Japan’s territorial waters near Kuboshima in the Senkaku chain, leaving after an hour and 45 minutes. This is the 29th such incursion since the beginning of 2017.
: Liberal Democratic Party Secretary General Nikai Toshihiro states that Japan and China have pushed their relations to a new stage that allowed them to discuss the future together.
: Japanese government sources reveal that the Defense Ministry is mulling a plan to buy F-35 stealth fighter jets for use on the MSDF’s helicopter carriers.
: Global Times states, without giving details, that Sino-Japanese ties had finally broken out of their “slump.”
: The 11th China-Japan Comprehensive Forum on Energy Saving and Environmental Protection is held in Tokyo and 23 agreements on cooperation projects are signed.
: Following the announcement that the Japanese government plans to seek a 1.3 percent increase in the country’s defense budget, an editorial in the center-left Asahi expresses concern and calls for rigorous debate on the expenditures when the Diet reconvenes in January.
: Japan’s Defense Ministery reveals that the delivery of most of the 52 AAV-7 amphibious vehicles contracted for by the marine corps has been delayed.
: Japan and Taiwan announce the conclusion of a memorandum of understanding to enhance search and rescue at sea.
: Chinese Air Force conducts what it describes as routine air patrols, passing through the Strait of Tsushima and also conducting “encirclement” patrols close to Taiwan.
: Kyodo reports polls conducted by Japanese nonprofit think tank Genron NPO and the China International Publishing Group show a marked improvement in Chinese and Japanese views of relations between the two countries.
: A two-plus-two meeting of the British and Japanese defense and foreign ministers is held in London. The two sides agree to strengthen security operations.
: Survivors of the Japanese bombing of Chongqing during World War II protest a ruling of the Tokyo High Court affirming the judgment of a 2015 decision of a lower court that they were not entitled to compensatory damages. A lawyer for the plaintiffs announces that the group would appeal to the Japanese Supreme Court.
: Nanjing massacre is commemorated in Nanjing and other places. President Xi does not use his presence at the Nanjing event to make a speech.
: Chinese NGOs write to the Japanese Embassy in Beijing requesting an apology from the government to the victims of the Nanjing massacre and payment of compensation.
: Japanese and Chinese negotiators reach a tentative agreement designed to avert clashes in the Japanese-administered Diaoyu/Senkaku islands area.
: Japanese government sources reveal that Japan is considering the introduction of air-to-air and air-to-ship long-range cruise missiles.
: A third round of meetings between Chinese and Japanese econonomic leaders and former high-ranking officials held in Tokyo. Former Vice Premier Zeng Peiyan declares that stable, healthy Sino-Japanese relations conformed to shared interests.
: China Central Television (CCTV) suggests that Emperor Akihito’s decision to seek abdication was prompted by opposition to Abe’s plans to change Article 9 of the constitution.
: Yamaguchi Natsuo, head of Japan’s Komeitō party and coalition partner of the ruling LDP, meets Xi Jinping, carrying a letter from Abe.
: Japan announces it is considering support to companies that conduct joint projects with Chinese companies in countries along China’s Belt and Road economic zone.
: Japan announces that it would postpone until the next fiscal cycle construction on additional land it had leased to expand the JSDF base in Djibouti.
: President Xi and Djibouti President Ismail Omar Guellah announce the establishment of a strategic partnership.
: Japanese Ministry of Defense reports a decrease in the number of air defense scrambles, 51 percent of them against Chinese aircraft, for the first half of 2017.
: PM Abe and President Xi Jinping meet briefly during the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Da Nang, Vietnam.
: Japan’s Defense Ministry publishes its 2017 White Paper.
: The 15th China-Japan Security Dialogue is held in Tokyo.
: The 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.
: Xinhua reports the death of the last of the 24 former comfort women to sue the Japanese government for being pressed into providing sex services to the Japanese military during World War II.
: PM Abe attends Chinese Embassy reception for the PRC’s National Day.
: Four Chinese ships patrol area near the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands.
: China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, reacting to Abe’s calling a snap election of the Diet, warns him against changing the constitution.
: The head of Japan’s Urasenke Tea School visits China and meets with, among others, State Counselor Yang Jiechi.
: Mayor of Ishigaki City asks that islands under its administrative jurisdiction be renamed to include “Senkaku Islands” in their formal names.
: Prime Minister Abe Shinzo visits India and meets Prime Minister Narendra Modi. They agree to deepen defense ties and to cooperate to balance against China.
: Xinhua accuses the Abe administration’s FY 2018 budget request of crossing the line into offensive weaponry and violating the country’s constitution.
: Global Times editorial accuses Abe of encouraging Indian aggressiveness on the disputed Indo-Chinese border in the Himalayas to divert China’s attention from the South China Sea and relieve pressure on Japan.
: Japan attends a ministerial-level meeting with 50 African countries, pledging investment to aid their efforts to achieve self-sustaining development.
: Global Times editorial predicts that, due to its domestic difficulties, Japan will not back India in its border dispute with China, and that the only road forward for Japan is closer cooperation with China.
: Environmental ministers of China, Japan, and South Korea agree on cooperation to combat the spread of invasive species such as fire ants.
: China responds to Japanese sanctions on Chinese companies doing business with North Korea saying that unless Tokyo desists immediately “it must be responsible for the consequences.”
: Japan’s Defense Ministry requests a record-high 2.5 percent increase to 5.25 trillion yen ($48 billion) in its initial budget for fiscal 2018, to bolster security measures against North Korea’s military provocations and China’s maritime advances.
: Japan commemorates the 72nd anniversary of its surrender in World War II, with Chinese media commenting that, for the fifth year in a row, Abe did not mention remorse over Japan’s actions nor did he pledge that the country would never again engage in war. Although Abe did not attend ceremonies at the Yasukuni Shrine, nor did any currently serving Cabinet members, they noted, Abe sent a sacred masasaki branch, and numerous Diet members representing several political parties were present.
: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi warns Japan and the US against opposing China’s development of islands in the South China Sea.
: Japanese government reveals that it made several high-level requests to China to restrict its acceptance of North Korean workers, to no avail.
: Chinese media’s coverage of the anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima admonishes Japan to cease downplaying its role as an aggressor in the war and portraying itself as a victim. Only by learning from history can a recurrence of war tragedies be prevented.
: United Nations report on contributions to the UN’s budget announces that China’s share is estimated to rise to second place after the US, surpassing Japan for the first time.
: Sankei reports that Japanese Maritime SDF frogmen from a nearby Japanese ship approached two Chinese military vessels anchored at China’s newly opened base at Djibouti, and were driven away by crew members.
: Japanese government sources reveal that China has established a new mobile drilling rig near the Japan-China median line in the East China Sea.
: India’s The Pioneer daily describes the launch of the Asia-Africa Growth Corridor for Japan-India collaboration, together with Australian participation, as an initiative through which “the China challenge could be tackled.”
: Japan announces sanctions on two Chinese firms, including a bank accused of laundering North Korean cash. Five entities, including two Chinese organizations and nine individuals, are affected.
: PRC military expert disparages the new air-to-ship supersonic missiles Japan plans to deploy, describing their limited range as unable to reach aircraft carrier formations and hence a fatal shortcoming.
: Japanese Coast Guard announces that, in a first for these particular areas, two Chinese Coast Guard ship violated Japanese waters off the coasts of Tsushima and Okinoshima.
: Xi and Abe meet on sidelines of the G20 in Hamburg; Yomiuri says both must make concessions, suggesting joint development of the East China Sea gas fields. Xi responds on July 13 by proposing “separation of politics and economy.”
: China Daily states that Japan’s helicopter destroyer Izumo’s passage near China’s nine-dash line in the South China Sea and participation in exercises with a US aircraft carrier a few days earlier have been interpreted by the international community as open defiance of China’s “so-called assertiveness” in the waters.
: Four Chinese Coast Guard ships enter Japanese territorial waters near the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands.
: Chinese Foreign Ministry objects to new curricular guidelines for Japanese elementary and secondary schools that describe “China’s Diaoyu islands … as ‘inherent’ parts of Japanese territory.” Japan must face up to history and reality and stop provocation.
: Editorial in Japan’s leading business newspaper states that the time has come for the US and Japan to examine the pros and cons of joining the AIIB.
: China Daily criticizes Japan for warning its tourists to avoid activities that might arouse suspicion that they are engaging in espionage; the government should instead “issue a self-warning: efforts to whitewash the war crimes … will not succeed.”
: New volume appears in the 51-book series to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the July 7 Marco Polo Bridge incident that began the Japanese invasion of northeast China.
: China Daily opines that the birth of a panda cub at Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo might renew Sino-Japanese friendship.
: Chinese media highlights Japanese opposition parties’ resistance to a government bill that would criminalize the planning of serious crimes.
: Xinhua describes Japanese participation in an international maritime defense trade show as a “dangerous push to buddy up to Southeast Asia.”
: US government pledges that Japan will never be a bargaining chip in its trade negotiations with China.
: Article in the conservative Japan Forward argues that, because the US is losing ground in the Pacific, Japan should double its defense spending against Chinese expansionism.
: Tokyo and Beijing agree to resume high-level talks on joint resource development and avoiding unintended maritime clashes.
: Japanese defense official states that the country is seeking to increase sales of military equipment to Southeast Asia states amid growing tensions with China and North Korea.
: Delegation from China’s National People’s Congress calls on Japan to “properly handle Tibet-related issues.”
: China protests publication of The Real History of Japan, a second book by Motoya Toshio, rightist president of the APA Group, which blames Chinese soldiers for the looting and killings of the 1937 Nanjing massacre.
: China announces that a seventh Japanese national is being investigated for harming national security and violating China’s domestic law.
: Defense Minister Inada Tomomi’s address at the annual Shangri-La Dialogue decries continued unprovoked, unilateral attempts to alter the status quo in Asian seas, adding that “government ships of a certain country continue to make periodic incursions into Japanese waters,[and] construct outposts in the South China Sea… for military purposes.”
: Fourth round of high-level Sino-Japanese political talks is held in Tokyo, co-chaired by Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi and Japanese National Security Advisor Yachi Shotarō. According to Xinhua, Yang calls on the Japanese side to honor its words and abide by the relevant rules regarding the historical and Taiwan issues.”
: Global Times editorial says Abe administration’s interest in joining the AIIB is a ruse to improve relations with China while using Taiwan as a bargaining chip in negotiations and contriving an imaginary China threat as a pretext for revising Japan’s Constitution and reviving militarism.
: Japan and India agree on a broad strategy to promote development across an arc from East Asia to Africa to counter China’s expanding influence in the regions.
: Japan’s conservative Sankei Shimbun predicts that if the US withdraws from Japan, the country could not defend itself against China, since the latter’s quantitative advantages would prevail over SDF weapons that had been developed exclusively for defensive purposes. Hence Japan should not rule out the possibility of possessing nuclear weapons.
: China expresses dissatisfaction with the renaming of the former Association of East Asian Relations as the Taiwan-Japan Relations Association.
: Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga Yoshihide states that Chinese authorities had placed six Japanese nationals under detention since March on grounds they conducted illegal activities; China’s Foreign Ministry confirms the arrests on the next day. Asahi reports all six were conducting surveys for possible hot springs in cooperation with a Chinese company.
: Xinhua reports that 1,800 people had gathered in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Park to protest Prime Minister Abe’s plan to amend the Japanese Constitution.
: Argentine President Mauricio Macri, having obtained 16 agreements worth an estimated $17 billion from China, flies to Japan to seek additional funding.
: Philippine Daily Inquirer reports that the Duterte administration plans to “pivot to neighboring economic giants” by seeking loans from both China and Japan.
: Xinhua cites Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying as describing a planned meeting between the Japanese and New Zealand prime ministers as “inappropriate,” and calling on Japan to improve relations with China through concrete policies and actions.
: Japanese Foreign Ministry lodges a protest to China after four Chinese Coast Guard vessels, one of which appeared to be equipped with guns, entered Japanese waters near the disputed Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands. A drone was seen flying above. Chinese Foreign Ministry refuses to accept the protest, replying that the drone was used for aerial photography and that, since the islands belong to China, the ships and drone had a right to be there.
: Japan Times editorial observes that Beijing must address skepticism about China’s motives in establishing the OBOR, and that there is a long way to go if the plan is to serve its stated end of providing the cornerstone of a regional and global order.
: Asahi reports that Nikai carried a letter from Abe to Xi that proposed the two of them engage in regular shuttle diplomacy. Asahi adds that Nikai also called on Xi and other Chinese leaders to visit Japan by the end of next year, the 40th anniversary of the Treaty of Peace and Friendship.
: Renmin Ribao publishes an article by “Commentator,” a standard pseudonym for a high-ranking Chinese leader, stating the China must first know whether Japan is completely changing its strategy of confronting China or if the overtures are merely a strategic easing. China would warmly welcome the first, but regret the second.
: Asahi opines that since Xi’s BRI strategy is designed primarily for the advancement of Chinese investment, it can be considered a form of neocolonialism. Unless China modifies its traditional tendency to pursue only its own interests, questions will remain about its suitability as the promoter of collaborative international efforts.
: Nikai Toshihiro, secretary general of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) meets Chinese President Xi Jinping, and, according to Asahi Shimbun, says the question was not if but when Japan will join AIIB. A parallel story in Beijing’s Global Times does not mention this statement, saying only that Nikai congratulated China on the success of its Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation and cited the need to develop bilateral ties.
: Yomiuri Shimbun says Xi Jinping’s maritime Silk Road plan is inseparably linked to Chinese efforts to secure footholds for its navy through harbor improvement projects and is aimed at excluding the US from the region.
: Space News reports that the Japanese government is considering a three-satellite addition to the country’s domestic navigation system so that it would work even if China were to take out the US Global Positioning System.
: In what Asahi Shimbun terms “cutter diplomacy,” Japan supplies front-line coast guard cutters to the Philippines and Vietnam. Japan’s Coast Guard has created the post of director for international coast guard cooperation who will focus on providing support to Southeast Asian nations. Trilateral exercises including Japan, the Philippines, and Vietnam are planned.
: Editorial in Huanqiu Shibao, which is sponsored by Renmin Ribao, official newspaper of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), states that the momentum of Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiaive would be more robust with Japanese, US, and South Korean participation.
: Associated Press reports that multinational military drills off Guam designed to show support for the free passage of vessels in international waters amid concerns that China intends to restrict access to the South China Sea were postponed indefinitely after a French landing craft ran aground there.
: Yomiuri Shimbun expresses concern that the China-founded Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) could be twisted toward the PRC’s ends, and urges reform of the Asian Development Bank, whose largest financial contributor has been Japan, and all of whose nine successive presidents have been Japanese.
: Xinhua reports that four Chinese Coast Guard vessels conducted a patrol in the territorial waters off the Diaoyu/Senkaku islands on May 8.
: China Daily reports that Xiao Jie met Taro Aso, who serves concurrently as Japan’s deputy prime minister of minister of finance. They agree that dialogue is important to both sides and pledge to deepen pragmatic cooperation in the financial field.
: Yomiuri Shimbun summarizes war games sponsored by the US Sasakawa Peace Foundation involving unlikely scenarios for a Chinese-Japanese confrontation over the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands.
: Chinese Finance Minister Xiao Jie skips a trilateral meeting with Japanese and South Korean counterparts, casting doubt over the outlook for regional cooperation among the Northeast Asian powers.
: Global Times criticizes the Japanese Foreign Ministry 2017 Diplomatic Blue Book of escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula as an excuse to strengthen its military, create the conditions for revising Article 9 of its Constitution, and enhance its global influence.
: Chinese and Japanese diplomats agree to use political and diplomatic means to deal with the danger of North Korea’s development of weapons of mass destruction.
: LDP Secretary General Nikai Toshihiro announces he will attend Silk Road meeting in China in May.
: China protests when 95 Japanese lawmakers and a Cabinet member visit the Yasukuni Shrine’s Spring Festival.
: Xinhua complains about revised Japanese textbook guidelines allowing “beneficial” or “appropriate” content from Mein Kampf.
: Japanese Defense Ministry says Chinese planes accounted for 73 percent of the record number of SDF scrambles against foreign aircraft approaching Japanese air space in 2016.
: Japanese police put two Chinese women on a wanted list after acts of vandalism were committed at several shrines and temples they visited.
: Premier Li Keqiang says that China prioritizes relations with Japan.
: Food products mislabeled as Japanese discovered in Chinese cities.
: Leading Japanese commentator expresses concern that President Trump will use the US-Japanese Mutual Security Treaty as leverage for trade concessions from China, thus weakening the alliance.
: Yomiuri urges Japanese government to address potential “gray zone crisis” as China seeks to take the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands.
: Prime Minister Abe refers to Taiwan as an important partner.
: Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) panel urges Japan to acquire pre-emptive strike capabilities and to give immediate consideration to introducing THAAD.
: SDF ships will begin to protect US military vessels for the first time in peacetime, to improve deterrence against North Korea’s missile development and China’s expansion of its maritime environment.
: US military analyst urges Japan to undertake construction and station personnel on the Senkaku Islands regardless of Chinese objections.
: Diet passes 2017 defense budget, up 1.4 percent, or less than 0.926 percent of GDP.
: China complains after a Japanese Cabinet member visits Taiwan.
: Global Times notes that Japan’s commissioning of a large helicopter-carrying destroyer would increase its navy’s strike capability.
: Japan government expresses concerns over financially troubled Japanese giant Toshiba selling its computer chip business to China’s Tsinghua Unigroup Ltd.
: CCTV castigates Japanese design firm Muji for selling items manufactured in Tokyo and banned since the 2011 nuclear meltdown, although the products were actually manufactured in Osaka and Fukui, both being even further from the meltdown than Tokyo.
: Japan’s Kyodo reports an internal Chinese military magazine has declared that it has established dominance in the South China Sea, and that it has normalized patrols around the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands since 2011.
: CCTV reports that food products from the area near the Fukushima nuclear meltdown are being sold in China, resulting in a removal of products from the shelves despite a refutation issued by the importer.
: Singapore’s Channel News Asia reports that France, in a clear message to China, sent an amphibious carrier to lead exercise drills with UK troop-carrying helicopters and Japanese and US personnel around Tinian Island in the western Pacific.
: Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop supports Japan’s right to sail through the South China Sea.
: China announces 7 percent defense budget increase to $152 billion, or 1.3 percent of GDP.
: Global Times describes closer relations between Vietnam and Japan as a strategic partnership built on empty rhetoric.
: Japanese Coast Guard announces it will install video transmission devices on all 12 of its large patrol vessels charged with monitoring the security situation around the Diaoyu/Senkaku islands, enabling the Office of the Prime Minister as well as high-ranking JCG officials to watch the videos in real time.
: Japanese Coast Guard announces that China conducted 63 seabed surveys inside Japan’s East China Sea EEZ over the five years from 2012 to 2016 without prior authorization.
: According to the Chinese Tourism Academy, Japan is the third most visited country for Chinese citizens, after Thailand and South Korea. Chinese buyers are also increasingly active in the Japanese housing market.
: Japanese national engaged in bilateral youth exchange programs is arrested in Beijing on spying charges.
: Xinhua reports that Prime Minister Abe underwent a grilling from opposition parties over his name being used to solicit funds for building a nationalist elementary school.
: China’s Foreign Ministry lodges solemn representations to its Japanese counterpart over National Institute for Defense Studies (NIDS) 2017 report for sending the wrong messages to Taiwan “independence secessionist forces.”
: CCTV announces that a Japanese legislator suggested that the dispute over the Diaoyu/Senkaku islands be referred to an international arbitration tribunal as well as the issue of deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system to Japan.
: People’s Daily announces that Chinese textbooks will henceforth state that the starting time for the War of Resistance to Japanese Aggression will be moved from 1937 to 1931 “to fully reflect the crimes committed by Japanese troops during the conflict.”
: China’s minister of education complains about Japan’s revised curriculum guidelines.
: China Daily cites Ruth Benedict’s Chrysanthemum and the Sword as finding the roots of Japanese duplicity as a results of fear of the unknown and of failure.
: China Global Television Network (CGTV) announces that three Chinese Coast Guard vessels sailed around the Diaoyu Islands.
: Global Times reports that Chinese and South Korean athletes changed hotel accommodations in response to the APA hotel group’s placing of a book denying that the Nanjing Massacre actually happened.
: China’s Ministry of Defense says that Japanese Self-Defense Forces participation in US freedom of navigation operations in the South China Sea would cross a “red line.” Japanese Defense Minister Inada Tomomi reiterates that the SDF would not deploy to the South China Sea with the US Navy.
: Japan’s National Institute of Information and Communications Technology reports a 2.4-fold increase in cyberattacks in 2016 over 2015, the majority originating from China.
: Japan-China Friendship Association is officially established in Okinawa.
: China complains after US Secretary of Defense James Mattis confirms that the US-Japan Mutual Security Treaty covers the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands.
: China warns Japan against interfering in Taiwan affairs after hearing that the militaries of the two were conducting a simulated exercise.
: London’s Daily Mail reveals that the Japanese government was paying a British think tank to express concerns about China’s involvement in the UK’s Hinkley Point nuclear plant; Xinhua terms this a despicable anti-China scandal.
: China objects to the APA hotel group’s placing in guest rooms a book that denies that the Nanjing massacre ever happened.
: Japan’s Education Ministry announces a revised curriculum for elementary schools that says the Takeshima and Senkaku islands are an inherent part of Japan’s territory and adding to junior high school curricula that there is no territorial dispute with regard to the Senkaku Islands.
: Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries reveals that 67 unregistered Chinese boats fished near Japan’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) off Hokkaido and the Sanriku region in 2016, up 50 percent over 2015, many of them using illegal methods.
: Two Japanese think tanks call for the government to further increase defense spending in response to US President Donald Trump’s call for Japan to cover more of the costs of keeping US troops there.
: First US F-35B joint strike fighters arrive at Iwakuni Marine Corps Air Station “in support of the defense of Japan and the regional security of the Pacific.”
: Sankei Shimbun, citing unspecified Japanese government sources, states that Chinese government ships entered the waters continuous to the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands more than 1,000 times since the Japanese government bought three of the five from private Japanese owners in 2012.
: China’s Ministry of National Defense announces plans to build two aircraft carriers in Dairen shipyards.
: Minister of Defense Inada Tomomi visits Yasukuni Shrine; signs visitor book as “Defense Minister;” China expresses firm opposition and announces “solemn representations.”
: Japan’s unofficial representative office in Taiwan, the Interchange Association, announces that as of Dec. 31, it will operate under the name of the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association.
: Minister for Reconstruction Imamura Masahiro visits Yasukuni Shrine; China expresses firm opposition of any visit by Cabinet ministers.
: Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning transits in international waters between Okinawa and Miyakojima.
: Abe government announces record setting defense budget of $43.6 billion.
: 79th anniversary of the Nanjing Massacre.
: Japanese and Chinese foreign affairs and defense officials meet in Haikuo City to discuss implementation of air and maritime communications mechanism.
: Deputy Foreign Minister Akiba Takeo and Assistant Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyou meet in Beijing for Japan-China Security Dialogue.
: Six PLAAF planes transit in international airspace between Okinawa and Miyakojima.
: Vice Foreign Minister Liu attends Japanese Embassy reception celebrating birthday of the emperor; expresses optimism over the course of China-Japan relations in 2017.
: PM Abe and President Xi meet on sidelines of APEC meeting in Lima.
: PM Abe express concern that failure of Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) to come into effect will result in China taking leading role in Asia’s economy.
: China displays J-20 stealth fighter at Zhuhai International Air Show.
: Keidanren and China Center for International Economic Exchange bring together top business leaders in Beijing conference.
: Japan confirms Chinese resumption of exploration of activities in East China Sea.
: Japan-Taiwan hold first meeting of maritime dialogue in Tokyo.
: Japanese, Chinese, and Korean Trade Ministers meet in Tokyo; agree to cooperate in advancing trilateral free trade agreement.
: “Comfort Women” museum with two statues of “Comfort Women,” opens at Shanghai Normal University; Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga finds the display extremely regrettable.
: Former Prime Minister Hatoyama Yukio attends inaugural meeting of international advisory board of China’s Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank held in Beijing.
: PM Abe sends offering to Yasukuni Shrine, but does not visit the shrine during the Autumn Festival; approximately 90 Diet members pay homage.
: Japanese media report Chinese resumption of unilateral development activities in the East China Sea; Japan’s Foreign Ministry protests to Chinese Embassy.
: Ambassador Cheng Yonghua at PRC Embassy reception marking 67th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China calls for efforts to stabilize relations and advance development of bilateral relations.
: Tokyo Forum and Beijing Forum co-sponsor Tokyo meeting of leading Japanese and Chinese finance and business leaders.
: PM Abe delivers policy address at opening of Extraordinary session of the Diet; calls for peaceful resolution of disputes in east and South China Sea.
: Eight People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) aircraft transit in international air space between Okinawa and Miyakojima.
: Japanese Foreign Ministry posts 207 documents on its website substantiating Japanese positions on the Senkaku Islands and Takeshima.
: Keidanren and Japan-China Economic Association delegation visits Beijing.
: 85th anniversary of the Manchurian incident.
: China and Russia conduct joint naval exercises.
: Foreign Ministers Kishida Fumio and Wang Yang in telephone conversation agree to cooperate in passage of North Korea sanctions resolution at UN Security Council.
: Japanese and Chinese diplomats and defense officials meet in Hiroshima to discuss air/maritime communications mechanism and East China Sea.
: Japan announces transfer of Coast Guard patrol boats to Malaysia.
: PM Abe attends East Asian Summit in Vientiane; calls for support of Hague Tribunal ruling on the South China Sea.
: Japan announces transfer of two Coast Guard patrol boats to the Philippines.
: Prime Minister Abe Shinzo and President Xi Jinping meet on sidelines of the G20 Summit in Hangzhou; their first meeting in 17 months.
: China celebrates national holiday commemorating victory in the war against Japan. Neither President Xi Jinping nor members of the Sanding Committee attend Sept. 2 symposium commemorating the event.
: Japan’s Ministry of Defense requests 2.3 percent increase in defense spending in FY 2017.
: Foreign Minister Wang meets Foreign Minister Kishida in Tokyo.
: Foreign Minister Wang meets LDP Secretary General Nikai.
: National Security Advisor Yachi Shotaro meets Premier Li and State Councilor Yang in Beijing.
: Seventy-first anniversary of the end of World War II.
: LDP Secretary General Nikai meets Ambassador Cheng to transmit Japanese concerns with China’s repeated incursions into Japanese territorial waters.
: Foreign Minister Kishida calls in Ambassador Cheng to protest; charges that Chinese actions have led to a marked deterioration in relations.
: Ambassador Yokoi protests Chinese presence in Senkaku Islands.
: 200-300 Chinese fishing boats accompanied by Coast Guard ships enter Japan’s contiguous zone near the Senkakus; incursions into Japanese territorial waters ensue.
: Vice Foreign Minister Sugiyama calls in China’s Ambassador Cheng to protest.
: Abe government approves Defense of Japan 2016 White Paper. China’s Ministry of National Defense brands paper as “full of lousy clichés.”
: Keizai Doyukai delegation visits Beijing; meets with Tang Jiaxuan, former president of China-Japan Friendship Association.
: Former Taiwan President Lee Teng-hui visits Japan.
: Foreign Ministers Kishida and Wang meet during ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting in Vientiane.
: Newly appointed Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Sugiyama Shinsuke visits China, meets Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Zhang Yesui.
: Foreign Minister Kishida denies July 12 UNCLOS Arbitral Tribunal ruling affects status of Okinotori Island.
: China Daily (electronic edition) reports former Prime Minister Hatoyama Yukio is appointed to serve on international advisory board of Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.
: Prime Minister Abe Shinzo meets Premier Li Keqiang during Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) in Ulaanbaatar.
: Permanent Court of Arbitration issues ruling in favor of the Philippines in South China Sea case.
: Sixty-ninth anniversary of the Marco Polo Bridge incident; President Xi does not attend ceremonies.
: China’s Ministry of National Defense issues statement charging Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) with using fire-control radar to lock onto Chinese aircraft.
: LDP’s National Defense Committee adopts resolution calling on the government to protest Chinese actions.
: PLA Navy ship enters Japan’s territorial waters.
: People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) ships enter Japan’s contiguous zone; Vice Minister Saiki Akitaka calls in China’s Ambassador Cheng Yonghua to protest.
: Defense Minister Nakatani Gen at Shangri-La Dialogue, without naming China, calls attention to island construction in the South China Sea.
: Japan’s Foreign Ministry posts pictures of renewed Chinese oil and gas exploration in the East China Sea on its home page.
: Mitsubishi Material Corp. announces apology and compensation for Chinese victims of forced labor in Japan during World War II.
: Institute for Japanese Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences issues 2016 Blue Book Report on Japan; cites Abe government’s security legislation as posing a grave threat to areas surrounding China.
: G7 leaders meet in Ise, Japan and issue statement on maritime security.
: Ambassador Yokoi Yutaka arrives in Beijing.
: Ambassador Kitera Masato holds farewell press conference; expresses hope for future oriented Japan-China relationship.
: LDP-Komeito delegation of Parliamentary Union for Japan-China Friendship visits Beijing.
: Taiwan protests Japanese Coast Guard seizure of Taiwanese fishing boat in the vicinity of Okinotori Island; China supports Taiwan’s protest.
: Foreign Minister Kishida visits Beijing and meets Foreign Minister Wang and Premier Li.
: LDP General Council Secretary Nikai Toshihiro visits Beijing, meets high-level Chinese officials, and attends China-Japan-Korea International Forum.
: Japanese Coast Guard seizes Taiwanese fishing boat in Japan’s claimed EEZ in the vicinity of Okinotori Island.
: A 92 member supra-party delegation of Diet members’ led by Cabinet Minister Takaichi Sanae, visits Yasukuni Shrine.
: Japan announces first flight of unarmed prototype stealth jet.
: Prime Minister Abe sends offering to Yasukuni Shrine during the Spring Festival. China asks Japan to “deeply reflect on its invasion history” and make “a clean break with militarism.”
: JASDF aircraft scramble against Chinese reconnaissance aircraft over international waters between Okinawa and Miyako Island.
: Kitaoka Shinichi, head of Japan’s International Cooperation Agency, tells television audience that China, through militarization of sites in the South China Sea, is slowly working by a show of force to change the status quo in the South China Sea.
: Japan issues Diplomatic Blue Book.
: Xinhua reports that a Chinese military aircraft landed on Fiery Cross Reef to evacuate suddenly ill workers to a hospital site.
: Japanese government releases 750 new documents substantiating Japanese claims to Takeshima and the Senkaku islands. China’s Foreign Ministry responds that the Diaoyu Dao and affiliated islands are China’s inherent territory…sovereignty …is fully backed by historical and jurisprudence evidence.”
: China’s Ministry of National Defense confirms visit of Gen. Fan Changlong, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, to several land-reclamation sites in the South China Sea.
: Japanese business delegation led by Kono Yohei meets Vice Premier Wang Yang in Beijing.
: JMSDF destroyers visit Cam Ranh Bay. Defense Minister Nakatani Gen emphasizes importance of the freedom to the seas to Japan’s security and commits Japan to working with the US and Australia to support peace and stability in the region.
: JMSDF destroyer Ise participates in international naval review off Padang, Indonesia.
: Japan’s Fair Trade Commission and China’s Ministry of Commerce sign memorandum agreeing to share information of mergers and acquisitions and to meet annually.
: G7 foreign ministers meet in Hiroshima.
: Former Prime Minister Hatoyama appointed honorary professor at Sian University of Communications.
: Three PLA Navy ships transit in international waters between Okinawa and Miyakojima.
: Japanese and Chinese diplomats meet in Tokyo to discuss North Korea sanctions. China is represented by Wu Dawei, Beijing’s representative to and chair of the Six-Party Talks.
: Two Japanese destroyers, the JS Ariake and JS Setogiri, and the submarine Oyashio make a port call to Subic Bay.
: Abe government’s new security legislation goes into effect.
: Japan establishes observation unit on Yonaguni Island.
: Abe Cabinet approves appointment of Yokoi Yutaka as ambassador to China.
: Former Prime Minister Fukuda meets Foreign Minister Wang on sidelines of Boao Form in Hainan. They agree on the need to take steps to improve relations.
: Xiamen municipal government hosts investment seminar in Tokyo. During 2015 Chinese municipal and provincial governments held 49 investment seminars in Japan, an increase of 49 percent over 2014.
: Japan-China vice-ministerial dialogue on agriculture resumes in Beijing after six-year hiatus.
: Prime Minister Abe attends Coast Guard graduation ceremony in Maizuru, becoming the first prime minister to attend Coast Guard graduation.
: Foreign Ministers Kishida and Wang Yi confer by phone on DPRK sanctions.
: Japan releases Foreign Aid White Paper, emphasizing ASEAN and sea lane security in Southeast Asia.
: US 7th Fleet, Philippine Navy, and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) hold consultations in Manila.
: Sansha City mayor announces commercial flights to and from Woody Island.
: China releases 2016 defense budget during National People’s Congress.
: China’s National People’s Congress meets in Beijing.
: China’s Assistant Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyou meets Japan’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sugiyama Shinsuke in Tokyo.
: China’s Global Times reports that a Japanese mission to clear space junk from earth’s orbit was a failure.
: Chinese intelligence-gathering ship operates in international waters off Japan’s Boso Peninsula.
: Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga Yoshihide announces that Chinese authorities arrested Japanese citizen on charges of spying; he says Japan does not engage in spying.
: Japan’s Ministry of Defense announces Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) scramble against Chines aircraft over the Sea of Japan.
: Japanese, Chinese, and Korean ministers of education meet in Seoul.
: Prime Minister Abe’s policy address to the Diet.
: China’s Ministry Commerce announces a 25.2 percent drop in Japanese investment in China to $3.21 billion in 2015.
: Foreign Minister Kishida announces his intention to visit China in the spring.
: Japanese media report coordination underway to resume Japan-China high-level economic dialogue, agreed to by Prime Minister Abe and President Xi Jinping in November, 2015. The meeting would be the first in five years.
: Prime Minster Abe, during Upper House Budget Committee meeting, congratulates Tsai Ing-wen on her election as Taiwan’s president; he looks to strengthening Japan-Taiwan ties.
: Jin Liqun, president of China’s Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, announces that the bank is open to Japanese and US participation.
: Foreign Minister Kishida Fumio holds telephone conversation with Chinese and Russian counterparts to coordinate response to North Korean nuclear test.
: Prime Minister Abe Shinzo presents report on Japan’s diplomacy to the Diet.
: China’s Foreign Ministry reports civilian test flight to land reclamation site in the South China Sea.
: Abe Akie, wife of PM Abe, visits Yasukuni Shrine.
: PLAN intelligence-gathering ship operates in international waters of Japan’s Boso Peninsula.
: LDP’s panel dedicated to the study of history holds first meeting.
: Kyodo News Service reports that China in 2016 will replace Japan as the second largest contributor to the UN’s peacekeeping budget.
: Japan-China-ROK director general talks on the trilateral free trade agreement are held in Japan.
: Nanjing marks anniversary of Nanjing Massacre; neither President Xi or Premier Li attend ceremonies.
: Japanese and Chinese vice minsters meet in Beijing to advance the spring 2016 Japan-China ministerial-level economic dialogue.
: Foreign Minister Kishida in Tokyo address raises issues related to China’s activities in the South China Sea.
: Nanjing’s War History Museum opens new exhibition in advance of Dec. 13 anniversary of Nanjing Massacre.
: Japanese and Chinese officials meet in Amoy to discuss South China Sea issues and implementation of maritime communication mechanism.
: LDP Secretary General Tanigaki Sadakazu and Komeito Secretary General Inoue Yoshihisa meet Yu Zhengsheng, chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Committee in Beijing.
: PM Abe and President Xi meet for brief conversation while in France.
: Japan-China Energy Forum held in Tokyo; government and private sector participants agree to promote 26 projects.
: Japan’s Ministry of Defense postpones plans to deploy 500 GSDF troops to Ishigaki Island in Okinawa until next five-year defense build-up plan (FY2019-2023).
: PM Abe and Premier Li meet for brief conversation during East Asian Summit in Kuala Lumpur.
: PM Abe attends G20 Summit in Turkey; raises issues related to South China Sea with German, Australian, British leaders and with European Commission president.
: China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson says that land-reclamation projects in the South China Sea are taking place within the area of China’s sovereignty.
: Top Japanese and Chinese business executives meet in Tokyo.
: PM Abe tells Upper House Budget Committee that he wants to keep options open and fully deliberate regarding issues related to the South China Sea.
: Foreign Minister Kishida tells NHK audience that issues related to the South China Sea are matters of legitimate concern to Japan.
: President Xi in speech delivered in Singapore asserts that historically islands in the South China Sea were part of China.
: PM Abe welcomes first 99 Chinese students participating in the Japan-China youth exchange program established in May.
: Foreign Minister Kishida at ASEM meeting in Luxemburg calls attention to unilateral efforts to change the status quo in the South China Sea.
: Minister of Defense Nakatani and Chinese counterpart Wang meet in Kuala Lumpur on the sidelines of the ADDM Plus to discuss South China Sea issues and early implementation of maritime communication mechanism.
: Premier Li meets delegation of Japanese business executives.
: Premier Li, PM Abe and South Korean President Park Geun-hye hold a trilateral summit in Seoul, the first such meeting since 2012.
: PM Abe and Premier Li meet in Seoul.
: Permanent Court of Arbitration accepts Philippines’ submission on the South China Sea; Beijing rejects any decision as null and void.
: Curator of Nanjing War museum asks Miyazaki Prefecture for return of three cornerstones taken from Nanjing by the Imperial Army.
: China’s ambassador to the UN General Assembly’s First Committee on Disarmament raises concerns with regard to Japan’s growing stockpile of fissile material.
: Supra-party delegation of 70 Diet members visits the Yasukuni Shrine.
: President Xi in dinner remarks in London recalls Japan’s wartime atrocities.
: Japan’s Ministry of Defense releases data on scrambles against Chinese aircraft for first six months of Japan’s April-September fiscal year.
: Chief Cabiniet Secretary Suga announces that PM Abe has made an offering in his private capacity to the Yasukuni shrine during the autumn festival.
: Former DPJ Foreign Minister Maehara Seiji in remarks in Beijing calls on China to assume responsibilities of a great power.
: Komeito leader Yamaguchi Natsuo, at invitation of CCP, attends conference in Beijing and meets President Xi Jingping.
: State Councilor Yang meets with PM Abe at the Kantei.
: Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi and Head of the Japanese National Security Council Yachi Shotaro co-chair the second China-Japan high-level political dialogue in Tokyo.
: UNESCO adds new documents to the Memory of the World Register, including, at China’s request, documents related to the Nanjing Massacre.
: LDP General Council Chairman Nikai raises possibility of Japan stopping financial contributions to UNESCO in the event UNESCO acts to add documents relating to the Nanjing Massacre to the Memory of the World Register
: Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) Secretary General Edano Yukio meets Taiwan’s Tsai ing-wen, Democratic Progressive Party candidate for president of Taiwan.
: Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga announces Chinese detention of Japanese nationals on charges of spying.
: Chinese Ambassador Cheng Yonghua hosts reception marking 66th anniversary of the founding of the PRC; extols China-Japan friendship and cooperation as in the interests of both peoples; does not refer to Diaoyu/Senkaku issues in his remarks.
: Japanese Diet passes legislation that reinterprets self-defense and gives the government the authority to send Self-Defense Forces overseas to defend allies, even if Japan itself is not under attack. China criticizes the legislation as destabilizing to regional security.
: PM Abe after meeting with Vietnamese Communist Party General Secretary Trong expresses concerns with China’s land reclamation project in the South China Sea.
: Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga expresses concern over China’s unilateral development of natural gas fields in the East China Sea.
: Chinese Adm. Yuan Yubai tells London conference that South China Sea belongs to China.
: PM Abe reelected Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) president in uncontested leadership contest.
: Japanese and ASEAN vice-minsters of defense meet in Sapporo; they agree on importance of freedom of maritime and air navigation.
: Finance Minister Aso Taro at meeting of G20 finance ministers says Chinese response to Shanghai stock market fluctuations shows that China “is not a normal country.”
: China marks 70th anniversary of the end of the war against Japan with victory parade in Beijing.
: Japan Self-Defense Force participates in joint exercise with US military off the coast of California.
: Former Prime Minister Murayama attends Chinese Embassy in Japan reception to mark 70th anniversary of China’s victory in the war against Japan.
: Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga criticizes Xinhua article on Aug. 25 as pouring water on recent improvement in Japan-China relations brought about by two summit meetings.
: Foreign Minister Kishida informs Upper House Diplomatic and Defense Committee that Japan has protested Chinese incursions into Japanese territorial waters in the Senkaku Islands.
: Japanese Coast Guard request ¥4.4 billion/$36.3 million for FY 2016 to enhance capabilities to deal with increasing Chinese Coast Guard and fishing boats in Senkaku Islands; Miyakojima Coast Guard Station upgraded to Coast Guard Office.
: Abe government announces that it will not send an official representative to Sept. 3 victory parade; China announces former Prime Minister Murayama will attend.
: China announces representatives from 49 countries will attend Sept. 3 victory parade in Beijing.
: Xinhua releases article calling on Japan’s emperor to apologize for the war; Japan lodges diplomatic protest on Aug. 27.
: Prime Minister Abe tells Upper House Budget Committee that he will not attend Sept. 3 event in Beijing and will postpone visit to China.
: China and Russia conduct joint exercise in the Sea of Japan.
: Japan’s Ministry of Defense releases record ¥5,091 trillion/$41 billion budget request for FY 2016.
: LDP General Council Chairman Nikai tells reporters that he is confident of an early Japan-China summit; supports “shelving” of Senkaku issue.
: Emperor expresses “deep remorse” at the National Day of Remembrance for the War Dead at commemorative ceremonies; Prime Minister Abe attends.
: Anti-Japanese war memorial opens in San Francisco’s Chinatown; two officials of China’s State Council, a former deputy chief of mission at the Chinese embassy in Washington attend the ceremony.
: Prime Minister Abe releases Cabinet statement on the war and the future.
: Foreign Ministers Kishida and Wang meet on the sidelines of the ARF meeting.
: Advisory Panel on the History of the 20th Century and Japan’s Role in the World Order in the 21st Century submits final report to Prime Minister Abe.
: Foreign Minister Wang Yi cautions countries that not parties to the South China Sea dispute to refrain from meddling.
: Chinese boat, crew, and captain taken into custody under suspicion of coral poaching off Nagasaki prefecture; released the following day after paying fine.
: Four PLA aircraft transit in international airspace between Okinawa and Miyakojima; Air Self-Defense Force aircraft scrambles in response.
: China’s Foreign Ministry calls Japan’s request to stop East China Sea gas exploration “unjustified” and defends China’s actions as “completely appropriate and legal.”
: China’s Foreign Ministry criticizes Japan for allowing visit of former Taiwan President Lee Teng hui.
: Former Taiwan President Lee Teng-hui visits Japan and meets Diet members and Prime Minister Abe.
: Abe government releases aerial photos of new Chinese exploration platforms in the East China Sea.
: Abe Cabinet approves release of Japan’s 2015 Defense White Paper.
: Japan’s Lower House adopts security legislation expanding the definition of the right to collective self-defense.
: Secretary General of Japan’s National Security Council Yachi visits China and meets State Councilor Yang Jiechi and Premier Li Keqiang.
: Japan’s Ministry of Defense announces 114 fighter scrambles against Chinese aircraft in April-June period, an increase of 21 over the January-March period.
: Minister of Defense Nakatani Gen tells Lower House that China’s new oil and gas platforms in East China Sea could have military uses.
: 78th anniversary of Marco Polo Bridge incident is commemorated in China.
: Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga Yoshihide announces protest of China’s unilateral development of oil and gas fields in the East China Sea.
: Prime Minister Abe and Vietnamese Prime Minster Nguyen Tan Dung express concern over Chinese land reclamation in the South China Sea.
: Abe government announces plans to establish special unit dedicated to policing territorial waters, including the Senkakus.
: Chinese Embassy cautions Japan against involvement in South China Sea.
: Japan-Philippines conduct naval exercise off the coast of Palawan in the South China Sea.
: Prime Minister Abe Shinzo tells Hong Kong Phoenix TV that Japan will never repeat the disasters of the war.
: Global Times announces Chinese plans to build large-scale Coast Guard base in Wenzhou.
: Yomiuri Shimbun reports China is building a large coast guard base in Wenzhou, 356 km from the Senkakus.
: China accepts November visit of Japan’s war orphans, the first visit in six years.
: Chinese and Japanese finance ministers meet in Beijing, the first meeting in three years.
: Chinese and Japanese officials meet in Beijing to discuss cooperation under extradition treaty.
: Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga Yoshihide assails Chinese conduct in creating artificial islands in the South China Sea emphasizing the importance of rule of law.
: China’s MND releases China’s Military Strategy report.
: LDP General Council Chairman Nikai Toshihiro leads 3,000-member delegation of business leaders and Japan-China Friendship organizations to Beijing.
: China’s Ministry of National Defense (MND) announces People’s Liberation Air Force (PLAAF) bombers transit in international airspace between Okinawa and Miyakojima for exercises in the western Pacific.
: China, Japan, and ROK hold third counter-terrorism consultations in Beijing.
: China Academy of Social Sciences releases 2014 Japan Blue Book and notes opportunity to improve relations but continuing lack of trust.
: Japan-Philippines hold joint exercises in South China Sea.
: Former Minister of Finance Nukaga Fukushiro visits Beijing and meets Tang Jiaxuan and Zhu Zhensheng, the fourth-ranking member of the Politburo and Chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.
: Japanese, Chinese and Korean finance ministers meet in Baku, Azerbajian.
: Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Vice President Komura Masahiko and Komeito deputy leader Kitagawa Kazuo lead supra-party of Japan-China Parliamentarians Friendship Union to Beijing and meet Tang Jiaxuan, head of China-Japan Parliamentarians Friendship Union and Zhang Dejiang, third-ranking member of the Politburo Standing Committee.
: Japan-China Science and Technology Commission meets in Beijing.
: Three ministers in the Abe Cabinet visit Yasukuni Shrine.
: PM Abe addresses Asia-Africa Summit in Bandung, Indonesia expresses remorse over the war but no apology.
: President Xi and PM Abe meet during Asia-Africa Summit.
: PM Abe makes offering at Yasukuni Shrine during the spring festival.
: Premier Li Keqiang meets former Chief Cabinet Secretary Kono Yohei, the first meeting by Li with a Japanese political figure since nationalization of the Senkaku Islands.
: Delegation from China’s National People’s Congress visits Tokyo to meet Japanese counterparts.
: Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga expresses thanks to PLA Navy for helping Japanese citizen evacuate from Yemen On April 6.
: PM Abe sends greetings to celebration of Japan-China Traditional Cultural Arts in Beijing; hails the event as ushering in a new era in Japan-China friendship.
: LDP Secretary General Tanigaki and Komeito Secretary General Inoue visit China and meet Yu Zhengsheng, fourth ranking CCP official, Wang Jiaru, head of CCP International Department, and Tang Jiaxuan, head of China-Japan Friendship Committee.
: Yonagumi local election supports deployment of Ground Self-Defense Force to the island by vote of 632 to 445.
: Chinese, Korean, and Japanese foreign ministers meet in Seoul, their first meeting in three years; Chinese and Japanese foreign ministers hold separate bilateral meeting.
: LDP’s Foreign Policy section adopts resolution calling on government to use every means possible to stop Chinese incursions into the Senkaku Islands.
: Senior Japanese and Chinese Foreign Ministry and Defense officials meet in Tokyo for the first time in four years.
: LDP Secretary General Tanigaki and Komeito Secretary General Inoue meet PM Abe to brief on their upcoming visit to China.
: Prime Minister Li Keqiang calls on Japan to bear responsibility for wartime acts of aggression.
: Abe government announces new overseas development assistance policy adding “national interest” as criteria for considering projects; non-military aid to foreign militaries will be considered on case by case basis.
: Japan’s National Institute for Defense Studies publishes its 2014 China National Security Report.
: China announces 10.1 percent increase in the defense budget.
: PM Abe tells Upper House Budget Committee that he is not a denier of history.
: China’s Foreign Minister Wang chairs UN Security Council; opens debate on Maintaining International Peace and Security by calling attention to 70th anniversary of the end of the war; refers to continuing existence of history deniers.
: Liberal Democratic Party’s Harada Yoshitake introduces a 1969 Chinese State Bureau of Surveying and Mapping that identifies Senkaku Islands in Japanese characters.
: Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga Yoshihide announces creation of advisory panel to draft a statement to be issued by PM Abe commemorating 70th anniversary of the end of the war.
: China-Japan Friendship Hospital in Beijing shortens website name to China-Japan Hospital; hospital authorities say the change is unrelated to state of relations.
: Chinese Embassy in Tokyo hosts New Year celebration; Ambassador Cheng Yonghua expresses hope that Abe government will sincerely reflect on history.
: Japanese and Chinese officials discuss maritime issues in Yokohama.
: Yokohama prosecutors bring proceedings against captain of Chinese vessel arrested for coral poaching on Dec. 21, 2014.
: China’s Ministry of Commerce indicates a 38.4 percent drop in Japanese direct investment in China for 2014.
: Japan Coast Guard proposes construction of three new ships to deal with Chinese coral poaching.
: Japanese and Chinese defense and coast guard officials meet in Tokyo to discuss issues related to a maritime crisis management mechanism.
: Prime Minister Abe Shinzo in his first press conference of 2015 says his government will uphold statements of previous governments in their entirety with regard to history issues.
: Emperor Akihito New Year’s Thoughts calls for a study of history of the war going back to the Manchurian Incident.
: Chinese Coast Guard ships Haijian 2102, 2166, and 2401 enter Japan’s contiguous zone near the Senkakus; replies to Japan Coast Guard warning that they are carrying a regular patrol in Chinese administered waters.
: Sankei Shimbun reports that Abe government will request funds for construction of three new Coast Guard ships in its supplemental budget.
: Japan-China environment ministers meet in Beijing.
: Japan’s Comprehensive Ocean Policy Office meets; commits to review policy to maintain remote islands territorial integrity.
: Chinese Coast Guard ships Haijian 2102, 2166, and 2401 enter Japan’s contiguous zone near the Senkakus.
: Japan Ministry of Defense reports four PLA ships pass through Soya Strait between Sakhalin and Hokkaido into the northern Pacific; on Dec. 28, the ships return to East China Sea though Tsushima Strait.
: Japan Coast Guard observes Chinese research ship in Japan EEZ.
: Nakatani Gen becomes Japan’s minister of defense.
: Chinese Coast Guard ships Haijian 2166 and 2401 enter Japan’s territorial waters in the Senkakus, marking the 31st incursion in 2014.
: Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga Yoshihide refuses to comment on reports that China is constructing radar facilities 300 km from the Senkakus, but states that the government is paying careful attention to China’s expanding maritime activities in the East China Sea.
: Japan Coast Guard arrests Chinese ship captain for coral poaching in Japan’s territorial waters.
: LDP-Komeito coalition wins election victory in Japan; Xinhua warns against “right-wing” trend in Japanese politics.
: Chinese Coast Guard ships Haijian 2112, 2113 and 2305 operate within Japan’s contiguous zone near the Senkakus.
: China commemorates 77th anniversary of the Nanjing Massacre.
: Japan’s Ministry of Defense reports PLA ships return from exercises in western Pacific passing in international waters between Okinawa and Miyakojima.
: Japan Ministry of Defense reports People’s Liberation Army (PLA) ships pass through international waters between Okinawa and Miyakojima to conduct exercises in the western Pacific.
: JASDF scrambles in response to PLA Air Force (one Y-9, intelligence gathering aircraft; two Y-8 early warning aircraft, and two H-6 bombers) flights through international airspace between Okinawa and Miyakojima; PLA planes did not enter Japan’s airspace.
: Chinese Coast Guard ships Haijian 2112, 2113, and 2305 operate in Japan’s contiguous zone near the Senkakus. When warned by Japanese Coast Guard not to enter Japan’s territorial waters, Chinese ships reply that the Japanese ships are in Chinese administered waters and ask Japanese ships to observe Chinese laws and regulations.
: New Japan-China Friendship Committee for the 21st Century meets in Beijing for the first time in three years; Japanese delegation meets Premier Li.
: Japan-China Mekong policy dialogue meets in Beijing.
: Chinese and Japanese authorities attend ceremonies in Jilin province to mark opening of facility to dispose of chemical weapons abandoned by the Imperial Army.
: Japan, China, and ROK trade ministers meet in Tokyo.
: Japan, China, and ROK health ministers meet in Beijing.
: Japanese regional banks hold business fair in Dalian.
: Chinese Coast Guard ships Haijijan 2101, 2151, and 2337 operate in Japan’s contiguous zone near the Senkakus; on Nov. 29, the ships entered Japan’s territorial waters.
: China’s Ministry of Commerce reports a 42.9 percent decline in Japanese investment in China for the period January-October 2014.
: PM Abe and President Xi meet for 25 minutes at APEC forum in Beijing.
: Foreign Ministers Kishida and Wang meet in Beijing; Kishida raises issue of coral poaching in Japan’s EEZ.
: Chinese and Japanese governments release four-paragraph statement on bilateral relations.
: PLA officers participate in an Asia-Pacific Multilateral Security Cooperation Program in Tokyo for the first time in two years.
: Japanese and Chinese police officials meet in Tokyo to discuss issues related to criminal activities related to drugs and cyber crime.
: National Security Advisor Yachi Shotaro meets State Councilor Yang Jiechi in Beijing to advance Abe-Xi summit.
: Chinese Coast Guard ships Haijian 2305 and 2401 enter Japan’s territorial waters near the Senkakus.
: Former Prime Minister Fukuda Yasuo meets President Xi in Beijing.
: Foreign Minister Wang tells reporters it is an “objective fact” that there are problems between China and Japan; he hopes Japan would face issues squarely with sincerity.
: Scholars and members of Chinese and Japanese NGOs meet in Beijing to discuss security issues.
: Japanese and Chinese private-sector groups agree to establish foundation to provide financial support to Chinese suffering from exposure to chemical weapons abandoned by Japan’s Imperial Army.
: Chinese ships conduct research in Japan EEZ with prior notification.
: Chinese Coast Guard Haijian 2101, 2112, and 2305 operate in Japan’s contiguous zone near the Senkakus; on Oct. 30 they enter Japan’s territorial waters.
: Liberal Democratic Party General Council Chairman Nikai Toshihio broaches idea of removal of Class-A war criminals enshrined at Yasukuni Shrine.
: China, Japan, and ROK hold consultations on cybersecurity in Beijing.
: Chinese ships conduct research in Japan EEZ without prior notification.
: Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications Takaichi Sanae and 110 members of the Diet pay homage at Yasukuni Shrine during autumn festival.
: Japanese Coast Guard arrests captain of Chinese fishing boat for poaching red coral in Japan’s EEZ.
: Chinese Coast Guard’s Haijian 2101, 2112, and 2305 operate in Japan’s contiguous zone near the Senkakus; on Oct. 18, they enter Japan’s territorial waters.
: PM Abe and Premier Li Keqiang shake hands at Asia-Europe Meeting in Italy.
: Hong Kong authorities deny port clearance to Chinese civic group attempting to depart for Diaoyu Islands.
: PM Abe, during Upper House Budget Committee meeting, tells members that he senses China is positive to the idea of improving relations.
: Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) fighters scramble against flight of Chinese intelligence aircraft in the area of overlapping Japan-China ADIZs.
: China celebrates Martyrs Day as a national holiday for the first time.
: PM Abe calls again for a summit with President Xi.
: Symposium on Japan-China relations sponsored by Genrron NPO and China Daily is held in Tokyo.
: PM Abe calls for a summit with President Xi.
: Foreign Ministers Kishida Fumiko and Wang Yi meet in New York City.
: High-Level Consultations on Maritime Affairs meeting held in Qingdao.
: PM Abe calls for a summit with President Xi Jinping.
: Haijian 2101, 2115, 2151, and 2410 operate in Japan’s contiguous zone near the Senkakus.
: Japan-China Economic Association delegation meets officials in Beijing.
: Haijian 2101, 2115, 2151, and 2401 operate in Japan’s contiguous zone near the Senkakus, marking the 42nd consecutive day of Chinese Coast Guard operations in the area.
: Former Taiwan President Lee Teng-hui visits Japan.
: Japan, China, and ROK finance ministers meet for first time in two years on sidelines of G-20 in Australia.
: Second anniversary of Japan’s nationalization of the Senkaku Islands.
: Four Chinese Coast Guard ships Haijian 2101, 2166, 2350, and 2337 enter Japan’s territorial waters.
: PM Abe, while in Bangladesh, calls for summit with President Xi Jinping.
: Prime Minister Abe Shinzo reshuffles his Cabinet, appointing two lawmakers with close connections to China.
: China commemorates victory over Japan in World War II.
: Japan’s Ministry of Defense requests a 3.5 percent increase in the defense budget for FY 2015.
: Japan’s Ministry of Defense announces ¥3.5 trillion budget request for FY 2015, a 3.5 percent increase.
: Mainichi Shimbun reports Li Xiaolin, head of Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries and confidant of President Xi, is considering a visit to Japan late September or early October.
: Haijian 2101, 2113, 2146, and 2305 enter Japan’s territorial waters.
: China hits Japanese auto parts makers with approximately $200 million fines for alleged price fixing.
: PM Abe does not pay homage at the Yasukuni Shrine, making a sakaki offering instead. However, 84 members of the Diet, a supra-party delegation and three Cabinet-level officials visit the shrine.
: Yomiuri Shimbun reports the LDP will likely submit legislation to autumn Diet session to designate remote but inhabited islands, close to national borders as “special border remote islands,” authorizing infrastructure construction/SDF facilities on the designated islands.
: Foreign Ministers Kishida Fumio and Wang Yi meet during ASEAN Foreign Ministers meeting in Myanmar, marking the first meeting between Chinese and Japanese foreign ministers in close to two years.
: PM Abe in Sankei Shimbun interview speaks to the importance of Japan-China relations and of the need for both countries to make efforts to improve ties.
: Chinese Coast Guard ships enter Japan’s contiguous zone near the Senkakus. On Aug. 12, three ships enter Japan’s territorial waters and patrol for four hours.
: PM Abe tells press conference in Sao Paolo that it is important for both Japan and China to make quiet efforts toward the realization of a summit.
: China marks 120th anniversary of the 1894-95 Sino-Japanese War.
: Japan announces names for 158 uninhabited islands including five in the Senkakus; China protests action as undermining Chinese sovereignty.
: Former Prime Minister Fukuda makes a secret visit to Beijing; he meets President Xi and relays Abe’s interest in an Abe-Xi meeting.
: Former LDP Vice President Yamasaki Taku meets former Councilor Tang in Beijing. Yamasaki explores possibility of Abe-Xi meeting and Tang replies that under current conditions such a meeting would be difficult to realize.
: PM Abe in speech at Shimonoseki calls for meeting with President Xi during APEC meeting in Beijing.
: PM Abe in remarks before Upper House Budget Committee calls for meeting with President Xi.
: Chinese Coast Guard ships Haijin 2101 and 2151 enter Japanese territorial waters near the Senkakus.
: Chinese Coast Guard ships Haijian 2012, 2113, and 2146 are found operating in Japan’s contiguous zone near the Senkakus.
: Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga on television news program expresses hope for an Abe-Xi meeting at APEC in November.
: China marks 77th anniversary of the Marco Polo Bridge Incident.
: Premier Li Keqiang in joint press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel calls attention to the importance of future generations learning the lessons of history.
: PM Abe in a Yomiuri Shimbun interview calls for a meeting with President Xi without preconditions during APEC meeting in November.
: Chinese Coast Guard ships Haijian 2101 and 2151 enter Japan’s territorial waters near the Senkakus. Challenged by the Japanese Coast Guard to withdraw, the Chinese ships reply that Diaoyu Island and related islands are historically part of China.
: President Xi Jinping in remarks at Seoul National University reminds the audience of Japan’s 20th century militarism.
: Director General for Asian and Oceanic Affairs Ihara meets his Chinese counterpart in Beijing to explore the possibility of an Abe-Xi meeting.
: Abe Cabinet announces decision to reinterpret Japan’s constitution to allow for the exercise of the right of collective self-defense. China’s Foreign Ministry questions whether Japan is moving from the path of peaceful development.
: Beijing city begins week-long patriotic activities leading to the July 7 anniversary of the Marco Polo Bridge Incident.
: Chinese Coast Guard ships Haijian 2102, and 2146 are found operating in Japan’s contiguous zone; they enter Japan’s territorial waters on June 30.
: Chairman Tadamoto meets Wang Jiarui, head of the CCP’s International Department. Wang echoes Yu’s talking points and adds that there is no point in holding a summit if Abe continues to hold his wrong positions toward China.
: Japan’s Minister of Transportation Ota Akihiro arrives in Beijing, marking the first visit of a Cabinet Minister to Beijing since nationalization of the Senkakus. He meets Vice Premier Liu Yandong.
: Social Democratic Party delegation led Chairman Yoshida Tadamoto meets Yu Zhengsheng in Beijing.
: Chinese Coast Guard ships Haijian 2102 and 2146 are found operating in Japan’s contiguous zone in the Senkakus area. On June 20, the Chinese ships enter Japanese territorial waters.
: Six members of the Chinese Coast Guard ship Haijian 2101 board a Chinese fishing boat, operating within Japan’s EEZ.
: Vice Foreign Minister Saiki calls in Ambassador Cheng to protest PLAAF action. Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga finds actions extremely regrettable and unacceptable.
: PLAAF and JASDF aircraft have a close encounter over the East China Sea.
: New Japan-China 21st Century Commission meets in Nagasaki, marking the first meeting of the group in two years.
: Chinese Coast Guard ships enter Japanese territorial waters in the Senkakus.
: PM Abe delivers keynote address at Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. His remarks emphasize rule of law, freedom of seas and overflight, and peaceful resolution of disputes. He calls for China to respond to 2007 agreement to establish maritime and air communications mechanism.
: Chairman Yonekura meets Vice President Li Yuanchao in Beijing.
: Keidanren Chairman Yonekura Hiromasa meets former State Councilor Tang in Beijing. Tang emphasizes economic cooperation.
: Vice Foreign Minister Saiki Akitaka calls in Chinese Ambassador Cheng Yonghua to protest PLAAF actions.
: Chinese Coast Guard ships Haijian 2146 and 2151 enter Japanese territorial waters in the Senkakus. Chinese ships do not reply when asked to leave by the Japanese Coast Guard.
: PLA Air Force (PLAAF) and Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) aircraft approach each other over the East China Sea.
: Japan’s Minister of Trade, Technology and Industry, Motegi Toshimitsu meets China’s Minister of Communications Gao Huncheng on the sidelines of APEC Trade Ministers Meeting, marking the first meeting of Cabinet ministers since nationalization of the Senkakus.
: New reports on the Diaoyu/Senkaku are posted on the website of the Japanese Cabinet Secretariat, including a Qing Dynasty map of 1744 that did not show the islands as part of China’s territory.
: Delegation of Japan’s Asia-Africa Study Group meets in Beijing with fourth ranking member of China’s leadership Yu Zhengsheng.
: PM Abe calls for dialogue with China without preconditions.
: Chinese Coast Guard ships Haijian 2101 and 2113 are found operating in Japan’s contiguous zone in the Senkakus. When challenged by Japanese Coast Guard, they again asserted they were operating in Chinese waters under Chinese law.
: Prime Minister Abe Shinzo addresses the North Atlantic Council and states that China’s continuing military build-up and lack of transparency are issues of concern within the international community.
: LDP Vice President Komura meets third ranking member of Chinese leadership, Zhang Dejiang, who tells him responsibility for improving bilateral relations rests with Japan.
: Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Vice President Komura Masahiko meets former State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan in Beijing. He raises the possibility of an Abe-Xi meeting at APEC Leaders Meeting in November.
: Chinese Coast Guard ships Haijian 2102, 2166 and 2401 are found operating in Japan’s contiguous zone. On May 2, the ships enter Japanese territorial waters. Warned by the Japanese Coast Guard against entering Japan’s territorial waters, the Chinese ships reply that they were patrolling under Chinese law.
: Gov. Masuzoe briefs PM Abe on Beijing meetings.
: PRC Vice Environment Minister Li Ganjie, and ROK and Japanese Environment Ministers Yoon Seong-kyu and Ishihara Nobuteru hold 16th trilateral Environment Ministers Meeting in Daegu, Korea.
: Gov. Masuzoe meets with Tang Jiaxuan, former state councilor and chairman of the China-Japan Friendship Committee.
: Mitsui settles Baosteel Emotion ship impoundment for about ¥4 billion.
: Tokyo Gov. Masuzoe Yoichi visits Beijing.
: China-ROK-Japan Northeast Asia Trilateral Forum, sponsored by Xinhua, JoongAng Ilbo, and Nikkei, opens in Jiangsu province, China.
: One hundred forty-six Diet members, including two Cabinet members, visit Yasukuni Shrine.
: Spring festival at Yasukuni Shrine; Abe does not visit, electing to send plant offering instead.
: Adm. Kawano Katsutoshi and Adm. Wu Shengli hold 15-minute conversation at Western Pacific Naval Symposium in Qingdao.
: Shanghai Court approves seizure of Mitsui ship Baosteel Emotion in commercial dispute dating to 1930s.
: China-ROK-Japan International Forum for the Trilateral Cooperation 2014 is held in Seoul.
: Foreign Minister Wang tells reporters that China’s door to dialogue on issues related to the Diaoyu Islands, the South China Sea is open.
: Japanese and Chinese business leaders meet in Tokyo; discussions focus on economic cooperation.
: Hu Deping son of Hu Yaobang and confidant of President Xi visits Japan and meets PM Abe.
: Japanese Ministry of Education announces new textbooks for 2015 that will include references to territorial issues related to Senkakus and Takeshima.
: Abe Cabinet approves Japan’s 2014 Diplomatic Blue Book.
: Kyodo reports that Nanjing government is considering registration as cultural sites buildings used as comfort stations.
: PM Abe government revises Japan’s Three Principles on Arms Exports.
: President Xi Jinping raises Nanjing Massacre in Berlin speech.
: Chinese defense officials attend international PKO symposium in Tokyo.
: Foreign Minister Kishida tells Upper House that reported Chinese court decision to hear suit for wartime compensation for forced labor would cast deep shadow on bilateral relations and open door to similar legal proceedings. He says the suit lacks legal standing because all issues related to reparations had been settled at time of normalization.
: Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga tells reporters the Kono Statement will stand.
: Chinese and North Korean representatives unite to criticize PM Abe’s handling of the comfort women issue as well as his visit to Yasukuni Shrine.
: PM Abe tells Upper House Budget Committee that he is not thinking of revising the Kono Statement and that his government will continue to hold to the Murayama Statement will not be revised.
: Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga tells reporters that regardless of the findings of the review panel, the government will maintain the Kono Statement.
: Foreign Minister Wang Yi in press conference during NPC that China has no room for compromise on issues related to history or sovereignty.
: Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Secretary General Ishiba Shigeru calls for Asia NATO to deal with China’s increasing defense budget and US declining influence.
: Premier Li Keqiang tells opening session of the NPC that China will oppose any attempts to reverse the course of history.
: China announces 12.2 percent defense spending increase to $132 billion.
: During Lower House meeting, PM Abe acknowledges that Japan had caused suffering and damages to the people of Asia during World War II; reaffirms his government shares views of previous governments with respect to Kono and Murayama Statements.
: Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga Yoshihide appoints a research panel to review the Kono Statement.
: Sankei Shimbun reports China’s National People’s Congress (NPC) is considering Sept. 3, Victory over Japan, and Dec. 13, Nanjing Massacre, as national holidays.
: Former PM Murayama tells Japan’s National Press Club that Kono Statement should not be reviewed.
: Thirty-seven Chinese plaintiffs file suit in Beijing Court for compensation for wartime forced labor under the Japanese.
: Foreign Minister Kishida Fumio releases Japan’s 2014 Overseas Development Assistance White Paper emphasizing increased aid to Africa and Southeast Asia.
: Former Prime Minister Murayama Tomiichi tells a Seoul audience that his Murayama Statement should not be revised.
: China’s ambassador to the UK accuses Japan of raising tensions in Asia and shutting the door to dialogue.
: Former Minister of Defense Morimoto Satoshi calls for close cooperation with the US to counter China’s repeated challenges to Japan’s sovereignty in the Senkakus.
: Hyakuta Naoki, member of NHK Board of Governors, denies Nanjing Massacre.
: Japan’s National Institute for Defense Studies issues 2014 China Security Report.
: Japanese Ministry of Education issues instructions and textbooks to teach that Senkakus are part of Japan’s sovereign territory.
: In a policy address to the Diet, PM Abe calls for the return to a mutually beneficial strategic relationship with China and greater transparency in China’s military budget. He announces that Japan will firmly deal with incursion of Chinese ships in the Senkakus and will never yield to attempts to change the status quo by force.
: Reports of PM Abe’s remarks at Davos suggest that he raised possibility of conflict between China and Japan, drawing parallel with UK and Germany prior to World War I.
: China opens a shrine in Harbin railroad station to honor Korean resistance leader Ahn Jung-geun who assassinated Ito Hirobumi, Japan’s governor general of Korea in 1909.
: Former Taiwanese President Lee Teng-hui says the Senkakus belong to Japan.
: China announces plans to construct 20 new Coast Guard ships.
: China’s General Customs Administration releases 2013 trade statistics, indicating that trade with Japan declined 5.1 percent over 2012 to $312 billion.
: Through Japanese Embassy in Beijing, China asks for the postponement of young media leader exchange; On, Feb. 24 proposes rescheduling to March.
: Top executives of Keidanren, Japan Chamber of Commerce, and Japan Association of Corporate Executives call on PM Abe in a joint press conference to quickly improve relations with China and South Korea.
: New Komeito’s Secretary General Inoue Yoshihisa calls on PM Abe to improve relations with China.
: PM Abe holds first press conference of 2014 and acknowledges difficulties in relations with China; calls for dialogue with Beijing.
: PM Abe visits Isei Shrine.
: Jiji Press reports that maps issued by the Chinese government from 1949 until July 1971 make no reference to the Diaoyu Islands.
: China’s Ambassador to the UK Liu Xiaoming writes in the Daily Telegraph that militarism is the “haunting Voldemort of Japan” and the Yasukuni Shrine is “kind of horcrux representing the darkest parts of the nation’s soul.” Japan’s Ambassador Hayashi Keiichi replies, posing China’s choices as abiding by the rule of law or being Voldemort in the region.
: PM Abe visits Yasukuni Shrine. Ambassador Cheng protests at Foreign Ministry.
: Foreign Minister Kishida and Ambassador Cheng meet at Foreign Ministry; Cheng expresses intent to make every effort to improve relations.
: Japan’s Cabinet approves National Security Strategy, National Defense Program Guidelines, and Mid-Term Defense Plan.
: Joint statement at conclusion of Japan-ASEAN meeting calls for international cooperation to ensure freedom of overflight and civil aviation safety in accordance with international law. China is not mentioned, but expresses strong dissatisfaction with resolution.
: China’s Foreign Ministry criticizes Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ use of its website to post videos to assert Japanese claims to Senkakus.
: Abe government completes work on Japan’s National Defense Program Guidelines and Mid-Term Defense Plan.
: PM Abe proposes development of crisis management to deal with incidents in East China Sea airspace.
: Three Chinese Coast Guard ships enter Japan’s contiguous zone near the Senkakus after spending nearly three hours in Japan’s territorial waters. The incursion is the 72nd into Japan’s territorial waters since nationalization.
: Japan’s Lower House adopts resolution calling on China to rescind its ADIZ; China criticizes resolution as irresponsible.
: Chinese media highlight anniversary of Cairo Declaration, which stripped Japan of all territories seized or occupied since 1914.
: Chinese Coast Guard ships enter Japan’s contiguous zone near the Senkakus.
: Third round of negotiations on a trilateral Free Trade Agreement (FTA) involving China, South Korea, and Japan is held in Tokyo, Japan. The agenda includes items such as trade in goods, services, investment, competition policies, and intellectual property.
: Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning accompanied by several escort ships conducts sea trials in the South China Sea.
: PM Abe tells Upper House Budget Committee that any action that treats Japan’s airspace over Senkakus as it were China’s airspace would be unacceptable and have no effect.
: Vice Foreign Minister Saiki calls in Ambassador Cheng to protest China’s ADIZ; Cheng rejects Japan’s protest.
: All Nippon Airlines/Japan Airlines announce that they will comply with China’s ADIZ regulations; at government urging, airlines reverse decision on Nov. 26.
: China announces the establishment of an ADIZ that covers much of the East China Sea. Japan protests actions as unacceptable.
: PLAAF aircraft enter Japan’s ADIZ; JASDF scrambles in response.
: Four Chinese Coast Guard ships enter Japan’s territorial waters near the Senkakus. Warned against entering Japan’s territorial water, Chinese respond in Japanese that the Diaoyu Islands have been “Chinese territory since ancient times.”
: Japan protests boarding by Chinese Coast Guard personnel of a Chinese fishing boat in Japan’s EEZ.
: Delegation from Japan-China Economic Association visits Beijing. Keidanren Chairman Yonekura meets Vice President Wang Yang.
: Chinese Coast Guard ships enter Japan’s territorial waters near the Senkakus.
: PLA Air Force (PLAAF) reconnaissance aircraft enter Japan’s Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) in East China Sea; JASDF scrambles in response.
: Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga tells reporters that Hatoyama’s remarks are not worthy of comment.
: Former PM Hatoyama Yukio, speaking at Hong Kong University, tells audience that China and Japan clearly agreed to shelve the Senkaku issues at time of normalization and that the current Japanese government is denying this agreement.
: Chinese Coast Guard ships enter Japans contiguous zone near the Senkakus.
: Chinese, Japanese, and ROK deputy foreign ministers meet in Seoul.
: Chinese Coast Guard ships enter Japan’s contiguous zone near the Senkakus. When warned by Japan’s Coast Guard against entering Japan’s territorial waters, Chinese reply that the ships are exercising jurisdiction in Chinese waters on a regularly scheduled patrol.
: Japanese Coast Guard finds Chinese research ship operating in Japan’s EEZ without prior notification.
: Japan Self-Defense Force conducts joint war games focused on remote island defense; surface-to ship-missiles are deployed on Miyako-jima.
: Ministry of Defense-sponsored Tokyo Defense Forum opens; China does not participate.
: Chinese Coast Guard ships enter Japan’s territorial waters in Senkakus.
: PM Abe tells SDF audience that Japan will not allow change in the status quo.
: China Daily and Genron NPO cosponsor symposium in Beijing on China-Japan relations; former Prime Minister Fukuda Yasuo attends and meets Foreign Minster Wang.
: PM Abe, in Wall Street Journal interview, expresses concern over China’s attempts to use force rather than rule of law to change status quo in Asia.
: Wang Zhen, vice chairman of National People’s Congress, meets members of Japan-China Friendship Association and underscores China’s determination to defend territory.
: China-Japan and Japan-China Friendship Associations hold symposium in Beijing marking 35th anniversary of Friendship Treaty. China warns against provocative actions.
: Japan Times reports government is considering allowing Japan Air Self-Defense Forces (JASDF) to shoot down drone aircraft intruding into Japan’s airspace.
: Three Chinese Coast Guard ships enter Japan’s contiguous zone near Senkaku Islands.
: Internal Affairs and Communications Minister Shindo Yoshitaka and a supra-party delegation of 157 Diet members visit Yasukuni Shrine.
: PM Abe, at autumn festival sends “masakaki” offering to Yasukuni Shrine but does not visit shrine. China criticizes the offering.
: PM Abe tells Lower House that government is considering various options to deal with drone aircraft in Japan’s airspace.
: PM Abe, while visiting Indonesia, warns against China’s efforts to change South China Sea status quo by use of force.
: Japan, China, ROK Cultural Affairs Minister meet in Gwangju, South Korea.
: PM Abe tells Hudson Institute audience that Japan will be a proactive contributor to world peace and stability.
: PM Abe tells New York audience that the door to talks with China is open.
: Foreign Minister Wang Yang tells Brookings Institution audience that China is ready for dialogue with Japan but Japan must recognize existence of a dispute.
: Anniversary of 1931 Manchurian Incident. China’s Foreign Ministry warns against Japan’s exaggerating conflicts to justify military expansion.
: Japan’s Advisory Panel on the Reconstruction of the Legal Basis for Security holds its first meeting.
: Chinese business leaders visit Tokyo.
: Four Chinese Coast Guard ships enter Japan’s contiguous zone in Senkakus, stopping short of Japan’s territorial waters after being warned by the Japanese Coast Guard.
: First anniversary of Senkaku nationalization; Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga Yoshihide tells Sapporo audience that a territorial problem does not exist.
: Japanese Cabinet Ministers Yamamoto Ichita and Shimomura Hakubun visit China to attend private symposium in Dalian, marking first visit of Abe government Cabinet-level officials to China.
: Chinese ships enter Japan’s territorial waters near the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands. Vice Foreign Minister Saiki Akitaka calls in Chinese Ambassador Cheng Yonghua to protest.
: Chinese drone aircraft enters Japan’s ADIZ near Okinawa.
: People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) warships and aircraft transit in international waters/airspace between Okinawa and Miyako-jima toward western Pacific.
: Prime Minster (PM) Abe Shinzo and President Xi Jinping exchange greetings at G20 Summit in St. Petersburg.
: Ocean Policy Advisory Council, chaired by PM Abe, holds first meeting; Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) East China Sea Resource Development Project Team meets.
: Keidanren Chairman Yonekura Hiromasa visits China and meets with Tang Jiaxuan in Beijing. He also speaks at opening of China Northeast Asia Exposition in Jilin.
: Hong Kong authorities deny permission to activists to travel to Diaoyu Islands.
: Two Chinese frigates transit in international water between Okinawa and Miyakojima.
: China’s Vice Foreign Minister Li downplay chances for Abe-Li meeting during September G20 meeting in Russia.
: Four Chinese Coast Guard Ships operate in Japan’s contiguous zone near the Senkakus.
: Five Japanese ships carrying fishermen and members of Ganbare Nippon sail to Senkakus but do not land. It is the fifth visit to the Senkakus this year by Ganbare Nippon.
: PM Abe does not visit Yasukuni Shrine but sends offering as LDP president; three Cabinet ministers and 102 members of the Diet pay homage at the shrine.
: Chinese Ambassador Cheng meets Vice Foreign Minister Saiki; Japanese Foreign Ministry sources reports discussions included Yasukuni, Okinawa, and the Senkakus.
: Isozaki Yosuke, special advisor to the prime minister, in Facebook post says that exercise of the right of collective-self-defense should be considered from a comprehensive perspective, not limited to the four cases previously under review.
: PM Abe says that constitutional revision is his “sacred duty.”
: Thirty-fifth anniversary of the China-Japan Treaty of Peace and Friendship occurs with no official ceremonies to mark the day.
: Nine-member delegation of Japanese parliamentarians visits Beijing and meets Yang Yi, assistant minister of the CCP’s International Department.
: Japan protests incursions into Japanese waters by Chinese vessels on Aug. 7-8 to Chinese Embassy, which refuses to accept the protest.
: Japan launches helicopter carrier Izumo.
: Japanese Coast Guard reports Chinese Coast Guardsmen board Chinese fishing boats operating in Japan’s contiguous zone near the Senkakus.
: Yomiuri Shimbun aircraft observes Chinese construction efforts in East China Sea near Japan’s claimed mid-line boundary.
: Yanai Shunji, head of the prime minister’s advisory commission on issues related to the constitution and the exercise of collective self-defense says that the current government’s views are “excessively narrow.”
: Vice Premier Li meets former PM Hatoyama; Xinhua reports Li cautions Japan not to forget the past, urging both countries to face the future, squarely looking at the past.
: Director General for Asian and Oceanian Affairs Ihara protests Chinese incursion to Chinese Embassy in Tokyo.
: LDP project team proposes that government ask China to cease development operations in East China Sea.
: Vice Foreign Minister Saiki visits Beijing and meets Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Yesui. PM Abe says that “the door to dialogue with Japan is always open.”
: Japanese Ministry of Defense releases Mid-Term Review of National Defense Program Guidelines.
: Japan scrambles fighters in response to flight of Y-8 surveillance aircraft between Okinawa and Miyakojima.
: China launches new Coast Guard.
: Chinese research ship operates in Japan’s contiguous zone without prior permission of Japan.
: Reuters reports CNOOC will ask permission to develop seven new oil and gas fields; Chief Cabinet Secretary says Japan could not accept any unilateral steps taken by China.
: In pre-election visit to Ishigaki, PM Abe underscores Japan’s determination on the Senkakus, saying “we will not budge even one inch.”
: Chinese ships repeatedly enter Japanese territorial water in Senkakus.
: Iijima Isao, political confidant of Prime Minster Abe, visits Beijing.
: PM Abe issues proclamation to mark July 15 National Sea Day, emphasizing determination to defend freedom of the seas and not recognize change based on use of force.
: Ministry of Defense reports Japanese ASDF aircraft scrambled 115 times in the period April-June 2013, the highest number since the fourth quarter of 2005; scrambles against Chinese aircraft totaled 69 compared to 15 in the same period in 2012.
: China expresses “strong dissatisfaction” with Japan’s 2013 Defense White Paper and its “malicious hype about the so-called China threat.”
: Japanese Ministry of Defense releases 2013 Defense White Paper, which expresses concern that Chinese assertive air and maritime actions could result in unexpected contingencies and asserts that these actions in the Senkakus represent efforts to change the status quo by force.
: PM Abe tells Upper House Budget Committee that Yanai commission is considering going beyond the four cases previously developed with respect to the exercise of the right of collective self- defense.
: PM Abe says it is “extremely regrettable” if China is developing new gas fields in the East China Sea and asks China to abide by 2008 agreement on joint development.
: Xinhua reports sentencing of rioters involved in anti-Japanese demonstrations of September 2012 following nationalization of Senkakus.
: Chinese ships operate in Japan’s territorial waters.
: Yu Zhengsheng, fourth ranking member of the Standing Committee, meets visiting Japanese business delegation; China’s Central Television carries Yu’s remarks that it is in the fundamental interest of both countries to stabilize relations.
: Foreign Minister Kishida acknowledges failure to meet Chinese Foreign Minister Wang during ASEAN meeting in Brunei and lack of progress in arranging a high-level meeting with China’s leaders; says working-level contacts continue.
: Chinese ships enter Japanese territorial waters in the Senkakus.
: PM Abe tells reporters that there should be no conditions for a meeting of Japanese and Chinese leaders.
: Former PM Hatoyama meets with PM Li in the Great Hall of the People; the meeting is Li’s first with a representative of Japan’s political world.
: Chinese ships enter Japanese territorial waters in the Senkakus.
: Former PM Hatoyama meets Foreign Minister Wang in Beijing. After the meeting, he says that Japan should acknowledge the existence of a dispute over the Senkakus.
: Former PM Hatoyama tapes interview with Hong Kong’s Phoenix TV and urges Japanese government to acknowledge existence of a dispute over the Senkakus.
: Chinese ships enter Japanese territorial waters in Senkakus.
: Taniuchi Shotaro visits Beijing to explore possibilities for high-level meeting.
: Minister of Defense Onodera points to need to develop an amphibious force with marine capabilities; previews discussion of “strike capabilities” in mid-term review of Japan’s National Defense Program Guidelines.
: LDP calls for an amphibious force to defend Japan’s remote islands.
: Chinese ships enter Japan’s territorial waters in Senkakus.
: Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga replies that Japan’s postwar territory had been defined by the San Francisco Treaty, not the Cairo Declaration and that the Republic of China had accepted the San Francisco settlement.
: Xinhua reports 2012 Strategic Assessment study released by Ministry of National Defense think tank; report notes increasing danger of air and maritime contingencies with Japan.
: Three Chinese frigates pass in international waters between Okinawa and Miyakojima en route to exercises in the western Pacific.
: PM Li Keqiang speaking in Potsdam Germany announces that on basis of Potsdam and Cairo Declarations Senkakus are to be returned to China.
: PM Abe visits Chidorigafuchi National Cemetery.
: PM Abe reaffirms Murayama Statement.
: Minister of Defense Onodera Itsunori announces May 2 and May 12 transit of submerged submarine through Japan’s contiguous zone around Amami-Oshima Island.
: Researchers from Chinese Academy of Social Science publish an article that questions Japan’s sovereignty over Okinawa. China’s Foreign Ministry maintains that there is no change in government’s position regarding Japan’s sovereignty over Okinawa.
: Two Chinese frigates pass through Japan’s contiguous zone between Yonaguni and Nishiomote Islands en route to western Pacific.
: President Barack Obama in Sunnylands meeting with President Xi Jinping emphasizes that Japan is a treaty ally of the US.
: Director General Sugiyama Shinsuku protests Chinese entry into Japanese territorial waters in the Senkakus.
: Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Martin Dempsey on a visit to China states that the US will honor treaty obligations to Japan.
: Administration Reform Minister Inada Tomomi pays homage at Yasukuni.
: PM Abe declares that Japan will continue to improve ties with China and South Korea and will calmly deal with issues arising from senior political leaders visits to Yasukuni.
: China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson for the first time refers to Diaoyu Islands as being a core interest of China; official transcript later amended to less direct reference.
: Chinese and Japanese defense officials meet in Beijing; Japanese media report that consultations were to focus on maritime communications mechanism.
: PM Abe announces that the government is considering stationing of public servants and construction of ship facilities on the Senkaku Islands in order to strengthen effective management. Abe emphasizes that Japan will not allow foreign intrusions onto the islands.
: Rear Adm. Song Xue announces China’s plans for more aircraft carrier construction.
: Prime Minister (PM) Abe Shinzo in commenting on Murayama Statement says “aggression” has yet to be defined.
: LDP Deputy President Komura, head of the Japan-China Parliamentarians’ Union, cancels visit to China. Chinese counterparts say arranging meetings with President Xi would be difficult.
: Japanese lawmakers and media representatives board ships and depart Ishigaki bound for the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands.
: Deputy Prime Minister Aso Taro and State Minister for Abductions Furuya Keiji pay homage at Yasukuni Shrine.
: Internal Affairs and Communications Minister Shindo Yoshitaka pays homage at Yasukuni Shrine.
: Keidanren announces postponement of planned May visit to China.
: Former Lower House speaker Kono Yohei visits Beijing and meets Deputy PM Wang Qishang.
: China’s Ministry of National Defense releases its 2013 Defense White Paper, which accuses Japan of stirring up trouble in the Diaoyus; Japan’s Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Seko Hiroshige reasserts Japanese sovereignty and announces government protest.
: PM Abe compares visiting Yasukuni to US presidents visiting Arlington National Cemetery, where Confederate soldiers are buried.
: Japan and Taiwan announce conclusion of a fisheries agreement, allowing Taiwanese ships to operate in Japan’s EEZ near the Senkakus/Diaoyus; Taiwanese authorities agree not to operate inside Japan’s territorial waters.
: Japanese Foreign Ministry releases Diplomatic Blue Book, which reasserts Japanese sovereignty over Senkakus and refers to island issues as a problem that does not exist.
: Japan’s National Institute for Defense Studies releases 2013 East Asian Strategic Review; report finds Chinese actions as causing friction with neighboring countries.
: Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga announces that the prime minister will make an offering of masakaki during the Yasukuni Spring Festival.
: Keidanren delegation meets with Vice President Li Yuanchao.
: Three MSA ships and one ship of the Fisheries Law Enforcement Command patrol Japan’s contiguous zone in the Senkakus.
: Keidanren Chairman Yonekura leads a business delegation to Beijing and meets Vice Minister of Commerce Chen and Tang Jiaxuan; Tang urges Japan to face history squarely; also calls for close economic ties.
: Chinese ships enter Japan’s contiguous zone in the Senkakus/Diaoyus.
: Three MSA ships enter Japan’s territorial waters, the 34th since nationalization of the Senkakus.
: Kyodo News reports Chinese military admit to lock-on of radars; denials are repeated by Chinese Foreign Ministry.
: PM Abe tells the graduating class of the National Defense Academy that Japan faces a crisis of the here and now in the Senkaku Islands and East China Sea.
: Five MSA ships including the Haijian 8002, the newest and largest of its ships, accompanied by two ships of the Fisheries Law Enforcement Command, enter Japan’s contiguous zone in the Senkakus/Diaoyus.
: PM Abe calls judgments of International Military Tribunal for the Far East victors’ justice; China says the findings represent the righteous judgment of the international community.
: FM Yang accuses Japan of illegally seizing and occupying the Diaoyu Islands and of singlehandedly causing the downturn in relations.
: Two Chinese Maritime Surveillance ships sighted within 12 nm of Senkakus/Diaoyus.
: China announces a 10.7 percent increase in defense spending.
: Japanese Coast Guard arrests a Chinese fishing boat captain on suspicion of fishing within its territorial borders, some 27 miles from Miyako Island.
: Chinese ships enter Japan’s contiguous zone and territorial waters in the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands.
: Chinese ships enter Japanese territorial waters in the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands. A Chinese Y-12 aircraft heading toward the islands is intercepted by Japanese F-4J fighters.
: China rejects Japanese claim that their Maritime Surveillance ship, Haijian 66, aimed a machine gun at a Japanese fishing boat on Feb. 18.
: PM Abe delivers policy address to the Diet calling on China to refrain from dangerous actions and use of force to change the status quo.
: Chinese ships enter Japan’s territorial waters in the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands.
: PM Abe calls for a maritime communications mechanism.
: Keidanren Chairman Yonekura Hiromasa leads a business delegation to Beijing and meets Tang Jiaxuan.
: PM Abe calls for Japan-China summit during a press conference in Washington.
: Washington Post publishes an interview with PM Abe in which he accuses Chinese leadership of stirring up anti-Japanese sentiment to support the Chinese Communist Party’s claim to legitimacy.
: Chinese ships enter Japan’s contiguous zone in the Senkaku/Diaoyu region; Chinese Foreign Ministry explains that ships are conducting routine operations in areas under Chinese jurisdiction.
: Four Chinese ships enter Japan’s contiguous zone in the Senkaku/Diaoyu region.
: China’s Ministry of Defense rejects the radar lock-on allegation; Ministry of Foreign Affairs calls Japanese allegation a fabrication.
: Prime Minister’s advisory panel on security issues holds its initial meeting; the panel is chaired by former Ambassador to the US Yanai Shunji.
: Director General for Defense Policy Nishi tells LDP legislators that Chinese ships did not aim guns or missiles at the Japanese destroyer when they locked on their radar.
: Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Kato Katsunobu calls for the resumption of talks on a maritime communications mechanism between Japan and China.
: Defense Minister Onodera Itsunori announces that Chinese warships locked fire-control radars on a Japanese helicopter and destroyer in the East China Sea, in late January.
: Deputy FM Saiki calls in Ambassador Cheng to protest the radar lock-on incident; Cheng declines to accept the protest.
: PM Abe establishes a Planning and Liaison Office for Territorial and Sovereignty Issues in Cabinet Secretariat.
: Head of LDP Policy Research Council Sanae Takaichi tells War Bereaved Families that the prime minister and other senior government officials should be able to visit Yasukuni Shrine.
: Chinese ships enter Japanese territorial waters in Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands.
: Japanese authorities release the detained Chinese fishing crew.
: Chinese fishing vessel is detained by Japanese authorities near the Okinawa Prefecture for “unauthorized coral fishing.”
: PLA Deputy Chief of Staff Qi Jiangguo tells US legislators that China will resolve the Diaoyu Islands dispute through diplomacy not use of force.
: Japanese and Taiwanese Coast Guard ships exchange water cannon volleys near the Senkakus/Diaoyus, discouraging a group of Taiwanese activists from landing on the islands to “maintain sovereignty.”
: Komeito Party leader Yamaguchi Natsuo visits Beijing and meets Tang Jiaxuan, FM Yang, Wang Jiarui, head of the Central Committee’s International Department, and President Xi Jinping. He hands Xi a personal letter from PM Abe Shinzo.
: Three MSA ships enter Japanese territorial waters in the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands.
: Foreign Minister (FM) Kishida Fumio meets US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who states US opposition to any unilateral efforts to undermine Japan’s administration of the Senkaku Islands.
: Former PM Hatoyama visits the Nanjing War Memorial.
: Former Japanese Prime Minister (PM) Hatoyama Yukio visits China and meets Jia Qinglin, chairman of Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi; Hatoyama calls for shelving of Senkaku/Diaoyu dispute.
: Ground Self-Defense Forces (GSDF) hold an exercise focused on protecting remote islands; an estimated 11,000 observers watch the exercise.
: China scrambles two J-10 fighters to monitor activities of two JASDF F-15s tracking Chinese aircraft engaged in patrol activities over oil and natural gas fields in the East China Sea.
: Beijing announces its decision to regularize patrols in Diaoyu Islands.
: Chinese ships enter Japanese territorial waters near the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands. Deputy Foreign Minister Saiki Naoko calls in Chinese Ambassador Cheng Yonghua to protest; Cheng refuses to accept the protest.
: Japanese Air Self-Defense Force (ASDF) fighters scramble as a Chinese Y-12 aircraft approaches the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands.
: Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga Yoshihide says the Abe government will issue a future-oriented 21st statement in line with the Murayama statement and that the government has no intention of turning Kono statement into a political or diplomatic problem.
: Chinese ships enter Japan’s contiguous zone in Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands.
: Japanese Coast Guard confirms the fourth consecutive day of Chinese ships activity in Japan’s contiguous zone in the Senkakus.
: Abe Shinzo succeeds Noda Yoshihiko as Japan’s prime minister.
: Ambassador Kitera arrives in Beijing.
: Prime Minister-designate Abe meets Ambassador Cheng at LDP headquarters.
: Aircraft from China’s CMS approaches within 100 km of the Senkaku Islands; Air Self-Defense Force jets are scrambled.
: Ambassador Niwa address Japan’s National Press Club and expresses doubts about Senkakus purchase.
: Japan National Institute for Defense Studies issues annual China Security Report.
: Japanese Foreign Ministry publishes a position paper on Japan-China Relations Surrounding the Situation of the Senkaku Islands – in Response to China’s Airspace Incursion.
: Ambassador Niwa departs Beijing.
: Japanese Coast Guard confirms the seventh consecutive day of Chinese activity in the Senkakus contiguous zone.
: LDP wins 294 seats in the 480-seat Lower House of Parliament in Japanese general election.
: A newly commissioned Chinese Fisheries Law Enforcement Command ship enters Japan’s territorial waters in the Senkakus, marking the 18th incursion since Sept. 11.
: China submits a continental shelf claim to the United Nations that asserts Chinese sovereignty in the East China Sea to the Okinawa trough.
: Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi contributes to a People’s Daily article on foreign policy of the new Xi Jinping administration. Yang writes that China will wage a struggle against Japan over the Diaoyu Islands.
: The 75th anniversary of the Imperial Army’s entry into Nanjing and the start of Nanjing Massacre are commemorated.
: Aircraft fromChina’s CMS intrudes into Japanese airspace. Air Self-Defense Forces jets are scrambled and Japan issues a protest.
: China’s commissions newest and largest Fisheries Law Enforcement Command ship in Shanghai.
: Former Gov. Ishihara attributes present tension in Japan-China relations to Noda government’s purchase of the Senkaku Islands.
: President Ma urges Japan to apologize for using sex slaves in World War II.
: CMS ship enters Japan’s contiguous zone.
: Vice Minister Kawai calls Ambassador Cheng to protest the incursion of four CMS ships into Japanese territorial waters.
: Japan releases a draft of its new Basic Plan on Ocean Policy aimed at strengthening its capabilities to deal with foreign incursions into Japanese waters.
: China criticizes US Senate action on the Senkakus.
: Japan and Taiwan hold preparatory talks on the resumption of fisheries talks.
: Ambassador Cheng acknowledges the expansion of PLA Navy activities to western Pacific is aimed at strengthening its power but says this development is not a threat.
: US Senate amends 2013 Defense Authorization Act to call for peaceful settlement of territorial issues in the East China Sea and self-restraint by all parties. It also reaffirms that the US-Japan Security Treaty extends to the Senkaku Islands.
: Four Chinese warships transit through Japan’s contiguous zone on the way to exercises in western Pacific; they return on Dec. 10.
: Foreign Minister Gemba publishes an op-ed titled “Japan-China Relations at a Crossroads” in the International Herald Tribune.
: Japan, ROK, China trade ministers agree to begin formal negotiations on a trilateral free trade agreement in early 2013.
: Japanese Coast Guard reports the 30th consecutive day of Chinese activity in Senkakus contiguous zone.
: Beijing police remove barricades from the area of Japanese Embassy in Beijing.
: Prime Minister Noda dissolves Diet and elections are set for Dec. 16.
: A reception marking the close of the 40th anniversary commemorations scheduled for Nov. 24 in Beijing is canceled.
: Dalai Lama addresses 140 members of the Diet’s Upper House; participants announce the formation of a “pro-Tibet Diet members’ alliance.” China condemns the move as interference by Japan’s rightwing forces in China’s internal affairs.
: Japan’s Tourism Ministry postpones a trilateral Japan, China, ROK meeting scheduled for Nov. 27, reporting that it had been informed by its Chinese counterpart that conditions were not right for China’s attendance.
: Dalai Lama arrives in Japan for 10-day visit; China protests the visit.
: Prime Ministers Noda and Wen attend the ASEM in Vientiane and do not meet.
: Four CMS ships enter waters off the Senkaku Islands and briefly enter into Japanese territorial waters.
: Japanese retailer Heiwado reopens two stores in Hunan Province after anti-Japanese riots – the first move by Japanese retailers to reopen on full-scale basis.
: China’s former Ambassador to Japan Chen Jian calls on the US to use its influence to move Japan to recognize existence of dispute and accept negotiations with China over the Diaoyu/Senkakus.
: Japan’s Fisheries Agency arrests the captain of a Chinese fishing boat engaged in unauthorized fishing in Japan’s EEZ off Kyushu. He is released the next day after paying a fine.
: Defense Minister Morimoto Satoshi announces suspension of Japan-China talks aimed at setting up a maritime crisis management mechanism.
: Vice Minister Zhang says Japan’s disregard for China’s sovereignty is the most serious shock in relations since normalization.
: Chief Cabinet Secretary Fujimura finds regular Chinese maritime activities in Japanese waters to be regrettable; Vice Minister Kawai telephones Ambassador Cheng to protest entry of Chinese ships into Japanese waters in the Senkakus; China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson responds that Chinese ships are conducting regular patrol to support China’s rights.
: Chinese oceanic research ship enters Japan’s EEZ and conducts research in an area different from its prior notification of activities and a CMS ship enters Japanese territorial waters.
: Kyodo reports that Chinese officials in September meeting with US Secretary of State Clinton did not refer to Diaoyus as a “core interest” of China.
: Jiji Press reports Japan and US canceled plans for November military exercises aimed at recapturing uninhabited island.
: Ambassador to China Niwa in remarks at Nagoya University says that Japan’s government and citizens are not fully aware of the seriousness of the Senkakus issue.
: Japanese Coast Guard recues 64 Chinese from the cargo ship Ming Yang after it catches fire off Okinawa.
: China dispatches naval vessels, aircraft, and helicopters to the East China Sea for a one-day exercise to “strengthen the capacity to safeguard territorial sovereignty and maritime interests.”
: Sasakawa Peace Foundation announces the postponement of Self Defense Force-PLA young officers exchange scheduled for late October.
: Sixty-seven members of the Diet visit Yasukuni Shrine.
: Foreign Minister Gemba defends the Senkakus purchase as a pragmatic move to preempt the proposed purchase by Tokyo Gov. Ishihara Shintaro.
: LDP President Abe Shinzo visits Yasukuni Shrine.
: Chinese media report the detention of five individuals for property destruction during anti-Japanese demonstrations Guangdong Province.
: Seven PLA warships return from exercises in western Pacific passing through Japan’s contiguous zone south-southeast of Yonaguni Island, becoming the first-ever PLA warships to transit through Japan’s contiguous zone.
: Foreign Minister Gemba meets US Deputy Secretary of State Bill Burns; he reiterates Japan’s position on the Senkakus that a territorial problem does not exist.
: A memorial service for Chinese victims of World War II forced labor is held in Arao, Kumamoto Prefecture.
: Japan and US announce November exercise aimed at retaking uninhabited island.
: At the World Bank-IMF meeting in Tokyo, IMF Deputy Managing Director Min Zhu expresses optimism over resolution of Daioyu/Senkakus dispute. China’s Minister of Finance and Governor of the People’s Bank of China do not attend the meeting; Japanese see their non-attendance as reflecting China’s dissatisfaction with the Senkakus purchase.
: Meeting of Japan, ROK China Health officials in Kyoto is postponed after Chinese representative are unable to attend for unspecified reasons.
: Japanese Diet delegation to Taiwan meets President Ma but does not attend Taiwan National Day celebration. In his National Day address, Ma asserts Republic of China sovereignty over the Tiaoyutai Islands.
: Japanese Coast Guard reports that ships of CMS and Fisheries Law Enforcement Command had entered Japan’s contiguous zone 19 times since Sept. 11.
: Chinese ships enter Japan’s contiguous zone for seventh consecutive day.
: Taiwan’s Interior Ministry announces plans to build national maritime park in waters near the Senkakus.
: Japanese government announces appointment of Kitera Masato as the next ambassador to China.
: Japanese prosecutors announce they will not indict Chinese diplomat suspected of using false identity to renew his foreign registration; the diplomat departed Japan on May 22.
: Japan’s Ministry of Defense announces transit of seven PLA Navy warships in international waters between Okinawa and Miyakojima.
: Foreign Minister Gemba calls for dialogue to stabilize the Senkakus situation, but underscores Japan’s non-negotiable position regarding sovereignty over the islands.
: Four CMS ships enter Japan’s territorial waters in the Senkakus and depart later in day.
: Foreign Minister Gemba Koichiro informs press that Japan has protested entry of Chinese ships into the Senkakus; Director General for Asian and Oceanian Affairs Sugiyama Shinsuke telephones Chinese Embassy to lodge protest; crisis management center established in the prime minister’s office.
: Taiwan’s President Ma says that entry of Taiwanese ships into Senkakus represents a peaceful demonstration, not a provocative act and expresses hopes for re-opening of Taiwan-Japan fisheries negotiations.
: Seven Taiwanese ships enter Japan’s contiguous zone in the Senkakus and depart later in the day.
: Japanese Coast Guard reports Sept. 30 sighting of Chinese and Taiwanese ships approaching the Senkakus.
: Hokkaido Gov. Takabashi Harumi postpones visit to China to attend the Shanghai Economic Forum, an event commemorating the 40th anniversary of normalization.
: Japanese Coast Guard reports rescue of Chinese crew members of distressed freighter off Osaka.
: Chinese Embassy in Tokyo reports receiving a bullet in the mail from a sender named “Noda Yoshihiko.”
: Okinawa Prefectural Police transfer to prosecutors two Japanese suspected of landing on Uotsuri Island in the Senkaku Islands.
: Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi addresses the UN General Assembly, blasts Diaoyu purchase as illegal and invalid; asserts islands were stolen by Japan in 1895.
: Kono Yohei delegation meets in Beijing with Jia Qinglin, fourth ranking member of Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and former State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan.
: China Ministry of National Defense describes PLA Navy scheduled patrols and exercises in East China Sea as normal and legal activities aimed at protecting Chinese fishing and natural gas development activities.
: Prime Minister Noda speaks at UN General Assembly and calls for peaceful settlement of territorial disputes in accordance with international law.
: Vice Minister Kawai Chikao and Vice Minister Zhang Zhijun meet in Beijing to discuss Senkakus issue.
: Japan protests Taiwanese incursions into its territorial waters in Senkaku Islands.
: China issues a white paper on the Diaoyu Islands dispute.
: China announces commissioning of the aircraft carrier Liaoning.
: Ishigaki Municipal Assembly adopts a resolution calling on the national government to protect Japanese fishermen operating in Senkaku Islands.
: Chinese residents of Yokohama call off Oct. 1 National Day parade and celebrations due to safety concerns.
: At Chinese Embassy reception in Tokyo, Chinese diplomats invite “old friends” of China to scaled-down anniversary celebration in Beijing.
: Japan-China Economic Association postpones visit to China.
: Taiwanese fishing flotilla with about 60 boats departs for the Senkakus area.
: China informs Japanese government of the cancellation of 40th anniversary celebrations scheduled for Sept. 27 in Beijing.
: Xinhua reports China Maritime Surveillance agency concluded a test of unmanned reconnaissance aircraft; State Oceanic Administration announces plans to have drones operational by 2015.
: Ground Self-Defense Forces (GSDF) and US Marines engage in an exercise aimed at strengthening GSDF capabilities to defend remote islands.
: Ten Chinese surveillance ships arrive in waters near Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands.
: The 81st anniversary of Mukden Incident is celebrated in China with protests.
: Taiwan activists burn a Japanese flag to protest Senkakus purchase.
: Anti-Japanese demonstrations take place in Beijing and spread across China in the following week through Sept. 22.
: Japan announces purchase of Senkaku Islands; China asserts purchase is illegal, invalid, and a gross violation of China’s sovereignty. China Marine Surveillance (CMS) agency and Fisheries Law Enforcement Command ships begin to enter waters near the islands.
: Prime Minister Noda Yoshihiko and President Hu Jintao meet on the sidelines of the APEC meeting in Vladivostok; Hu emphasizes China’s opposition to Senkakus purchase.
: Taiwan’s President Ma Ying-jeou visits Taiwanese island closest to Senkakus and asserts Republic of China sovereignty over the islands.
: Japanese government reaches broad agreement with the private owner on the purchase of Senkaku Islands.
: Meeting of Tachiagare (Standup) Japan and 35 Diet members, including Abe Shinzo, adopts a petition calling on the government to strengthen control over territorial waters.
: Chinese officials report the detention of two suspects involved in Aug. 27 attack on Ambassador Niwa’s car. Suspects are released on Sept. 5 with light administrative penalty after admitting participation in incident.
: Japan’s Ambassador to China Niwa Uichiro opens the Super Summer Festival in Beijing, marking beginning of ceremonies to commemorate 40th anniversary of normalization.
: Ground Self-Defense Force conducts exercise focused on attack and on evacuation of residents of Japan’s remote islands.
: Vice Foreign Minister Yamaguchi Tsuyoshi arrives in Beijing with a letter from Prime Minister Noda to President Hu in an effort to reduce tensions.
: Japan’s central government rejects a Tokyo Metropolitan Government request for permission to land on one of the Senkaku Islands.
: The car of Ambassador Niwa is attacked in Beijing and the Japanese flag is torn from it. The Chinese Foreign Ministry expresses deep regret for the incident.
: Japanese Coast Guard releases video of encounter with Hong Kong activists.
: Japan Self-Defense Force conducts live-fire exercise focused on island defense.
: Lower House of Diet adopts resolution asserting Japanese sovereignty over Senkaku Islands.
: Prime Minister Noda pledges government efforts to protect Japanese sovereignty over Senkaku Islands.
: Government formally accepts Tokyo Metropolitan Government detailed petition for Senkaku landing.
: Japanese activists land on Uotsuri Island; China protests violation of Chinese sovereignty; Japan rejects protest; anti-Japanese riots break out across China.
: Hong Kong activists deported.
: Tokyo Metropolitan Governments files petition with central government asking permission to land on Senkaku Islands for pre-purchase survey; government refuses formal acceptance citing lack of details in the Tokyo proposal.
: Supra-party group of 55 parliamentarians pays homage at Yasukuni Shrine; Land and Transport Minister Hata and Chairman of the National Safety Commission Matsubara visit separately in private capacity; Tokyo Gov. Ishihara also visits Yasukuni.
: Hong Kong activists land on Uotsuri Island in Senkakus; 14 are subsequently arrested by Okinawa Prefectural Police.
: Taiwan authorities prevent Taiwanese activists from joining Hong Kong activists’ Senkaku protest.
: Chief Cabinet Secretary Fujimura Osamu urges Cabinet members to exercise self-restraint with regard to Aug. 15 visits to Yasukuni Shrine.
: Hong Kong activists leave Hong Kong on ship bound for Senkaku Islands.
: Japan and China agree to add four daily flights from Haneda to Shanghai and Guangzhou each by March 2013, thereby doubling the current total to 16 daily flights.
: China and Japan conclude 47 agreements on environment and energy conservation involving public and private cooperation.
: Japan-China Comprehensive Energy Conservation and Environment Forum meets in Tokyo; Japan’s Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Edano Yukio urges resumption of negotiations on joint development of natural gas fields in East China Sea.
: Taiwan ship spotted conducting research, without notification, in Japan’s EEZ.
: Taiwan’s President Ma ying-jeou proposes Taiwan, Japan, and China participate in joint development of resources in East China Sea.
: In Qidong, 5,000 Chinese protest Japanese Oji Paper Co. plan to build a pipeline to channel polluted water into East China Sea.
: Tokyo Municipal Government runs ad in Wall Street Journal calling for US support of Senkaku purchase plan.
: Ambassador Niwa is recalled for consultations; returns to Beijing on July 16.
: Japanese Coast Guard identifies a total of four Chinese Maritime Fisheries Enforcement Agency ships operating in Japan’s contiguous zone in the Senkakus.
: Apple pulls “Defend the Diaoyu Islands” game from its App store in Beijing; the game depicts a Japanese invasion of the islands
: Fortune Global 500 reports 73 Chinese firms in its top ranking, which surpasses the 68 Japanese firms in the group.
: Government officials inform Gov. Ishihara of central government’s intent to purchase Senkaku Islands.
: Japanese Coast Guard identifies Taiwanese ship, carrying Taiwanese activists, entering Japanese territorial waters in the Senkaku Islands.
: Japan puts into effect multiple entry visas for Chinese tourists for Fukushima, Iwate, and Miyagi prefectures; visa is conditioned on staying at least one night in the region on their first visit.
: Anticipating Tokyo birth of panda cub from giant panda on loan from China, Tokyo Gov. Ishihara suggests the cub be named “Sen-Sen” or “Kaku-Kaku.” China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson blasts the suggestion as “a clumsy performance that will only tarnish the image of Japan and Tokyo.’
: Japan’s Ministry of Defense reports three Chinese warships had transited between Okinawa and Miyakojima on return from exercises in western Pacific (the same warships that had transited the Osumi Strait on June 14)
: Academic symposium marking 40th anniversary of normalization opens in Shanghai. Former Prime Minister Fukuda Yasuo attends along with Tang Jiaxuan, Chinese head of the China-Japan Friendship Association.
: China’s Ambassador to Japan Cheng Yonghua criticizes Japan for supporting Uighur anti-China activities and equates Uighur activities with Aum Shinrikyo.
: Chinese media report that quarantine authorities find cadmium in fish imported from Japan.
: Japanese Coast Guard aircraft find Chinese maritime research ship, Dong ang Hong 2, conducting research in an area outside the area for which it had asked permission; a Coast Guard patrol ship orders the Chinese ship to cease research and the captain complies.
: Nagashima Akihisa, special advisor to prime minister, in TV interview supports government possession of Senkaku Islands.
: Three Chinese warships transit Osumi Strait for exercises in the western Pacific.
: Gov. Ishihara appears before Lower House Budget Committee.
: Tokyo Municipal Government announces dispatch of two-man survey team to the Senkaku Islands.
: Japan’s Ambassador to China Niwa Uichiro expresses concern over Senkaku purchase plan in a Financial Times interview. He apologizes for confusion caused by his statement the following day.
: Japanese Coast Guard identifies a Chinese Fisheries Law Enforcement ship operating in Japan’s contiguous zone in the Senkakus; the spotting is the fifth in 2012 and the second following Ishihara’s announcing of the Senkaku purchase plan.
: Tokyo Municipal Government takes up Ishihara’s Senkaku purchase plan.
: China and Japan launch direct foreign exchange system.
: Japanese police turn over alleged Chinese spy case to public prosecutors.
: Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) election plank calls on government to purchase the Senkaku Islands.
: Foreign Minister Gemba Koichiro calls for an increase in Japan’s defense budget, citing in particular need to protect Japan’s southwest islands.
: “Cool Japan” exhibition opens in Beijing.
: Former Prime Minister Hatoyama Yukio visits China.
: Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) Senior Advisor Eda Satsuki meets Wang Jiarui, head of the CCP’s International department, in Beijing.
: Beijing informs Tokyo that the visit of the Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission, Gen. Guo Boxiong, scheduled for May 24-28, is postponed “for work-related circumstances. This is the second time the visit has been delayed.
: Chinese and Japanese officials meet in Hangzhou to discuss establishing high-level consultative mechanism on maritime issues.
: Asahikawa Medical University and four Chinese medical institutions announce the launch of joint on-line telemedicine system.
: Three People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy frigates transit in international waters between Okinawa and Miyakojima into the western Pacific.
: Premier Wen Jiabao, Prime Minister Noda Yashihiko, and President Lee Myung-bak meet in Beijing for a trilateral summit.
: Russian authorities announce Korean and Chinese participation in infrastructure development on Etorofu and Kunashiri Islands.
: China-Japan-ROK trade ministers agree to launch free trade agreement talks by the end of 2012.
: Japanese, Chinese, and ROK finance ministers agree to strengthen financial cooperation through bond purchases.
: Japanese Coast Guard reports two Chinese Maritime Fisheries Law Enforcement ships entered Japanese territorial waters around the Senkaku Islands.
: Chinese, Japanese, and ROK environmental ministers meet in Beijing.
: Panasonic announces opening of lithium battery production in Suzhou, following the closing of a plant in Osaka Prefecture.
: Tokyo Metropolitan Government opens an account at Mizuho Bank to allow citizens to contribute toward purchase of Senkaku Islands.
: Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs Kono Yohei meets Vice President Xi Jinping in Beijing.
: Chinese and Japanese citizens plant 1,000 trees in Beijing as part of ceremonies marking 40th anniversary of normalization; Ambassador Niwa and Chairman of the China-Japan Friendship Association Tang Jiaxuan participate.
: Supra-party delegation of 81 parliamentarians visits the Yasukuni Shrine in advance of Spring Festival; no Cabinet members are among the group.
: Japan National Tourist Organization reports a 5.7 percent increase in tourists from China in March, a total of 130,000 visitors.
: China’s Foreign Ministry reiterates China’s claim to the Diaoyu Islands.
: Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Secretary General Ishihara Nobuteru, son of Tokyo governor, announces postponement of his scheduled visit to China.
: Tokyo Gov. Ishihara Shintaro announces that the Tokyo Municipal Government is negotiating to purchase three of the privately owned Senkaku Islands.
: Fixed-wing aircraft of SOAA approaches Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF) ship in East China Sea. China defends the action as being in accordance with international regulations and part of regular flight activities.
: Japanese, Chinese, and ROK foreign ministers meet in Ningbo, China.
: Japanese and Chinese foreign ministers meet in Ningbo, China.
: Japanese and Chinese finance ministers meet in Tokyo.
: Japanese Foreign Ministry releases its annual Diplomatic Bluebook.
: Japanese Coast Guard finds two Chinese ships operating within Japan’s contiguous zone in the Senkaku Islands.
: Xinhua reports an agreement between China’s National Library and Shanghai Transport University to establish a Center for the Study of the Tokyo War Crimes Tribunal.
: Chief Cabinet Secretary Fujimura announces that Japan has registered one of the Senkaku Islands as a national asset.
: Democratic Party of Japan Secretary General Koshiishi Azuma leads a DPJ delegation to Beijing and meets Vice President Xi Jinping and Li Yuancho, head of the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Committee Organization Department.
: Prime Minister Noda expresses concerns over China’s growing military capabilities in an address to National Defense Academy graduates.
: Chinese ships Haijan 50 and Haijan 66 enter Japan’s contiguous zone in the Senkaku Islands.
: Okinawan citizens’ judicial panel indicts, in absentia, Chinese captain of fishing boat involved in September 2010 Senkaku incident.
: Japanese Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Edano Yukio expresses dissatisfaction with China’s protection of trademarks.
: Foreign Minister Gemba says Japan has no intention to turn China’s restrictions on rare earth exports into a political issue.
: People’s Daily publishes Prime Minister Noda’s appreciation for China’s assistance following the 2011 tsunami-Fukushima disaster.
: US, EU, and Japan bring China’s restrictions on rare earth exports to the World Trade Organization.
: Minister of Defense Tanaka announces appointment of Keio University professor and China scholar Kokubun Ryosei to head the National Defense Academy.
: Kawamura replies that his true meaning was misunderstood and refuses to withdraw remarks.
: Nanjing authorities state that restoration of official sister-to-sister ties will depend on a Kawamura apology.
: Foreign Minister Gemba Koichiro finds China’s decision to give names to Senkaku Islands extremely regrettable; announces a diplomatic protest.
: Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi calls on Japan to understand the sensitivity of history and Diaoyu issues and to manage them appropriately.
: The seventh Korea-Japan-China Senior Foreign Affairs Officials’ Consultation and the first Asian Policy Dialogue are held in Beijing.
: China announces it has given names to 71 islands, including Diaoyu Islands.
: Japan gives names to 39 distant islands, including four in the Senkaku Islands; Taiwan protests.
: Prime Minister Noda calls for Nagoya-Nanjing matter to be resolved quickly in an appropriate manner.
: Chief Cabinet Secretary Fujimura states that research activities will continue and announces a diplomatic protest. China says it is dissatisfied with Japan’s unilateral activities.
: Japan’s National Institute for Defense Studies releases China Security Report.
: China’s SOAA ship orders Japanese Coast Guard ship to stop research activities.
: “Genki Nihon” exhibition opens in Beijing as part of ceremonies to mark 40th anniversary of normalization.
: Mayor Kawamura says his remarks on the Nanjing massacre were misunderstood and refuses to withdraw or apologize. Nanjing says civil exchanges can continue.
: Nanjing announces temporary suspension of official contact with Nagoya.
: Leaders of Nagoya-Nanjing sister cities meet in Nagoya; Mayor Kawamura Takashi expresses doubts over Nanjing massacre.
: Chinese State Oceanic Administration Agency (SOAA) orders a Japanese Coast Guard research ship to cease activities in waters on the Japanese side of Japan’s claimed mid-line boundary in the East China Sea.
: China and Japan agree to extend until 2022 the final elimination of chemical weapons abandoned in China by the Imperial Army.
: Ceremonies marking the 40th anniversary of normalization are held in Beijing.
: Supra-party delegation of Diet members calls on the Japanese government to take measures to strengthen Japan’s effective control over the Senkaku Islands.
: Japanese Coast Guard ships find Chinese Maritime Fisheries Agency ships operating in Japan’s contiguous zone near the Senkaku Islands.
: Beijing responds that Tianwaitan gas field is indisputably within Chinese waters.
: Chief Cabinet Secretary Fujimura states that China’s unilateral development of the East China natural gas fields is unacceptable
: Tokyo files a diplomatic protest concerning Chinese activities in the Tianwaitan natural gas field.
: Kyodo reports China’s Maritime Safety Administration plans to increase reconnaissance flights over disputed areas in the East China Sea.
: People’s Daily proclaims the Diaoyu Islands to be a “core interest” of China.
: Chief Cabinet Secretary Fujimura announces the government’s intention to give names to Japan’s distant islands, including four in the Senkakus.
: Japanese and Chinese parliamentarians meet in Beijing for seventh meeting of parliamentary dialogue.
: China invites Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako to visit China to celebrate the 40th anniversary of normalization.
: Chief Cabinet Secretary Fujimura Osamu rebukes Consumer Affairs Minister Yamaoka Kenji for remarks on the possible bursting of China’s economic bubble.
: Four members of Ishigaki Municipal Assembly land on the disputed island of Uotsuri – known to the Chinese as Diaoyu.
: Chief Cabinet Secretary Fujimura announces revision of the Three Principles on Arms Exports.
: PM Noda visits China and meets Premier Wen, President Hu, and State Councilor Dai.
: Minister of Defense Ichikawa Yasuo announces the government’s intention to revise the Three Principles on Arms Exports.
: Foreign Ministers Gemba and Yang confer by telephone on Korean affairs following the Dec. 19 announcement of the death of Kim Jong Il.
: Japan National Tourism Organization announces that November Chinese visitors increased 35 percent over November 2010, the first increase since March of this year.
: Kyodo News Service reports 1,000 Chinese workers strike over severance pay at Hitachi hard-disc factory in Shenzhen.
: Beijing requests postponement of PM Noda’s visit scheduled for Dec. 12-13.
: Foreign Minister Gemba visits Beijing to advance PM Noda’s December visit; he meets Premier Wen.
: Japanese Ministry of Defense reports six Chinese Navy ships transit Okinawa prefecture in international waters to conduct exercises in the Pacific Ocean.
: Health Minister Komiyayama Yoko visits Beijing and asks for relaxation of Chinese restrictions on Japanese food imports.
: PM Noda and President Hu meet during APEC Leader’s Meeting in Honolulu; they agree to deepen mutually beneficial strategic relationship.
: Japan Tourism Agency announces that Chinese tourists account for 17 percent of visitors to Japan in 2010, the largest percentage of foreign visitors.
: The Chinese fishing boat captain is released after paying 300,000 yen fine. Chinese Foreign Ministry accepts resolution of the issue as appropriate.
: Japanese lawmakers, including Nagashima Akihisa, special foreign affairs advisor to the prime minister, meet the visiting Dalai Lama; the meeting draws a protest from China.
: Chief Cabinet Secretary Fujimura tells the media that Japan will deal appropriately with the fishing boat incident in accordance with domestic law.
: Sankei Shimbun reports appointment of former Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan as Chinese head of China-Japan Friendship Society.
: Following a chase and collision, Japanese Coast Guard arrests captain of Chinese fishing boat operating in Japanese waters.
: Sankei Shimbun reports postponement of High-Level Economic Dialogue meeting.
: PM Noda tells Lower House that he does not intend to change the longstanding interpretation on the exercise of the right of collective self-defense.
: In a Financial Times interview, PM Noda expresses concerns with China’s maritime activities in East China Sea and South China Sea; he calls on China to respect international laws governing maritime activities.
: Chief Cabinet Secretary Fujimura Osamu tells the Upper House that the government plans to name 10 of Japan’s 49 unnamed islands to strengthen Japan’s EEZ claims.
: Chief Cabinet Secretary Fujimura reveals cyber-attack on Foreign Ministry and a number of diplomatic posts overseas; Yomiuri Shimbun reports that the viruses transferred data to servers in China.
: Japanese Coast Guard patrol boat spots two Chinese fisheries patrol boats operating in Japan’s contiguous zone in the Senkaku Islands.
: Speaking at Hyakuri Air Base, PM Noda expresses concerns with China’s stepped-up activities in waters off Japan.
: Japan’s Ministry of Defense sources report that in April-September period Air Self-Defense Forces scrambled 83 times to deal with Chinese aircraft approaching Japanese airspace – a three times increase over the same period in 2010.
: Minister of Trade and Industry Edano Yukio visits China, meets Premier Wen and Commerce Minister Chen Deming in an effort to advance economic cooperation.
: DPJ defense council urges the Japanese government to reconsider the Three Principles on Arms Exports.
: Japanese Coast Guard aircraft identify a Chinese maritime research ship operating without prior notification in area near the Senkaku islands.
: PM Noda and President Hu Jintao meet at the G20 Summit in Cannes.
: Prime Minister Noda meets Philippine President Benigno Aquino in Tokyo.
: Japanese Coast Guard aircraft spot a Chinese maritime research ship operating inside Japan’s EEZ near the Senkaku Islands.
: Foreign Ministers Gemba and Yang meet at the United Nations in New York.
: Chinese Foreign Ministry denies China is the source of cyber-attack on Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.
: Cyber-attacks, attributed to China, hit Japanese government websites.
: PM Noda, in policy address to the Diet, expresses concern with China’s growing power, lack of transparency, and stepped up maritime activities.
: PM Noda tells the Lower House that calls from China and the ROK for the dis-enshrinement of Class-A War Criminals is interference in Japan’s domestic affairs.
: Exhibition dedicated to Comfort Women opens at Anti-Japanese War Memorial near the Marco Polo Bridge; exhibition is co-sponsored by Japanese civic organizations.
: Japanese and Philippine officials meet in Tokyo discuss South China Sea and maritime safety issues.
: Ambassador Niwa Uichiro visits Jilin province and inspects construction of the plant dedicated to destruction of remaining chemicals weapons abandoned by the Imperial Army.
: On the anniversary of 2010 Senkaku Incident, Chief Cabinet Secretary Fujimura Osamu reasserts Japan’s claim to sovereignty over the Senkaku Islands.
: Noda succeeds Kan Naoto as prime minister.
: Prime Minister (PM) Noda revises his position on Yasukuni Shrine and pledges that he will not visit the shrine.
: Representatives of both government and opposition parties in Japan agree on the “necessity” of on-site inspections in the Senkakus.
: Noda Yoshihiko is confirmed in the Diet as Japan’s sixth new prime minister in five years, replacing outgoing Kan Naoto who resigned on Aug. 26.
: Noda Yoshihiko is elected president of the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ).
: Japan’s National Police Agency alleges that 90 percent of the July 10 attacks on the Agency’s website originated from China and that Beijing has been asked to investigate.
: Kan Naoto resigns as prime minister.
: Japan and China agree on joint program to prevent illegal logging.
: Foreign Minster Matsumoto Takeaki calls in Chinese Ambassador Cheng Yonghua to protest activities of Chinese Maritime Enforcement Agency.
: Directors of the Lower House Administration Oversight Committee meet to consider asking the government to approve on-site inspection of the Senkakus.
: Kyodo News reports that Chinese prize-winning motion picture on the Nanjing Massacre will be shown in Tokyo.
: JETRO announces that Japan-China trade for January-June 2011 grew at rate of 17.9 percent over 2010 to $163.15 billion, a new record for the period.
: Japan’s Ambassador to China Uichiro Niwa visits Tibet.
: Prime Minister Kan and Cabinet for second consecutive year do not pay homage at Yasukuni Shrine. Kan attends ceremonies for the war dead at Chidorigafuchi cemetery.
: Finance Minister Noda Yoshihiko tells reporters Class A war criminals are not in fact war criminals.
: Exhibition panel dedicated to comfort women opens in Beijing’s Memorial Hall of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance against Japan; the section was developed by Japanese civic associations and scholars who supplied approximately 500 documents and photographs.
: Defense Minister Kitazawa question’s necessity of China’s aircraft carrier.
: Japanese Coast Guard releases new footage of September 2010 Senkaku incident; shows several fishing boats, including one that appears to attempt to cut off pursuit by Coast Guard ships.
: Genron NPO and China Times release annual joint public opinion survey; results show continued deterioration in Japanese views of China and Chinese views of Japan.
: Director General for Asian and Oceanic Affairs Sugiyama visits Beijing for discussions on resumption of Six-Party Talks.
: Japan announces relaxation of visa requirements for Chinese tourists.
: Chief Cabinet Secretary Edano says that in the event of aggression by another country on the Senkakus, Japan will exercise the right of self-defense to repel invaders.
: China’s aircraft carrier Varyag undergoes its first sea trials.
: Chinese fisheries patrol ships enter Japanese territorial waters in Senkaku Islands.
: 400 Japanese high school students from Iwate, Miyage, and Fukushima Prefectures arrive in China at invitation of the Chinese government; the visit is part of student exchange program marking 40 anniversary of normalization.
: Stone monument in Heilongjiang dedicated to Japanese settlers of Manchuria is defaced by activists related to China Federation for Defending the Daioyu Islands.
: Japan’s Ministry of Defense issues its 2011 Defense White Paper.
: Lt. Gen. Ma and Administrative Vice Minister of Defense Nakae hold ninth Bilateral Vice-Ministerial Defense and Security Dialogue.
: PLA Deputy Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Ma Xiaotian visits Japan; meets Minister of Defense Kitazawa and Chief of the Joint Staff Oriki Ryoichi.
: Kan government announces a slight reduction in China Official Development Assistance (ODA) program.
: Yomiuri Shimbun, citing diplomatic and media sources, reports that China has initiated indigenous construction of an aircraft carrier.
: Xinhua reports Ministry of Defense officials express concern with Japan’s increased air and naval activities in the East China Sea.
: Japanese and Chinese parliamentarians resume annual meeting in Tokyo.
: Mid-term report of the Ministry of Defense Study Group on Japan’s Defense Industry and Technological Base recommends reconsideration of the three principles governing Japan’s arms exports.
: Japanese and Chinese foreign ministers meet in Beijing.
: Japanese Coast Guard ships confirm Chinese fishing boat is operating in Japan’s contiguous zone in the Senkaku Islands.
: Prime Minister Kan attends war memorial service on Okinawa; president of Okinawa Bereaved Families Association encourages Kan to pay homage at Yasakuni Shrine and pray for external peace.
: Okinawa citizens’ independent judicial panel recommends indictment of Chinese fishing boat captain involved in the Senkaku incident for damaging Japanese Coast Guard ships; Naha prosecutors last year decided not to indict, citing diplomatic reasons.
: Japan’s Director General for Asian and Oceanic Affairs Sugiyama Shinsuke visits Beijing for consultation regarding the Six-Party Talks.
: Foreign Minister Matsumoto Takeaki and Chief Cabinet Secretary Edano report that a Chinese research ship transited Japan’s EEZ without prior notification; government protests on June 23.
: Japan’s Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office opens exhibition on Sun Yat Sen and Japanese supporters of the 1911 Revolution.
: Okinawa Gov. Nakai Hiroshi calls on Chief Cabinet Secretary Edano Yukio to request strengthening of measures to protect against illegal fishing.
: Japanese government declines comment on Hong Kong interview of Chinese fishing boat captain involved in the Senkaku incident; captain alleges Japanese Coast Guard ships rammed his boat and that he suffered injuries when his ship was boarded.
: China relaxes restrictions on food imports from Japan.
: China Defense Minister Liang meets members of Japan’s Self-Defense Forces (SDF) in Beijing; they agree to advance defense dialogue.
: Japanese Foreign Ministry releases findings of annual poll of US public opinion; survey finds that China has replaced Japan as most important US partner in Asia.
: People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy warships transit in international waters between Okinotorishima and Miyakojima for an exercise in the western Pacific.
: Defense Ministers Kitazawa Toshimi and Liang Guanglie meet on the sidelines of Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore; agree to set up a maritime crisis management mechanism and resume exchange visits of defense officials.
: Japan-China private sector conference on green growth and environmental technology is held in Beijing.
: Delegation from China’s National Tourism Administration visits Japan.
: Dalian court sentences Japanese national to death for importing amphetamines; execution is deferred for two years.
: Japan, China, ROK tourism officials meet in South Korea.
: Japanese government approves maintenance activities on Okinotorishima in support of Japan’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) claims in the Senkakus.
: Japan, China, and ROK business leaders call for the conclusion of a trilateral free trade agreement (FTA.)
: Prime Minister Kan hosts Trilateral Japan, China, ROK Summit.
: Taiwan President Ma Ying-Jeou calls for strengthening of Taiwan-US-Japan ties.
: Anti-G4 conference, which is opposed to admittance of Japan, Germany, India and Brazil as permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), meets in Rome. Participants include China, Italy, and the ROK.
: Prime Minister Kan Naoto hosts a meeting of the advisory panel on Japan-China relations at his official residence.
: Premier Wen Jiabao meets Keidanren delegation led by Chairman Yonekura Hiromasa; Yonekura meets Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi on May 16.
: Bloomberg reports Japanese maker of Hello Kitty products, Sanrio, has agreed to partner with Chinese company to open a theme park in eastern Zhejiang.
: Sankei Shimbun reports that the Ministry of Defense in conjunction with the new defense guidelines had considered Senkaku-related scenarios.
: Taiwan dedicates a memorial park to Japanese architect Hatta Yoichi.
: Former Prime Minister Hatoyama Yukio visits China and meets Vice President Xi Jinping; thanks China for assistance extended in response to the Fukushima disaster.
: China’s Vice President Xi Jinping meets delegation of Japan-China Parliamentary Union, led by former Foreign Minister Komura Masahiko in the Great Hall of the People.
: Yomiuri Shimbun reports that Chinese authorities have approved transit from China of three North Korean refugees protected at the Japanese Consulate in Shenyang for over two years.
: China relaxes tourist restrictions to Japan with the exception of the northeast region of Honshu.
: Former State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan calls for China-Japan energy cooperation during China-Japan Economic Forum in Beijing.
: Japanese Embassy in Beijing holds open forum on the situation at Fukushima nuclear plant.
: Chinese newspapers carry an open letter of thanks from Prime Minister Kan to the Chinese people.
: Japanese independent panel concludes that captain of the Chinese fishing trawler involved in the Sept. 7 incident should have been indicted.
: Xinhua reports the second successful test flight of China’s stealth fighter.
: Prime Minster Kan calls Premier Wen Jiabao to thank him for China’s earthquake/tsunami relief contributions.
: Special advisor to Prime Minister Kan travels to China and transmits personal letter of thanks to President Hu Jintao for China’s earthquake/tsunami relief.
: China Security Report (English translation) is released by Japan’s National Institute for Defense Studies (NIDS).
: Kan government approves the 2011 Diplomatic Blue Book.
: China’s Foreign Ministry responds to Japan’s new high school textbooks that assert Japanese sovereignty over the Senkakus by reasserting that China’s claim is incontestable and efforts to try to change this reality will prove unavailing.
: Japan’s Foreign Ministry, citing earthquake emergency, announces decision to postpone consideration of ODA program.
: Xinhua reports China will impose tax on rare earth producers beginning April 1.
: Kyodo reports that Russian officials from Sakhalin have invited China to invest in an island located in Japan’s Northern Territory.
: Foreign ministers of Japan, China and South Korea meet in Kyoto. Foreign Minister Matsumoto thanks counterparts for their assistance in tsunami relief and recovery.
: Premier Wen Jiabao expresses sympathies for victims of earthquake and tsunami; China sends gasoline, tents, clothing, and foodstuffs.
: China dispatches emergency rescue team to Japan; team returns March 20.
: Ambassador Cheng calls at the Foreign Ministry and transfers funds for earthquake relief and recovery, citing Japan’s support following the 2008 Chengdu earthquake.
: An earthquake measuring 9.0 on the Richter scale hits the Tohoku region of Japan resulting in a massive tsunami.
: Matsumoto Takeaki is announced as the new foreign minister of Japan.
: Senior official of China’s National Offshore Oil Corp. tells Asahi Shimbun that oil is being produced in the East China Sea; China denies the accuracy of the report.
: Japan’s Ministry of Defense reports that a Chinese helicopter had buzzed a Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF) destroyer in international waters in the East China Sea.
: China proposes cooperation to develop alternatives to rare earth metals.
: Foreign Minister Maehara resigns from his post.
: JCG ship observes Chinese Maritime Safety Administration patrol boat just outside Japanese waters and warns it against entering.
: Foreign Minister Maehara rules out the continuation of ODA for China.
: Japan’s Air Self-Defense Forces scrambles jets as Chinese aircraft enter Japan’s air defense identification zone.
: Deputy President of DPJ Sengoku Yoshito meets China’s Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Zhijun in Tokyo; Zhang invites Sengoku to visit China when time is appropriate.
: China-Japan Strategic Dialogue resumes in Tokyo.
: Japan’s Ambassador to China Niwa Uichiro calls for continuation of the Official Development Assistance (ODA) program for China.
: Sankei Shimbun reports that a Chinese company, Huawei Japan, has become a member of Keidanren.
: NEC Corp. announces agreement to cooperate with Chinese partner Tianma Micro in the production of liquid crystal display (LCD) units.
: Japan’s Supreme Court denies appeal for 150 million yen in damages filed by Chinese workers for being forcibly brought to Japan as laborers during World War II. Court cites the 1972 Joint Communiqué in which China waived rights of individuals to pursue damages.
: Asahi Shimbun reports there are more than 50,000 Japanese residing in Shanghai.
: Former JCG officer Masaharu Isshiki, responsible for the leak of JCG Senkakus video, speaks at Foreign Correspondents Club of Japan, expressing concern that foreign countries are invading Japanese territory.
: Yomiuri Shimbun reports that Japan briefed China on contents of Japan’s new National Defense Program Guidelines on Dec. 16, the day before public release of the document, to demonstrate Japan’s transparency.
: Japan’s Senior Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Banno Yutaka visits China, the first visit by a senior vice minister since the Senkaku incident.
: Foreign Minister Maehara makes policy address to the Diet.
: Japanese prosecutors drop charges against the captain of Chinese fishing trawler involved in the Sept. 7, 2010 incident.
: Beijing releases 2010 gross domestic product (GDP) data confirming that China is now the world’s second largest economy, surpassing Japan.
: China-Japan Security Dialogue is held in Beijing.
: Senkakus Day is celebrated in Ishigaki city, Okinawa.
: Prime Minister Kan Naoto reshuffles Cabinet; Maehara Seiji retained as foreign minister and Edano Yukio becomes chief Cabinet secretary.
: LDP’s Ishiba Shigeru introduces resolution calling on the government to take steps to assert sovereignty over the Senkakus, including landing on and surveying the islands.
: Former Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Secretary General Kato Koichi leads parliamentarian delegation to China and meets State Councilor Dai Bingguo and diplomat Wu Dawei, China’s lead negotiator in the Six-Party Talks.
: Taiwan’s Ministry of Transportation and Communication releases data showing that in 2010 China displaced Japan as top source of tourists to Taiwan.
: Nissan Corp. announces 2010 sales in China increased 35.5 percent over 2009 to 1,023,600 units. China is now Nissan’s largest market.
: Japanese government denies Ishigaki city government permission to land on and survey Senkaku Islands for environment and tax purposes.
: Honda Corp. announces 2010 sales in China increased 12.2 percent over 2009 to 646,631 units.
: China and Japan hold first antiterrorism dialogue in Beijing.
: First meeting of a Japanese government panel to consider strengthening laws to protect against disclosure of classified information by government officials. Strengthening of territorial sea law is also under review to allow Japan Coast Guard (JCG) to react swiftly to intrusions into Japan’s territorial waters.
: Supra-party Diet delegation of Japan-China Friendship Parliamentarians League visits China.
: Japan’s Foreign Ministry announces that Japan-China Security Dialogue scheduled for Dec. 24 in Beijing is postponed; scheduling difficulties are given as the reason.
: Ishigaki Assembly unanimously adopts a resolution designating Jan. 14 as Senkakus Day.
: Kan Cabinet adopts new National Defense Program Guidelines.
: JCG finds two Chinese fisheries surveillance ships operating near the Senkakus but outside Japan’s territorial waters.
: DPJ Foreign Policy and Security Affairs Council adopts draft proposals for National Defense Program Guidelines.
: METI Minister Ohata meets Chairman of China’s National Development and Reform Commission Zhang Ping in Yokohama; Zhang tells Ohata that he has ordered expedited customs procedures for rare earth metal exports.
: Foreign Ministers Maehara and Yang meet during APEC Forum in Yokohama.
: Prime Minister Kan and President Hu meet during APEC Forum in Yokohama.
: Chief navigator of JCG ship Uranmai admits to uploading of video to YouTube.
: JCG orders Chinese research ships to leave Japan’s EEZ; Chinese ships comply.
: Chinese deploy police to prevent anti-Japanese protests during the Asian Games in Guangzhou.
: Supra-party Union of Diet Members to Protect National Sovereignty and the National Interests announces its intention to amend existing legislation to transfer ownership status of Senkakus to the national government.
: China insists JCG video does not change the truth of Japan’s illegal actions.
: The JCG video of the Senkaku incident is uploaded to YouTube; Prime Minister Kan orders an investigation of the leak.
: Former Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan attends a Tokyo meeting of the Japan-China Friendship Committee for the 21st Century; meets Prime Minister Kan, DPJ and Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Secretaries General Okada Katusya and Tanigaki Sadakazu and Keidanren Chairman Yonekura Hiromasa.
: Prime Minister Kan and Preimier Wen meet at the EAS in Hanoi.
: Foreign Ministers Maehara and Yang meet on sidelines of East Asian Summit (EAS) in Hanoi; they reiterate talking points on Senkakus and reaffirm commitment to mutually beneficial strategic relationship.
: Japanese government releases six-minute, edited copy of JCG video of the Senkaku incident to the Budget Committee.
: Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI) Minister Ohata Akihiro meets Vice Minister of Commerce Jiang Yaping in Tokyo and asks China to ease restrictions on rare metal exports.
: JCG confirms Chinese fisheries patrol ships are operating between Japan’s territorial waters and Economic Exclusive Zone; Japan protests through diplomatic channels.
: Anti-Japanese, Senkaku-related protests resume in China.
: Foreign Minister Maehara rejects Chinese claims that Japan and China had agreed to shelve sovereignty issues over the Senkakus during negotiations over the 1978 Japan-China Peace and Friendship Treaty; China charges Japan with denying historical reality.
: Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs Hu Zhengyue blasts Maehara’s language and repeated attacks on China as inappropriate for a foreign minister.
: Ishigaki Municipal Assembly asks national government permission to land on Senkaku Islands.
: China Daily says China’s rare earth metal exports will be cut 30 percent in 2011.
: Foreign Minister Maehara decries China’s “hysterical” response to the Senkaku incident; China expresses shock at Maehara’s language.
: Japanese government and the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) comply with Budget Committee’s request to turn over the JCG video of the Senkaku incident.
: Prime Minister Kan tells the Upper House that Japan has urged China to protect Japanese citizens and businesses in the face of anti-Japanese protests; Ambassador Niwa calls on Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi with the same request.
: Anti-Japanese, Senkakus-related protests take place in Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Xian and Zhengzhou.
: Lower House Budget Committee unanimously requests Naha Special Prosecutors Office to submit the JCG video of the Senkaku incident to the Diet.
: Defense Ministers Kitazawa and Liang Guanglie meet in Hanoi at the ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting Plus 8 (ADMM+) and reaffirm the commitment to building mutually beneficial strategic relationship and to take steps to establish bilateral communications mechanism to avoid conflicts at sea. Liang also informs Kitazawa of China’s decision to cancel the scheduled Oct. 15 Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) port call in Qingdao.
: China releases last of four Fujita employees who had been detained on suspicion of entering a restricted military zone.
: Supra-party “Group of Young Diet members to Establish National Security in the 21st Century” is formed in Japan.
: Two Chinese fisheries patrol ships depart waters near the Senkakus.
: Prime Minister Kan and Premier Wen meet at the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) meeting in Brussels.
: Mayors from Okinawa Prefecture meet Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Furukawa Motohisa and request that the government increase surveillance activities in the area and protect Japanese sovereignty over territorial land and water.
: Foreign Minister Maehara Sieji calls for dialogue with China in order to avoid future incidents similar to the one in the Senkakus.
: Chief Cabinet Secretary Sengoku Yoshito assumes the lead in dealing with the Diet’s request for the Japanese Coast Guard (JCG) video of the Senkaku incident.
: Minister of Defense Kitazawa Toshimi tells the Lower House Budget Committee that the government would consider deployments of the Ground Self-Defense Force (GSDF) to Yonagumi Island in Japan’s southwest island chain.
: Japan’s Ambassador to China Niwa Uichiro meets Assistant Foreign Minister Hu Zhengyue and asks China to stop unilateral actions related to the Shirakaba/Chunxiao natural gas field in East China Sea.
: China releases three of four detained Fujita Construction employees.
: Prime Minister Kan Naoto apologies for the poor handling of the Senkaku incident and reaffirms Japanese sovereignty over the islands.
: Ten Chinese ships sited in waters near the Chunxiao (Shirakaba) gas field.
: Trading companies report China’s export of rare earth metals has resumed.
: Jiang Yu tells media that China highly values the Japan relationship but repairing relations will require the two countries to meet halfway and will require Japan to take “candid and practical actions.”
: Japanese are arrested for throwing flare at the Chinese Consulate in Fukuoka.
: Chief Cabinet Secretary Sengoku suggests that China pay for repair of Japanese Coast Guard ship; says China is responsible for putting relationship back on track.
: Japan National Tourist Organization announces that the number of Chinese visitors to Japan hit 1.04 million January to August, topping the 1.01 million for all of 2009.
: Prime Minister Kan refuses to apologize to China for the fishing boat incident
: Japanese embassy requests early resolution of four detained Fujita employees.
: Japanese diplomat meets four detained Japanese nationals in Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province
: Beijing calls for an apology from Japan over fishing boat incident;
: Ishigaki prosecutors announce release of Chinese captain; further investigation deemed “inappropriate.”
: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton affirms that the US-Japan Security Treaty extends to Senkaku islands; Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen make similar statements.
: Following APEC forum on tourism in Nara, Zhang Xilong blames Japan for fishing boat incident; warns of downturn in Chinese tourists to Japan.
: Premier Wen in speech in New York demands release of ship’s captain.
: China’s releases 2010 Diplomatic White Paper; devotes an entire chapter to China’s borders and maritime rights.
: Japan’s National Governors Conference announces postponement of Japan-China Governors Forum scheduled for Oct. 28.
: China rules out Wen-Kan meeting during UNGA in New York.
: Ishigaki court extends detention of Chinese captain through September 29.
: China detains four Japanese nationals employed by Fujita Construction for entering a restricted military area without permission in Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province.
: Ambassador Niwa called to Chinese Foreign Ministry; China’s demands release of ship’s captain.
: Prime Minister Kan and Cabinet officials discuss responses to Chinese actions in Chunxiao (Shirakaba).
: Prime Minister Kan appoints Maehara as foreign minister.
: Foreign Minister Maehara warns that Japan will take appropriate actions if drilling activities are observed at the Chunxiao (Shirakaba) natural gas field.
: Japanese Foreign Ministry reveals that a Japan Air Self-Defense Force P-3C observed drilling equipment being transported to China’s drilling platform in Chunxiao (Shirakaba) natural gas field.
: Minister of Land and Transport Maehara Seiji visits Japan’s Coast Guard station in Ishigaki in connection with Chinese fishing boat incident; praises Coast Guard actions.
: Ambassador Niwa called to Chinese Foreign Ministry; China’s demands release of ship’s captain.
: China cancels planned 5-day visit to Japan of vice chairman of Standing Committee of National People’s Congress
: Japanese authorities release crew and ship.
: China’s Foreign Ministry, citing the fishing boat incident, announces postponement of East China Sea negotiations.
: Okinawa officials approve prosecutor’s request for detention of captain of Chinese fishing ship.
: Narita District Immigration Office reports the number of Chinese visitors entering Japan at Narita Airport from July through the end of August came to approximately 106,000 an increase of 1.8 times over 2009.
: State Councilor Dai Bingguo calls Ambassador Niwa for midnight meeting to protest Japanese actions and demand release of captain, crew, and boat.
: Chinese surveillance ship approaches Japanese research ship on eastern side of Japan’s claimed mid-line boundary; demands research activities be halted; Japan protests through diplomatic channels
: Japanese Coast Guard hands over captain of Chinese fishing ship to prosecutors for possible indictment for obstructing Coast Guard in exercise of its duties.
: Foreign Minister Yang calls in Ambassador Niwa to demand release of captain, crew, and ship.
: Japanese Cabinet approves 2010 Defense White Paper.
: Ambassador Niwa is called to Chinese Foreign Ministry; China demands release of captain, crew, and fishing boat.
: Japan’s Ambassador Niwa is called to Chinese Foreign Ministry; China demands release of captain, crew, and the fishing boat being held by Japan.
: Chinese fishing boat collides with Japanese Coast Guard ship in waters around Senkaku islands; captain, crew, and ship are detained.
: Senior Vice Minister of the Cabinet Office Hiroka Hideo announces that Japan has begun destruction of chemical weapons abandoned in China by the Imperial Army.
: Foreign Minister Okada meets Wu Dawei, China’s special representative to the Six-Party Talks; Okada reiterates caution on resumption of Six-Party Talks.
: Foreign Minister Okada meets Foreign Minister Wang Jiechi in Beijing; discussion focuses on Six-Party Talks.
: Council on National Security and Defense Capabilities submits report to Prime Minister Kan.
: METI Parliamentary Secretary Kondo Yosuke tells reporters that Japan has asked China not to reduce export of rare earth minerals.
: GDP figures for April-June quarter reveal that China is now world’s second largest economy surpassing Japan.
: Prime minister and Cabinet members refrain from visiting Yasukuni shrine; 41 Diet members along with LDP Secretary General Tanigaki, former Prime Minister Abe and Tokyo governor Ishihara do pay homage at the shrine
: Prime Minister Kan Naoto in speech in Kumamoto blames Koizumi visits to Yasukuni for downturn in Japan’s relations with its Asian neighbors
: Honda Motors reports 12 percent increase to 56,688 vehicles sold in China in July 2010 over July 2009; Toyota reports an increase of 1 percent to 64,200 vehicles.
: Japan’s new ambassador to China, Niwa Uchiro, arrives in Beijing.
: Japan Tourism Agency announces 5 to 6 fold increase in Chinese visitors in July 2010 over 2009.
: Negotiations to implement the June 2008 agreement on joint development in the East China Sea begin in Tokyo.
: Chinese authorities announce July 17 arrest of three Japanese nationals for possession of amphetamines.
: Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF) Chief of Staff Akahoshi Keiji announces MSDF training fleet will make a port call in Tsingtao in mid-October.
: Chief Cabinet Secretary Sengoku Yoshito informs reporters that the Kan government has decided on a comprehensive policy, including legislation, to secure remains of Japanese soldiers who died in China and Southeast Asia.
: Strike hits Honda factory in Foshan, China.
: Kan government adopts basic program covering Japan’s distant islands.
: Japanese police authorities visit China and meet Public Security officials in connection with the January 2008 gyoza poisoning incident – their third visit to China and first since the March 2010 arrest of the Chinese suspect.
: Toyota Motors says it is open to pay increases for Chinese workers and announces plans to expand production in China. Honda Motors announces plans to increase production by 28 percent in the second half of 2012. Auto parts maker Denso announces plans to expand capacity in China.
: Ministry of Land, Infrastructure Transport and Tourism announces plans to reinforce breakwaters around Okinotorishima.
: Two People’s Liberation Army (PLA) warships transit between Okinawa and Miyakojima in international waters.
: China welcomes Japan’s easing of visa requirements for individual Chinese citizens visiting Japan.
: FM Okada tells a press conference that G8 membership should be based on a commitment to democracy and shared values.
: PM Kan meets President Hu on sidelines of G20 Summit in Toronto.
: Upper House of the Diet passes legislation identifying Okinotorishima and Minamitorishima as “special distant islands” as preparations are advanced to begin construction of port facilities to strengthen Japan’s EEZ claims.
: PM Kan attends G8 in Toronto and proposes inviting China to attend future G8 meetings.
: Japan’s National Tourist Organization reports 600,000 Chinese citizens visited Japan between January-May, an increase of 36 percent over 2009.
: Yonagumi town assembly discusses possible deployment of Self-Defense Forces (SDF) forces to the island.
: Toyota Motor hit by strike at its Guangzhou assembly plant; a labor agreement reached on June 25.
: Kan tells Upper House that he has no intention to visit Yasukuni Shrine while prime minister and that constitutional reform not a pressing issue.
: Tokyo announces the appointment of Niwa Uichiro as ambassador to China.
: Workers at Toyota affiliate Toyota Gosei go on strike in Tianjin.
: PM Kan makes his initial policy speech to Diet. He casts the US-Japan alliance as the cornerstone of Japan’s diplomacy; relations with China included with other states of Asia.
: Kan government takes office.
: Workers at Honda Motors affiliate Yutaka Giken go on strike in Guangzhou.
: Kan Naoto is elected as Japan’s new prime minister.
: PM Hatoyama resigns.
: Hatoyama government releases policy statement on his concept of an East Asia Community, saying that US involvement as vital.
: Japan’s Foreign Ministry releases a poll of US opinion leaders in which China topped Japan as the most important partner in Asia for the US – 56 percent to 36 percent. In a poll of the general public, Japan and China tied at 44 percent.
: Premier Wen visits Japan and meets PM Hatoyama in Tokyo; Wen commits to early negotiations on East China Sea.
: Japan, China, and ROK summit is held in Jeju, ROK.
: Taiwanese ship enters Japan’s EEZ in Senkaku island chain to assert Taiwan sovereignty claim.
: Japan, China, and ROK trade ministers meet in Seoul to discuss regional economic cooperation.
: Japan,China, and South Korean environment ministers meet in Hokkaido.
: Japanese Consulate in Qingdao is informed by Chinese Customs authorities that a Japanese national has been detained on charges related to the possession of illegal drugs.
: Foreign ministers of Japan, China, and ROK meet in Gyeongju Korea. During a bilateral Japan-China meeting Okada challenges China’s efforts at nuclear arms reduction.
: FM Okada says it is necessary to carefully monitor the development of China’s nuclear and naval power.
: Premier Wen Jiabao meets a visiting Keidanren delegation and expresses hope for the conclusion of China-Japan-ROK FTA.
: Taiwan’s President Ma Ying-jeou expresses hopes for conclusion of Taiwan-Japan FTA.
: Japan announces that it will accept less than 50 percent share of investment in Shirakaba/Chunxiao natural gas field.
: Japan decides to ease visa requirements for individual Chinese tourists. The change will take effect July 1.
: Japan, China, and South Korea hold a working level discussion on a trilateral free trade agreement (FTA) in Seoul.
: Taiwanese fishing trawler enters Japan’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
: China’s Vice President Xi Jinping meets a visiting delegation from the Diet’s Japan-China Friendship League.
: Asahi Shimbun poll finds 67 percent of respondents are opposed to amending Article 9 of Japan’s constitution.
: Japan Pavilion opens at Shanghai Exposition.
: Japanese Foreign Ministry issues web-site warning to travelers visiting China about the potential death penalty for involvement in drug smuggling.
: China’s Ambassador to Japan Cheng Yonghua suggests Japan’s surveillance of PLA Navy’s training exercises indicates a lack of trust on the part of Japan.
: Japan’s Ministry of Defense announces Chinese helicopter approached a Japanese destroyer conducting surveillance activities.
: Foreign Minister (FM) Okada Katsuya acknowledges that Hatoyama did not raise helicopter incident with Hu.
: Kyodo News Service reports the Hatoyama government’s intention to encourage Chinese tourists by easing regulations for individual Chinese visitors.
: Minister of Defense Kitazawa Toshimi announces April 10 transit of PLA Navy.
: PM Hatoyama and President Hu Jintao meet in Washington on sidelines of the Nuclear Security Summit.
: PLA Navy ships transit in international waters between Okinawa’s main island and Miyakojima and conduct training exercises through April 23.
: People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy ships conduct training exercises in East China Sea.
: Executions of the Japanese drug smugglers are carried out in China.
: PM Hatoyama Yukio meets journalists attending a Japan-China journalist conference in Tokyo and exchanges views on Japan-China war and history
: Deputy Prime Minister (PM) Kan Naoto in Beijing expresses Japan’s concerns over executions; participates in Japan-China Finance Dialogue.
: China alerts Japan to the pending executions of four Japanese nationals convicted of drug smuggling.
: Senior Japanese, Chinese, and Korean Foreign Ministry officials meet in Jeju, South Korea to advance trilateral foreign ministers’ meeting.
: Japan expresses concern over the pending execution of the Japanese citizen through its embassy in Beijing. Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirano Hirofumi acknowledges the issue belongs to China’s judicial system but cautions of the impact on bilateral relations.
: China’s Foreign Ministry informs Tokyo of the pending execution of a Japanese citizen convicted of smuggling drugs into China.
: Minister of Defense Kitazawa tells Nikkei Shimbun that he has directed Ministry of Defense staff to study the deployment of the GSDF to Yonagumi Island.
: PM Hatoyama and FM Okada express appreciation for efforts made by Chinese authorities to resolve the gyoza incident.
: Minister of Defense Kitazawa visits Yonagumi Island and is asked by Yonagumi mayor to consider GSDF deployment to the island.
: The GSDF Composite Brigade, stationed at Naha, is brought up to brigade status to strengthen Japan’s defense posture in the southwestern islands.
: Xinhua News Agency announces the arrest of a suspect in the contaminated gyoza incident.
: Japan, China, South Korea, and ASEAN announce revamped currency swap procedures under the Changmai Initiative.
: A survey conducted in Taiwan by Japan’s Interchange Association reveals that Taiwanese pick Japan over China as their favorite country.
: Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry Chairman Okamura Tadashi, with leaders of Japan’s regional Chambers of Commerce, visits China, marking the first such mission in 17 years.
: Wang Yi, former ambassador to Japan and presently director of the Taiwan Affairs Office, visits Tokyo and meets PM Hatoyama and Ozawa on Taiwan issues.
: Minister of Defense Kitazawa expresses support for early consideration of Ground Self-Defense Force (GSDF) deployment to Yonagumi Island.
: PM Hatoyama calls for greater efforts to resolve East China Sea issues in order to make the region a “Sea of Fraternity.”
: FM Okada reasserts Japanese sovereignty over Senkaku Islands.
: PM Hatoyama meets in Tokyo members of New Japan-China Friendship Committee for the 21st Century and announces plans to visit Shanghai Exposition. Tang Jiaxuan, Chinese chairman of the Friendship Committee, invites Hatoyama to attend opening ceremonies.
: Xinhua News Service reports that secret understandings between Japan and the US on nuclear weapons contradict Japan’s three non-nuclear principles.
: Japanese and Chinese diplomats meet in Beijing to discuss restarting the Six- Party Talks.
: Chinese FM Yang tells a news conference during the National People’s Congress (NPC) that China’s position on the East China Sea is to arrive at an appropriate solution through dialogue.
: China announces 7.5 percent increase in defense spending for 2010.
: Japanese Coast Guard aircraft locates Chinese maritime research vessel operating in Japan’s Senkaku Island chain within Japan’s EEZ.
: At a press conference in Beijing, Toyota President Toyoda Akio apologizes to Chinese consumers for vehicle recalls and quality-control shortcomings.
: China’s new ambassador, Cheng Yonghua, who describes his sighting of Fuji-san from the airplane as an emotional experience, arrives in Japan.
: Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and China’s Ministry of Commerce hold regularly scheduled vice-ministerial talks in Tokyo, focusing on China’s export control practices on mineral resources, including rare metals.
: “Security and Defense Capability in the New Era” panel discusses China.
: Yomiuri Shimbun reports the popularity in China of a Japanese TV series about the fate of a 19 year-old Japanese woman left behind in China at the conclusion of World War II. The article’s headline asks “Is this a change in attitude toward Japan?’
: The panel on “Security and Defense Capability in the New Era” holds its first meeting at prime minister’s official residence.
: Koshi Higashi, Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) Upper House chairman calls for equality in the Japan-US-China relationship at the reception for Upper House DPJ members.
: Hatoyama government announces the creation of a panel on “Security and Defense Capability in the New Era” to assist in formulating Japan’s new National Defense Program Guidelines.
: Tokyo Gov. Ishihara Shintaro announces that Ueno Zoo expects to receive a pair of giant pandas from China in early in 2011 at a cost of $950,000 per year.
: New Japan-China Friendship Committee for the 21st Century begins a five-day meeting in Beijing. The group meets Premier Wen Jiabao then shifts the venue to Yangzhou in Jiangsu Province.
: A government task force headed by Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Maehara Seiji agrees to recommend easing of Japan’s visa policy to allow the issuance of visas for individual Chinese at all Japanese consular offices.
: Foreign Minister (FM) Okada tells TV Asahi that China’s reaction to US arms sales to Taiwan was predictable and will not lead to China-US confrontation.
: Japan-China Joint History Research Committee releases the report on its three year study of history. NHK’s Japanese language World Report segment on the study is interrupted in China during airing of scenes from Tiananmen Incident.
: The second anniversary of the contaminated gyoza incident passes as responsibility remains undetermined despite ongoing investigations by China and Japan.
: PM Hatoyama delivers policy address to the opening session of the Diet.
: Japanese, Chinese, and South Korean officials meet in Seoul and agree to hold the first joint meeting of government, industry, and academia representatives to discuss a trilateral free trade agreement (FTA) in Seoul later in the spring.
: Kyodo News Service reports that Japan’s Environment Ministry will cooperate with China on measures to counter air pollution.
: Japan and China agree to cooperate on food safety issues, including information sharing and inspection visits to food processing facilities.
: China protests Japan’s decision approving conservation measures and port construction on Okinotorishima and Minamitorishima. Japan reasserts sovereignty claim over the islands the following day.
: Foreign Ministers Okada Katsuya and Yang Jiechi meet in Tokyo; discussion focuses on East China Sea.
: China’s Ministry of Public Security announces Japanese visitors ranked as China’s largest group of tourists in 2009.
: The Hatoyama government approves funds for preservation measures and port construction on Okinotorishima and Minamitorishima Islands.
: The mayor of Yonagumishima requests Minister of Defense Kitazawa Toshimi to deploy Ground Self-Defense Forces to the island; Kitazawa commits to studying the matter.
: Xinhua announces successful Chinese ballistic missile intercept test.
: Shizuoka Gov. Kawakatsu Heita meets China’s Vice President Xi Jinping in Beijing. Xi expresses hope that PM Hatoyama will visit China later in year.
: Beijing announces the opening of Lushunkou (Port Arthur) and Dalien (Dairen) in Liaoning Province to Japanese tourism; the Peninsula was the scene of major fighting in the first Sino-Japanese (1895) war and the Russo-Japanese war (1904-05).
: Japanese government sources report that China may take over Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF) refueling operations in the Indian Ocean following the Jan. 15 expiration of its mission there.
: Japanese advertising giant Dentsu announces it will take a 40 per cent stake in China’s Suntrend Group.
: China criticizes Japan’s plan for infrastructure development on Okinotorishima, which is located in the Senkaku Islands.
: Japan’s Interchange Association appoints Imai Tadadshi as successor to Saito Masaki as chief of its Taipei office.
: Prime Minister (PM) Hatoyama Yukio visits Issei Shrine.
: Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou meets Ono Yoshinori, former director general of Japan’s Defense Agency, and calls for closer defense cooperation among Japan, US, and Taiwan.
: Former Japanese Justice Minister Nagano Shigeto, who gained notoriety for denying the Nanjing Massacre, dies.
: Yomiuri Shimbun reports a de facto agreement on investment shares in Shirakaba/Chunxiao gas field in the East China Sea.
: Foreign Ministers Okada and Yang meet in Shanghai.
: Xinhua reports opening of new war memorial center in Nanking dedicated to Chinese Kuomintang and U.S. pilots who died aiding China in the war against Japan.
: Taiwan inaugurates Modern Japan Center at National Chengchi University.
: Prime Minister Hatoyama meets President Hu in New York.
: Hatoyama Yukio becomes prime minister of Japan.
: Minister Wu meets Foreign Minister-designate Okada.
: Premier Wen Jiabao meets Keidanren delegation in Beijing.
: Vice Foreign Minister Wu Dawei meets Japanese counterpart Yabunaka Mitoji in Tokyo to discuss North Korea and relations under DPJ government.
: Minister Wu meets Peoples’ New Party leader Kamei Shizuka and Japan Socialist Party President Fukushima Mizuho.
: Japan’s Foreign Ministry report on citizens residing overseas shows the number residing in China dropped 1,977 between 2008 and 2007 to a total of 125,928
: Former Taiwan President Lee Teng-hui arrives in Japan for a week-long visit.
: Chinese Ambassador Cui meets with DPJ President Hatoyama.
: Japanese and Chinese diplomatic sources reveal that release of Joint Study on History, scheduled for Sept. 4, has been postponed at request of China.
: Okada Katsuya addresses symposium on 60th anniversary of founding of People’s Republic of China.
: Chinese Foreign Ministry welcomes DPJ/Hatoyama election victory and pledges China’s commitment to strengthening bilateral ties.
: Chinese media reports DPJ victory and predicts continuity in the development of bilateral relations.
: DPJ score massive victory in Lower House election.
: Xinhua News expresses opposition to Dalai Lama visit to Taiwan.
: Asahi Shimbun reports China will commence aircraft carrier construction.
: Japan’s Yamato Holdings Co. announces initiation of door-to-door parcel delivery service in China.
: Yomiuri Shimbun reports that China has denied a MSDF request for Shanghai port call in period of Aug. 27-30.
: Japanese typhoon relief aid arrives in Taiwan.
: JETRO announces that China was Japan’s largest trading partner in the January-June 2009, with exports to China surpassing exports to the U.S. for the first time.
: Japan announces 6.3 percent increase in exports to China in April-June 2009 over the same period in 2008.
: Minister of Consumer Affairs Noda Seiko is only Aso Cabinet minister to visit Yasukuni, doing so in private capacity.
: China’s Ministry of Health announces investigation of illegal organ transplants following Japanese media reports of Japanese tourists traveling to China for organ transplants.
: DPJ President Hatoyama tells reporters that Japan’s prime minister should not pay homage at Yasukuni.
: Chief Cabinet Secretary Kawamura announces that he has no plans to visit Yasukuni on Aug. 15
: Prime Minister Aso cautions against politicizing paying of respect to those who died for their country at Yasukuni Shrine.
: Memorial service held in Tokyo for Chinese forced laborers who died in Japan during the war.
: Tokyo Gov. Ishihara Shintaro announces that he will not be able to visit Yasukuni Shrine on Aug. 15 because he will be out of the country.
: Kagawa Prefecture government files trademark complaint against Shanghai restaurant/hotel owner over use of kanji designating regional specialty noodle.
: Japan Times reports that China has pulled out of scheduled U.S.-Japan-China trilateral policy planning talks.
: Kadeer visits LDP headquarters; Chief Cabinet Secretary Kawamura reveals that Beijing had protested the visit through diplomatic channels on July 24.
: Uighur activist Rabiya Kadeer visits Japan; in China, NHK broadcast of her arrival is interrupted.
: Foreign Ministers Nakasone and Yang Jiechi meet in Phuket, Thailand during ARF meeting; Nakasone reiterates concerns about Chinese actions in East China Sea.
: Japan’s Foreign Ministry announces that Chinese ships departed the area around the Shirakaba gas field and returned to China on July 15.
: Xinhua News announces the conviction of four defendants charged with illegally transporting Chinese laborers to Japan.
: China’s Foreign Ministry reiterates claims to sovereignty over Senkaku Islands.
: Aso government approves 2009 Defense White Paper.
: Prime Minister Aso Taro announces Lower House dissolution.
: Admiral Akahoshi Keiji, chief of Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF) meets Defense Minister Liang Guanglie in China.
: Foreign Minister Nakasone Hirofumi asks China not to take actions that would undermine confidence with regard to the Japan-China understanding on joint development of East China Sea natural gas.
: Transportation Minister Kaneko Kazuyoshi announces direct flights between Tokyo’s Haneda Airport and Beijing’s Capital International Airport will begin on Oct. 25.
: Japanese media report Chinese ships operating in vicinity of Shirakaba (Chunxiao) natural gas field in East China Sea.
: Vice Minister Wu Dawei meets Director General for Asian and Oceanic Affairs Saiki Akitaka in Tokyo to discuss North Korea policy.
: Minister of Defense Hamada Yazukazu visits Yonagumi Island.
: Tokyo Shimbun reports Ministry of Defense is studying deployment of Ground Self-Defense Force (GSDF) units to Yonagumi Island, Okinawa Prefecture.
: Japan and China hold their first policy dialogue on resources and the environment in Beijing.
: Former Taiwan President Lee Teng-hui warns against China’s political and economic strategies toward Taiwan.
: U.S., Japan, and China announce plans to hold trilateral policy planning talks.
: Tenth Japan-China Strategic Dialogue takes place in Beijing.
: China, Japan, and South Korean Environment Ministers meet in Beijing for 11th tripartite environment talks. They agree to continue joint research on region’s major environment issues, including sandstorms and air pollution.
: UNSC adopts resolution sanctioning North Korea for its May 25 nuclear test.
: Swedish International Peace Research Institute announces that China has become the world’s second leading country in military expenditures.
: PM Aso meets visiting Vice Premier Wang and urges adoption of a strong resolution on North Korea by the UNSC.
: China’s Defense Minister Liang Guanglie tells a visiting Japanese delegation that China’s plans for building an aircraft carrier is “under study.”
: Second Japan-China High Level Economic Dialogue is held in Tokyo.
: FMs Nakasone and Yang meet in Tokyo and discuss sanctions resolution.
: Ambassador Cui meets Democratic Party of Japan President Hatoyama and urges dialogue to resolve North Korean crisis. Hatoyama tells Cui that he will not visit Yasukuni Shrine if he becomes prime minister.
: Ambassador Cui meets with Japanese reporters and urges restraint in Japan’s response to North Korea’s nuclear test.
: FM Nakasone holds 30 minute telephone conversation with FM Yang on sanctions resolution.
: Japan’s Supreme Court rejects a suit brought by 22 Chinese plaintiffs seeking compensation for exposure to chemical weapons abandoned in China by Japan’s Imperial Army.
: FM Nakasone meets Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi in Hanoi and urges adoption of UNSC resolution in response to North Korea’s nuclear test.
: Former PM Abe calls on Aso government to revise its interpretation of Japan’s right to exercise the right of collective self-defense.
: Japanese embassy in Beijing issues “no comment” on reports of ambassador’s relationship with former Xinhua bureau chief. The ambassador follows with his “no comment.”
: Former PM Abe opines that Japan’s prime minister should be able to visit Yasukuni Shrine.
: Japanese media reports sentencing of former Xinhua Foreign Affairs Bureau for passing classified information to a former Japanese ambassador to China.
: Taiwan’s President Ma Ying-jeou announces plan to dedicate a national park to the memory of Japanese hydrological engineer Yada Yoichi.
: Japanese Foreign Ministry announces issuing of individual tourist visas for Chinese citizens will begin July 1. Previously tourist visas were restricted to tourist groups of four or more.
: Saito Masaki, head of Taipei Office of the Japan Interchange Foundation offers his personal view that the international standing of Taiwan remains undetermined.
: Joint Chinese, French, German movie on the Nanjing massacre opens in China.
: PM Aso visits China and meets President Hu and Premier Wen; delivers a speech to meeting of Japan-China Future Business Leaders.
: FM Nakasone raises the issue of Chinese military build-up and modernization during speech in Tokyo on nuclear disarmament.
: A fleet review commemorating 60th anniversary of PLA Navy takes place off Qingdao. Maritime Self-Defense Forces is not invited to participate but sends observers.
: China announces protest of PM Aso’s Yasukuni offering.
: Self-Defense Force Chief of Staff Oriki Hirano announces that Air Self-Defense Force aircraft were scrambled 237 times in 2008 down 70 from the previous year. Scrambles against Chinese aircraft declined to 31 from 43.
: Sixty-one members of the Lower House and 26 members of the Upper House visit Yasukuni Shrine; no members of the Aso Cabinet participate
: Chinese movie Nanjing! Nanjing! opens on 1,400 screens in China.
: Supra-party delegation, led by Yamasaki Taku, visits Chinese embassy in Tokyo to asks for Chinese assistance in bringing North Korea back to the Six-Party Talks
: PM Aso makes an offering at Yasukuni Shrine during Spring Festival.
: Chief Cabinet Secretary Kawamura announces that the government has no plans to accept a proposal for creating a National Cemetery.
: Japan-China Friendship Society announces plan to preserve Silk Road relics in Kansu Province and to cooperate in green environment projects.
: PM Aso meets Premier Wen Jiaobao in Pattaya, Thailand in conjunction with ASEAN-related meetings.
: A history textbook, authored by the nationalist Japanese Society for History Textbook Reform, clears government screening.
: Chief Cabinet Secretary Kawamura Takeo acknowledges that Mayor Ohama Nagateru of Ishigaki Island in the Okinawa chain has asked government approval to visit Senkaku Island for property tax purposes.
: Yomiuri Shimbun poll reveals 51.6 percent of respondents favor constitutional revision, up from 42.5 percent in March 2008 survey. Opponents of revision accounted for 36.1 percent, down from 43.1 percent in 2008. Thirty-eight percent favored amending Article 9 of the Constitution, up from 31 percent in 2008.
: Japan and Taiwan announce reciprocal one-year working visas to begin June 1.
: Prime Minister Aso Taro announces up to 2 trillion yen for an Overseas Development Assistance plan to assist recovery of Asian economies.
: Taiwan’s Association of East Asian Relations announced plans to open a representative office in Hokkaido to support growing number of Taiwanese visitors to the northern island.
: Li Changchun, fifth-ranking member of the Politburo’s Standing Committee who is said to be hard-liner toward Japan, visits Tokyo and meets Prime Minister Aso and Foreign Minister Nakasone.
: Saiki Akitaka, Foreign Ministry director general for Asian and Oceanic Affairs, meets Vice Foreign Minister Wu Dawei in Beijing to discuss Six- Party Talks and North Korea’s pending ballistic missile launch.
: Japan’s Defense Minister Hamada Yasukazu visits China.
: China announces that it will postpone compulsory certification system for information security technologies. Japanese and Western companies are concerned that compulsory registration would expose source codes.
: Taiwan’s Democratic Progressive Party President Tsai Ing-Wen visits Japan and calls on Japan to play the role of regional balancer.
: Beijing press conference announces the joint Japan-China production of the Akutagawa Prize-winning novel “Wall of Dreams.” Filming began in Hebei province in February with a target 2010 release date.
: Fukuoka High Court dismisses a suit by 45 Chinese seeking compensation for forced wartime labor. It rules that by signing that 1972 Japan-China Joint Communiqué, China waived the right of individual Chinese to seek war reparations from Japan.
: Foreign Minister Yang holds a press conference during National People’s Congress and addresses the East China Sea and gyoza issues.
: Japan’s Finance Ministry cites China as a major source of counterfeit goods seized by Japanese Customs.
: China’s National People’s Congress meets in Beijing.
: Chief Cabinet Secretary Kawamura Takeo tells a press conference that there is no change in U.S. policy toward the Senkaku Islands.
: China announces large-scale April naval exercise off Chingdao to commemorate 60th anniversary of the founding of the PLA Navy, which is April 23. The announcement states that invitations to attend the exercise have been extended to foreign countries.
: China releases its 2009 defense budget with a 14.9 percent increase, marking the 21st consecutive year of double-digit increases in defense spending.
: U.S. State Department issues official statement that U.S.-Japan Security Treaty extends to the Senkaku Islands.
: Yomiuri Shimbun reports that Beijing has informally asked Japan to allow construction of a consulate on Okinawa.
: Foreign Minister Nakasone meets Premier Wen Jiabao and State Councilor Dai Bingguo in Beijing.
: Foreign Ministers Nakasone and Yang meet in Beijing.
: American Institute on Taiwan issues a statement affirming that Japan-U.S. Security Treaty extends to Senkaku Islands.
: China’s National People’s Congress passes a law aimed at strengthening food safety that will take effect on June 1.
: Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry protests Prime Minister Aso’s statements on the applicability of Japan-U.S. Security Treaty to Senkaku Islands.
: Former Prime Minister Fukuda Yasuo attends ground-breaking ceremony for the Japanese pavilion at the 2010 Shanghai Exposition.
: Japan-Taiwan fisheries talks resume in Taipei after three-year hiatus.
: Prime Minister Aso tells the Lower House Budget Committee that the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty extends to Senkaku Islands.
: Wang Jiarui, head of Chinese Communist Party’s International Department, meets Prime Minister Aso and Democratic Party of Japan President Ozawa Ichiro in Tokyo
: ASEAN Plus 3 finance ministers meet to expand funding mechanism of the Chiang Mai Initiative.
: Japanese Fisheries Agency seizes Chinese fishing boat for operating in Japan’s Exclusive Economic Zone off Nagasaki Prefecture.
: Sankei Shimbun reports that a Chinese think tank analyst was arrested in January for leaking classified information on North Korea and health of Kim Jong-il.
: China acts to investigate organ transplants allegedly given to 17 Japanese visitors. Chinese law prohibits organ transplants to foreigners.
: Taiwan’s Association to Defend the Senkakus announces May plans to land on islands to protest Japanese occupation.
: Asahi Shimbun reports China is planning to build two nuclear-powered aircraft carriers some time after 2020.
: Xinhua reports that a local Beijing court convicted four Chinese defendants involved in illegal departures of Chinese citizens to Japan
: Sankei Shimbun, citing China’s Legal Evening Report, reports that China’s Foreign Ministry has released documents indicating that in November 1956 Chairman Mao responded favorably to a request from visiting Japanese academicians to allow an early release of ill Japanese prisoners of war; Mao cautioned that given the emotional context in China, release would require some time to pass.
: First anniversary of gyoza controversy.
: Japan releases its 2008 official development assistance white paper, which indicates that among OECD members Japan’s standing has fallen from third to fifth place and records the second consecutive year that Japan’s standing has fallen.
: Yomiuri Shimbun cites Xinhua reports that Hebei Province Middle Court has given death sentences to three defendants convicted in melamine milk poisoning cases.
: Sankei Shimbun reports that Japan has decided on a three-year freeze on construction of plants to dispose of chemical weapons abandoned in Jilin Province, China.
: Marubeni Corp. reports scrap iron steel exports to China have quadrupled over past two months with export prices increasing 28 percent from January 2008.
: China releases its defense white paper.
: Hong Kong’s Mingpao reports Hunan provincial police prevent the opening of a conference sponsored by China’s Defend the Senkakus Association.
: Japan’s Council on Security and Defense Capabilities begins discussions on revising the Defense Program Outline.
: Vice Foreign Ministers Yabunaka Mitoji and Wang Guangya meet in Beijing.
: China’s Foreign Ministry states that independent development of the Tianwaitan/Kashi field does not contradict the June 2008 China-Japan agreement on joint development in East China Sea.
: Yomuri Shimbun reports that the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries will set up mechanism to protect Japan’s intellectual property rights in farm, forestry, and fisheries sectors in China.
: Sankei Shimbun reports that China has unilaterally initiated drilling in the Kashi/Tianwaitan natural gas field in the East China Sea.
: Prime Minister Aso Taro visits Issei Shrine to pray for a prosperous 2009.
: Asahi Shimbun reports China will begin construction of two aircraft carriers in 2009 with completion date of 2015.
: China’s Defense Ministry spokesperson announces that China is seriously studying the construction of an aircraft carrier and related issues.
: Kyodo reports declassified Japanese diplomatic documents reveal that Prime Minister Sato had asked the U.S. in 1965 to use nuclear weapons against China in the event of a Japan-China war.
: Japan’s Ministry of Defense draft budget for 2009 reveals that defense spending will decline for seventh consecutive year and reach a 14-year low.
: Kirin Holdings announces that in 2007 Japan fell to seventh place in beer consumption. China remains number one for fifth consecutive year.
: PM Aso and Premier Hu meet in Dazaifu, Fukuoka at Japan-China-South Korea summit.
: Visiting Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman asserts Taiwan’s claim to Senkaku Islands during speech at Tokyo Foreign Correspondents Club.
: ASDF aircraft identify two Chinese maritime research ships operating in Senkaku Islands. The Foreign Ministry issues a protest.
: Foreign Ministry releases its public opinion poll on Japan’s foreign relations with results that point to downward trend in Japan for relations with China.
: Agreement is reached in talks in Taipei on compensation for June accident between Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force ship and Taiwan fishing boat near Senkaku Islands.
: PM Aso meets former Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing at the prime minister’s official residence.
: Japan cultural exhibition opens in Nanjing.
: PM Aso meets with President Hu on sidelines of APEC meeting in Lima, Peru. The 20 minute meeting focuses on global economic crisis.
: Chief Cabinet Secretary Kawamura announces Dec. 13 as the date for Japan-China-South Korea summit in Fukuoka.
: Japan’s Itochu Corp. announces plans to take 20 percent share in Chinese market-leading food processor Ting Hsin Group.
: Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post reports PLA will begin construction of aircraft carrier.
: PM Aso, appearing before Upper House Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, asserts civilian control over SDF is effectively functioning and labels Tamogami’s essay extremely inappropriate.
: Kanagawa Prefectural Police announce plans to question citizen suspected of brokering organ transplants for Japanese in China in violation of Japan’s organ transplant law.
: Gen. Tamogami appears before Upper House Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.
: Taiwan’s legislature adopts resolution seeking apology and compensation from Japan for Taiwanese women forced into wartime sexual slavery.
: Director General for Asian and Oceanian Affairs Saiki Akitaka meets Vice Minister Wu Dawei in Beijing to discuss verification protocols for Six-Party Talks.
: China’s Foreign Ministry expresses shock and indignation over Tamogami’s views of history.
: Gen. Tamogami is retired.
: China’s Foreign Ministry takes note of Tamogami firing.
: ASDF Chief of Staff Gen. Tamogami is dismissed following publication of his award winning essay “Was Japan an Aggressor Nation?”
: Japan announces intention to claim rights to continental shelf in the Pacific Ocean beyond current EEZ.
: Osaka Prefectural Governor Hashimoto attends Nanking symposium on the environment.
: Toyota Motors announces plan to build new factory in Changchun, Jilin Province.
: PM Aso, during interview on China Central Television, reaffirms government’s support for 1995 Murayama Statement.
: PM Aso meets President Hu and Premier Wen in Beijing during Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) summit. Afterward, he delivers speech marking 30th anniversary of Japan-China Treaty of Peace and Amity.
: PLA delegation visits Hiroshima and Atomic Bomb Museum.
: Japanese Defense Ministry reports ASDF identified four Chinese warships in international waters off Aomori Prefecture on Oct. 19.
: 48-member Diet delegation visits Yasukuni Shrine, but no members of Aso Cabinet participate.
: Japan’s Ministry of Defense reports the sighting of a Chinese frigate in international waters off Nagasaki Prefecture.
: Tokyo Metropolitan Police report finding 1 millimeter hole in imported bean package that sickened the Hachioji housewife.
: Japanese Embassy officials visit Chinese bean processing plant.
: Japanese Foreign Ministry requests China’s cooperation in addressing the contaminated beans issue.
: Japanese housewife in Tokyo suburb of Hachioji becomes ill after eating beans imported from China.
: Japan’s International Exchange Foundation hosts party celebrating establishment of the Japan Cultural Center in Beijing.
: Prime Minister Aso refuses to reply to questions regarding his intention to visit Yasukuni Shrine during autumn festival.
: Osaka Municipal Government reports detection of melamine in chocolates imported from China.
: Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture orders tightened inspection regime for pet food product imports from China.
: Prime Minster Aso Taro, during Diet interpolation, reaffirms his government’s support for 1995 Murayama Statement.
: Defense Ministry dismisses ASDF colonel for allegedly leaking information of a Chinese submarine accident in South China Sea to Yomiuri Shimbun.
: Chief Cabinet Secretary Kawamura Takeo meets Chinese Ambassador to Japan Cui Tiankai to ask China’s cooperation to resolve food safety issues.
: Kyodo News reports that Japanese food makers Ezaki Gilco and Nissin Foods have suspended imports of Chinese milk products.
: Prime Minister Aso addresses UN General Assembly and cites China and South Korea as important partners.
: The Diet elects Aso to be prime minister.
: Members of Japan-China Economic Association visit China and meet senior Chinese officials to express concerns with about Chinese plan to initiate in 2009 a new system that would force disclosure of proprietary information in IT equipment.
: Aso Taro elected LDP president. China’s Xinhua News Agency expects Aso to focus on economic recovery initiatives and does not mention foreign policy.
: Former Taiwan President Lee Teng-hui visits Okinawa. He tells a dinner audience that Senkaku Islands are Japanese territory.
: Japanese food company Maudai recalls imported Chinese milk products suspected of contamination.
: President Hu meets visiting Keidanren delegation and calls for strengthening exchanges on macroeconomic policy and the international environment.
: Chief Cabinet Secretary Machimura denies reports that elements of the government believed the submarine to be Chinese. He also tells reporters that Chinese authorities have assured the government that poisoned milk products were not exported to Japan.
: China’s Foreign Ministry objects to Japanese media reports suggesting submarine sighted in Bungo Strait is Chinese.
: Minister of Defense Hayashi Yoshimasa tells reporters that government has no information as to the nationality of the submarine and calls off a search for the submarine.
: Kyodo News reports that Chinese investigators have identified nine suspects in frozen gyoza case.
: Fourth meeting of the Tokyo-Beijing Forum is held in Tokyo. Approximately 100 leading political, economic, academic, and journalist leaders participate in the conference aimed at enhancing Japan-China cooperation.
: Japan Defense Ministry reports sighting of an unidentified submarine in Bungo Strait between Shikoku and Kyushu.
: President Hu meets with Kato Koichi, chairman of the Japan-China Friendship Association and former LDP secretary general.
: Director General for Asian and Oceanic Affairs Saiki Akitaka meets Vice Foreign Minister Wu Dawei in Beijing to discuss Six-Party Talks.
: Japanese Defense White Paper 2008 is released.
: Chinese Foreign Ministry praises Fukuda for significant contributions to the development of bilateral relations.
: Japanese Foreign Ministry announces postponement of Sept. 21 Japan-China-ROK summit as a result of Fukuda resignation.
: Japan and Macau reach a customs agreement.
: Prime Minister Fukuda announces his resignation
: Taiwan and Japan hold compensation negotiations for June incident involving Taiwanese vessel and Japanese Coast Guard ship. Talks end without agreement on sum while lawyers for both sides to continue negotiations.
: ASEAN Plus 3 Economic Ministerial is held in Singapore.
: Japanese Foreign Ministry announces Kobe as the site of Japan-China-ROK heads of government meeting scheduled for Sept. 21.
: Japan’s Finance Ministry reports July 2008 exports to China climbing to ¥1.29 trillion, a 16.8 percent increase, exceeding for the first time value of exports to the U.S. since government began recording monthly figures.
: Taiwan announces appointment of Feng-Ji-tai as envoy to Japan.
: Foreign Ministers Komura and Yang meet in Beijing. Komura also meets State Councilor Dai Bingguo.
: Chairman of the War Bereaved Families Association expresses concerns over Class-A war criminals continuing enshrinement at Yasukuni Shrine.
: Three Cabinet ministers visit Yasukuni Shrine along with former Prime Ministers Koizumi and Abe.
: Thirtieth anniversary of Japan-China Treaty of Peace and Friendship is celebrated at Chinese Embassy in Tokyo.
: Fukuda meets President Hu and Premier Wen Jiabao at the opening of Beijing Olympics.
: Shanghai court hears opening argument in a suit brought by Japanese author Watanbe Junichi against Beijing Publishing Company alleging violations of author’s rights.
: Prime Minister Fukuda indicates that he does not intend to visit Yasukuni Shrine on Aug. 15.
: Foreign Correspondents Club of Japan calls on Beijing to lift restrictions on Internet access for correspondents covering the Olympics.
: Japanese reporters, while covering unrest in Xinjiang are roughed up and detained by Chinese police.
: Japanese government announces that Prime Minster Fukuda will travel to the Beijing Olympics in Air Self Defense Force U4 multipurpose aircraft.
: Kuomintang Chairman Wu Po-hsiung meets delegation of Japanese lawmakers.
: Foreign Ministers Komura and Yang Jiechi meet on the sidelines of ASEAN meeting in Singapore. Japan, China, and South Korea agree to set up ASEAN assistance fund to support agriculture and information technology development.
: Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou meets delegation of Japanese lawmakers.
: LDP Vice President Yamasaki Taku leads delegation to China and meets Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Wu Dawei and Chairman of the CCP External Liaison Department Wang Jiarui.
: Prime Minster Fukuda and President Hu meet on sidelines of the G8 summit.
: Foreign Minister Komura Masahiko meets President Hu Jintao in Sapporo and asks for China’s assistance in resolving the Japanese abductee issue with North Korea.
: President Hu meets in Sapporo with members of Japanese search and rescue and medical teams who participated in Sichuan earthquake relief operations.
: Japanese Supreme Court rejects compensation suit filed by Chinese who were forced laborers in World War II, stating that plaintiff’s rights to seek compensation were forfeited in 1972 Japan-China Joint Statement.
: Japanese government informs LDP and Komeito that Prime Minister Fukuda will attend opening ceremony at Beijing Olympics.
: Japanese Supreme Court upholds lower court decision dismissing claims for compensation raised by wartime Chinese forced laborers in port of Niigata. The court, while acknowledging abuse occurred, cited expiration of statute of limitation.
: Taiwan National University Maritime Research ship intrudes into Japanese territorial waters in the vicinity of the Senkaku Islands. Ignoring warning of Japanese Coast Guard ship, the Taiwanese ship remains in the area for three hours.
: Japanese and Chinese artists living in Japan hold concert in Tokyo to raise funds for victims of Sichuan earthquake.
: Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs changes name of China Division to China and Mongolia Division.
: MSDF destroyer Sazanami arrives in Zhanjiang, Guangdong Province, China.
: Head of Japanese Coast Guard regional headquarters in Okinawa hands formal letter of apology to captain of Taiwanese fishing boat sunk in June 10 incident.
: MSDF destroyer Sazanami departs Kure, Japan for China port call.
: Japan and China agree on joint development plan for East China Sea.
: Taiwan’s President Ma asserts Taiwanese claim to Senkaku Islands; calls for peaceful resolution of June 10 incident.
: President Ma announces acceptance of resignation of representative heading Taipei’s Economic and Cultural Affairs Office in Japan.
: PM Fukuda calls for self-restraint in Japan and Taiwan with respect to June 10 sinking of Taiwanese fishing boat.
: Japan, China, and South Korea foreign ministers meet in Tokyo.
: Taiwanese fishing boat sinks after collision with Japanese Coast Guard ship near disputed Diaoyutai/Senkaku Islands.
: PM Fukuda tells Upper House Budget Committee that resolving the East China Sea dispute is a problem of time.
: LDP-New Komeito delegation accompanies delivery of relief supplies to Sichuan Province.
: Xinhua News Service attributes deaths of three residents of Qiqihar, Heilongjiang Province to leak of poison gas from chemical weapons abandoned by the Imperial Army.
: Sankei Shimbun reports that Ministry of Defense and U.S. intelligence sources reveal “with high probability” that Chinese Navy submarine test-fired SLBM in Yellow Sea.
: Chinese Foreign Ministry announces Maritime Self Defense Force ship will visit China during the month.
: Former Chinese Ambassador to Japan Wang Yi becomes Director of China’s Taiwan Affairs Office.
: Chinese Ambassador Cui appears on TV Asahi “Sunday Project.” Speaking through an interpreter Cui expresses appreciation for Japan’s emergency assistance. In a reference to not using ASDF aircraft, he explains that both governments had agreed to providing assistance in a manner conducive to the Chinese people.
: Tokyo municipal government reverses practice established in 1987 and allows Taiwanese residing in Tokyo to register place origin as Taiwan rather than China.
: Japanese medical team departs for China to assist earthquake victims.
: PM Fukuda calls for cooperation among countries of the Asia-Pacific region; highlights importance of China’s stable development.
: Tokyo High Court upholds ¥4 million defamation ruling against Japanese publisher for alleging female survivor of Nanjing Massacre was an impostor.
: Diet enacts law allowing use of outer space for defense purposes.
: Seventy-five member Japanese delegation, including Tokyo governor Ishihara Shintaro and 30 Diet members, attends inauguration of Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou.
: Chinese embassy in Tokyo opens for earthquake mourners as part of China’s three days observance.
: Chinese Ambassador to Japan Cui Tiankai expresses thanks for Japanese earthquake assistance.
: Japan and China sign treaty allowing for exchange of information and evidence in criminal cases.
: Beijing announces that it will accept emergency assistance from Japan; emergency rescue team departs for China; second team follows on May 16.
: China experiences 7.8 magnitude earthquake in Sichuan Province.
: President Hu visits Japan and meets PM Fukuda. The two issue joint statement on “Comprehensively Promoting a Strategic Mutually Beneficial Relationship.”
: Waseda University and Beijing University agree to set up joint graduate program in environmental and sustainable development studies.
: ASEAN Finance Ministers, plus Japan, China, and South Korea meet in Madrid to discuss financial cooperation; agree to $80 billion currency swap arrangement.
: Movie Yasukuni opens in Tokyo.
: Japanese Foreign Ministry releases survey of six ASEAN countries (Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam) that rank China ahead of Japan as their most important partner by a margin of 30 percent to 28 percent.
: Hyogo prefectural police report pesticide found in frozen Chinese gyoza.
: Former PM Nakasone visits Beijing and meets President Hu.
: Japan-China-South Korea eminent persons group meets in Beijing; issues call for FTA negotiations and financial and monetary cooperation.
: Olympic torch passes safely through Nagano.
: Foreign Minister Komura welcomes China’s decision to open dialogue with representatives of the Dalai Lama.
: Former Prime Minister Nakasone’s Japan Institute for International Policy Studies releases report on Japan-China relations.
: Japanese Foreign Ministry announces President Hu will visit beginning May 6.
: Sixty-two Diet members visit Yasukuni Shrine on occasion of Spring Festival.
: Zenkoji temple in Nagano is vandalized after refusing to serve as starting point for Olympic torch relay.
: China’s Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi visits Japan and meets PM Fukuda to advance Hu visit.
: LDP Secretary General Ibuki Bumnei and New Komeito Secretary General Kitagawa Kazuo visit China, meet President Hu, and urge peaceful resolution of unrest in Tibet.
: Environment Minister Kamoshita Ichiro eats with Chinese counterpart in Beijing.
: Vice Minister Yabunaka meets counterpart Wang Yi in Beijing; discussions center on Hu visit to Japan, Tibet, gyoza, and East China Sea.
: Democratic Party of Japan (DJP) Secretary General Hatoyama Yukio in Hiroshima speech calls on China to open dialogue with Dalai Lama.
: Prime Minister Fukuda Yasuo tells Foreign Policy Study Group that he wants to see Japan increase its ODA budget.
: Development ministers of emerging donor countries including China meet in Tokyo.
: Japanese government announces that Imperial Family will not attend opening ceremony of Beijing Olympics.
: Japan’s Mass Media Information and Cultural Union protests political pressure on theaters to cancel showing of the movie Yasukuni directed by Li Ying.
: Vice Minister of Defense Masuda Kohei visits Beijing.
: Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao pays a working visit to Laos and takes part in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Summit in Vientiane. Wen meets Lao President Choummaly Saygnasone to discuss closer cooperation in the economic sector.
: Japan’s National Institute for Defense Studies releases East Asia Strategic Review 2008.
: Wu Hongbo, Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister, visits Brunei to attend the 14th China-ASEAN Senior Officials’ Consultation. The meeting seeks to implement the consensus reached at the 2007 summit held between both sides and strengthen their strategic partnership. Additionally, the meeting provides a platform to further exchange views on jointly implementing follow-up actions to the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea.
: Finance Ministers Nukaga and Xie meet in Tokyo to discuss regional and global issues and bilateral cooperation.
: Qin Guangrong, governor of Yunnan province, presides over the opening ceremony of the new trans-national highway linking Kunming city in southwest Yunnan to Bangkok, cutting total travel time by half to approximately 20 hours. Xinhua News reports that nearly $400 billion worth of cargo will be transported each year via this new linkage between China, the Greater Mekong area, and Southeast Asia.
: PM Fukuda expresses concern over developments in Tibet and his hope that Beijing and the demonstrators will conduct themselves in a calm and appropriate manner.
: Vice FM Yabunaka, addressing unrest in Tibet and Hu visit, says riots have little do to with the Hu visit.
: Ministry of Defense Director of Defense Policy Bureau Takamizawa Nobushige discusses Taiwan contingency with LDP’s Security Research Council.
: The Chinese Academy of Military Science holds senior level gathering of military officials and scholars from Southeast Asia to discuss current trends in military modernization, regional security issues, and confidence-building measures.
: Cabinet Liaison Conference on food safety meets in Tokyo as reports circulate of China’s failure to provide requested information and documentation regarding the gyoza issue.
: Malaysia’s Public Bank announces the launch of the PB China-ASEAN Equity Fund (PBCAEF), which will invest in Chinese stocks listed in China, Hong Kong, the U.S., and other approved markets to capitalize on rapid economic growth in China and Southeast Asian countries.
: China’s National People’s Congress opens in Beijing. Premier Wen’s work report touched on issues related to food safety.
: China releases $45 billion 2008 defense budget.
: The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs hosts the 9th China-ASEAN Joint Cooperation Committee in Chongqing. Senior officials from the ASEAN secretariat and member states as well as representatives from 11 governmental ministries in China attend.
: Fukuda Cabinet adopts basic plan on ocean policy.
: Visit of China’s Director of the General Administration of Quality, Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine is postponed.
: The China-ASEAN Business Council announces that China and ASEAN have become each other’s fourth largest trading partner. Total two-way trade stood at $202.5 billion in 2007, a 26 percent increase from the previous year.
: The Cambodian Investment Board (CIB) announces that China, Thailand, and South Korea are the top three foreign investing countries in Cambodia in 2007. The CIB approved a total of $51 million of registered capital and over $461 million of fixed assets for Chinese investors last year.
: Liu Jianchao, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, clarifies China’s position toward Myanmar at a public press conference. Liu explains that China pursues a “good-neighborly and friendly” policy, and that it will continue to call for “peace and reconciliation” in Myanmar.
: Japan’s Chief of the Self-Defense Forces Saito Takashi visits China.
: Investigators meet in Beijing to discuss contaminated gyoza issue.
: Vice FM Yabunaka Mitoji visits China meets with Vice Minister Wang Yi to discuss resolution of East China Sea issues.
: The Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region unveils the “Guangxi Beibu Bay Economic Zone Development Plan,” which will create a new regional logistics base, as well as a trade processing and manufacturing center between southern China and neighboring ASEAN countries, including Laos, Vietnam, and Thailand.
: LDP Special Committee on Ocean Policy meets to discuss government’s draft plan on ocean policy.
: Japanese and Chinese police officials meet in Tokyo to exchange information on the contaminated gyoza issue.
: State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan visits Japan to advance visit of President Hu and meets PM Fukuda and FM Komura on Feb. 21.
: Ibrahim Gambari, UN envoy for Myanmar, is in Beijing to meet senior Chinese officials, where he expresses concern that the Myanmar government is delaying approval for his visit to Myanmar in late April. At the conclusion of his consultations in Beijing, however, Gambari mentions that he has received “encouragement” from Beijing that Myanmar “may move up” the date of his visit.
: Luo Haocai, vice chairperson of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), visits Jakarta. Luo meets Agung Laksono, speaker of the Indonesian Parliament, to discuss the Beijing Olympics and cooperation in investment and trade.
: Toyota Motor Corp. President Watanabe Katsuaki announces plans to build new plants in China and India.
: Financial Services Minister Watanabe Yoshimi welcomes Chinese sovereign wealth fund investment in Japan.
: Qin Guangrong, vice governor of China’s southwestern province of Yunnan, announces that the provincial government is on schedule to complete four main international railways by 2009, linking Yunnan to Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam. The project will improve regional trade and transport efficiency.
: Finance Ministers Nukaga Fukushiro and Xie Xuren meet and agree not to allow gyoza controversy to impair development of bilateral relations.
: FM Komura calls attention to China’s military build-up and lack of transparency in an address at the Munich Conference on Security Policy.
: Japanese inspection team travels to China to visit Tianyang gyoza factory.
: Tokyo police arrest three Chinese and one Japanese in connection with amphetamine smuggling.
: China sends expert team to Japan to discuss contaminated gyoza issue.
: Yang Jiechi visits Brunei and meets Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah. The sultan notes that Brunei attaches great importance to its stable relations with China, regarding it as one of the most important bilateral ties. They agree to strengthen cooperation on energy security, agriculture, tourism, and infrastructure development.
: Yang Jiechi, Chinese foreign minister, visits Cambodia for an official three-day visit to mark the 50th anniversary of Sino-Cambodian diplomatic relations. Yang meets King Norodom Sihamoni and Hun Sen, Cambodian prime minister. The two sides agree to establish 2008 as the “Sino-Cambodian Friendship Year,” to elevate bilateral cooperation on the Mekong River regional economic development, to increase consultation in such multilateral fora as the UN, ASEAN, and the East Asia Summit (EAS), and to broaden people-to-people exchanges.
: Wen Jiabao, Chinese premier, sends an official note of congratulations to Samak Sundaravej, newly elected Thai prime minister, and seeks to deepen the strategic partnership between China and Thailand.
: Deputy Vice Foreign Minister He Yafei meets FM Komura in Tokyo to discuss food safety and contaminated gyoza issue.
: Japan, China, Korea Policy Forum holds its first meeting in Tokyo. Former Prime Minister Nakasone Yasuhio and Chinese and Korean ambassadors attend.
: The second round of the China-Vietnam Steering Committee on Cooperation is convened in Beijing by Tang Jiaxuan and Pham Gia Khiem, Vietnamese deputy prime minister, in Beijing. The two sides agree to better handle the South China Sea disputes, maintain frequent senior-level exchanges, cooperate on cross-border crime, and promote cultural ties, among other things.
: Chinese internet service Baidu.com begins offering service in Japanese.
: Vice Minister of Defense Masuda Kohei visits Malaysia.
: U Myint Maung, special envoy of the Myanmar prime minister, visits Beijing and briefs State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan on the latest political situation in Myanmar, including plans for national reconciliation. Tang conveys Beijing’s concern with political stability and economic development in Myanmar and calls for greater consultation between all concerned parties within Myanmar.
: FM Komura in a speech to the Diet defines policy toward China as pursuing “a mutually beneficial relationship based on common strategic interests.”
: Chinese youths injured by chemical weapons abandoned in China by the Imperial Army sue Japanese government seeking ¥66 million in compensation.
: Foreign Minister Komura Masahiko hosts Japan-Mekong Ministerial Meeting; Japan pledges $6 billion aid package.
: Japanese Consul General in Shanghai, after visiting Nanjing Memorial Museum, expresses concern that exhibits could give rise to anti-Japanese feelings.
: He Luli, vice chairperson of the Standing Committee of the NPC, concludes her five-day official visit to Myanmar, where she meets senior officials at the State Peace and Development Council to discuss bilateral political, economic, and cultural ties.
: Cao Gangchuan, vice chairperson of the Central Military Commission and defense minister, visits Brunei, Indonesia, and Saudi Arabia. In Brunei, Cao pays a courtesy call to Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah and discusses current relations between the two armed forces. In Indonesia, Cao meets his Indonesian counterpart, Juwono Sudarsono. The two ministers agree to set up a working committee to explore prospects for expanding bilateral military ties, including cooperation in manufacturing defense equipment and training of military personnel.
: Wang Jiarui, chairperson of the International Department of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, meets Jose De Venecia, speaker of the Philippine House of Representatives in Beijing. The two exchange views on promoting closer relations between the two countries’ main political parties. De Venecia also meets Wu Bangguo, chairperson of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress.
: Japanese military attaché in Beijing questioned by Chinese police following visit to massage parlor.
: Vietnamese officials dispatch riot police forces to contain rallies held close to Chinese diplomatic missions in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Similar anti-Chinese protests were held last December over the disputed Spratly and Paracel Islands.
: Tokyo Governor Ishihara Shintaro invited to Beijing Olympics.
: Ma Xiaotian, deputy chief of general staff of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), meets Chiang Chie Foo, Singapore’s Permanent Secretary of Defense, for the first China-Singapore defense dialogue in Beijing to discuss developments between the two militaries. They sign an agreement on search and rescue and humanitarian cooperation and agree to hold regular military and security-related seminars.
: Chinese author Yang Yi nominated for Akutagawa literary prize given to new fiction authors writing in Japanese.
: Japan-China Joint Commission on the Study of History meets in Beijing.
: Prime Minister Fukuda Yasuo visits Isei Shrine.
: PM Fukuda visits China and meets Premier Wen and President Hu on Dec. 29, travels to Taijin and Shandong Province on Dec. 29, and visits Confucius’ boyhood home in Qufu city on Dec. 30.
: Chief Cabinet Secretary Machimura expresses doubts that East China Sea issue will be resolved before the Prime Minister’s visit to China.
: Ambassador Cui, speaking at National Press Club, offers hope for resolution of East China Sea dispute.
: Japan announces the introduction of competitive bidding contracts to deal with the disposal of chemical weapons abandoned by the Imperial Army in China.
: Japanese media report that PM Fukuda will visit China Dec. 27-30.
: Taiwan’s Democratic Progressive Party presidential candidate Hsieh Chang-ting visits Japan and in a Dec. 16 speech at his alma mater, Kyoto University, calls China a threat to regional security and seeks security assurances from Japan.
: Taiwan’s representative to Japan in speech delivered at the 52nd Wakayama dialogue calls for cooperation to deal with the threat posed by China.
: In conjunction with the 70th anniversary of Nanjing massacre, the Memorial Museum reopens in Nanjing after a two-year refurbishment.
: DPJ President Ozawa visits China and meets President Hu.
: PM Fukuda meets war-displaced Japanese and apologizes for suffering endured.
: Chief Cabinet Secretary Machimura announces the formation of a Foreign Policy Study Council to advise the prime minister on his pending visit to China and the 2008 G8 Summit, which Japan will host at Lake Toya.
: FM Koumura meets President Hu and urges China to take a political decision to resolve East China Sea dispute.
: Controversy emerges over the wording about valuation of the yuan in the document issued at conclusion of the High-Level Economic Dialogue.
: DPJ President Ozawa meets Ambassador Cui to exchange views on North Korea. The ambassador reveals that Kim Jong-il has drastically reduced his alcohol consumption.
: FM Koumura leads a Cabinet delegation to Beijing for the first Japan-China High-Level Economic Dialogue. During the visit Koumura meets separately with Chinese FM Yang and State Councilor Tang to discuss the East China Sea dispute.
: Diet passes legislation providing benefits up to ¥146,000 per month to war-displaced Japanese nationals. In response, on Dec. 7 and Dec. 13, a total of 58 war displaced individuals drop suits seeking compensation for insufficient post-war support.
: PLA Navy destroyer arrives in Japan, marking first-ever visit of PLA warship to Japan and first step in agreed to reciprocal port call visits.
: Dalai Lama meets Secretary General of the DPJ Hatoyama.
: Taiwan’s presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou visits Japan and meets political and government officials.
: PM Fukuda meets Premier Wen in Singapore on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit meeting. They also meet South Korea’s President Roh Moo-hyun.
: Chief Cabinet Secretary Machimura meets Ambassador Cui and conveys the intent to resolve the East China Sea issue before PM Fukuda visits China
: Dalian authorities refuse customs clearance and ask for explanation from JAL for in-flight magazines sent to airlines’ Dalian office in which the words “Senkaku Islands” appear. A week later, following an appeal by Japanese consul, the incident is resolved and customs clearance is approved.
: PM Fukuda visits Washington, D.C. and meets with President Bush.
: Chinese and Japanese diplomats meet in Tokyo at director general-level in an effort to resolve East China Sea dispute without success.
: Source reports that former Chinese embassy official has been sentenced to death for disclosing military intelligence to Japanese officials.
: Dalai Lama arrives in Japan for 10-day visit.
: FM Koumura expresses hope for substantive progress in talks on East China Sea.
: Chinese Ambassador Cui presents credentials to emperor and emphasizes his commitment to building bonds of mutual trust and confidence as foundation of strategic reciprocal relationship.
: Chinese activists who enter Japanese waters in area of Senkaku Islands are warned off by Japanese Coast Guard ships. Upon return to China, the activists are detained and freed on Oct. 31 after pledging not to return to the Senkaku Islands.
: Japan and Taiwan reach a new air agreement, allowing ANA and JAL to fly directly to Taiwan rather than using subsidiary corporations and providing new routes to Japan for Taiwan’s China Airlines.
: Shenyang Court rejects the appeal of death sentence from Japanese national convicted of drug trafficking.
: Supra-party delegation of 67 parliamentarians visits Yasukuni Shrine during the Autumn Festival.
: Japanese national is arrested in Shenyang in connection with illegal brokering of organ transplants.
: Director General for Asian and Oceanic Affairs Sasae meets the LDP committee on maritime issues and communicates unofficial hints from the Chinese of possible progress on the joint development of East China Sea.
: Chinese Communist Party National Party Congress meets in Beijing.
: FM Koumura meets new Chinese Ambassador to Japan Cui Tiankai and calls on China to make political decision to resolve East China Sea dispute.
: DPJ President Ozawa meets with the Chinese ambassador and reveals plans to visit China, Dec. 6-9.
: President of Japan’s War Bereaved Families calls for dis-enshrinement of Japanese Class-A war criminals from Yasukuni Shrine to allow all Japanese, including the emperor, to pay homage at the shrine.
: FM Koumura calls for the early resolution of the East China Sea issue to facilitate an early visit to China by PM Fukuda.
: PM Fukuda delivers his first policy speech to Diet and commits to building a strategic reciprocal relationship with China.
: Fukuda succeeds Abe as prime minister.
: Minister of Defense Komura announces that Japan’s Ground Self-Defense Force will send two observers to attend PLA exercises Sept. 24-25.
: LDP elects Fukuda party president, succeeding Abe.
: Candidates Fukuda and Aso hold joint press conference at Foreign Correspondents Club of Japan; Japan’s War Bereaved Families Association announces support for Fukuda.
: Seventy-sixth anniversary of the Manchurian Incident with anti-Japanese protests in Shenyang.
: Jia opens the Ninth World Convention of Chinese Entrepreneurs in Kobe.
: Fukuda Yasuo announces candidacy to succeed Abe as president of the LDP.
: Jia Qinglin visits Japan and meets LDP Secretary General Aso, Democratic Party of Japan head Ozawa, and LDP General Council Chairman Nikai.
: Abe resigns as prime minister.
: PM Abe and President Hu meet on the sidelines of the APEC meeting in Sydney.
: Foreign Ministers Yang and Aso meet in Manila.
: Naval forces from Japan, Singapore, India, Australia, and the U.S. conduct exercises in the Bay of Bengal.
: China’s Defense Minister Cao arrives in Japan.
: Maebashi District Court dismisses suit brought by a Chinese national seeking compensation for wartime forced labor.
: China’s Defense Minister Cao visits Japan and meets Minister of Defense Komura, FM Machimura and PM Abe.
: Sankei Shimbun reports that a former Japanese trading company executive was involved in Chinese effort to obtain confidential defense information regarding U.S.-Japan defense missile defense research.
: Former Japanese PM Mori meets in Beijing with Jia Qinglin, fourth ranking member of the Standing Committee of the Chinese Communist Party’s Politburo.
: Abe meets son of late Indian judge Pal, who served on the International Military Tribunal for the Far East.
: Agriculture and Environment Minister Wakabayashi meets Premier Wen to discuss bilateral cooperation. He also meets Chinese counterpart Zhou Shengxian and offers technology assistance to deal with China’s greenhouse gas emissions.
: JETRO releases trade figures for the first half of 2007.
: Abe meets India’s Prime Minister Singh and addresses Indian Parliament. The speech calls for cooperation among Asia’s democracies.
: Kyodo News Service reports that China has informally decided to name Assistant Foreign Minister Cui Tiankai as the next ambassador to Japan.
: Hong Kong government authorities revoke the license of ship chartered by a private group planning to land on the Senkaku Islands.
: PM Abe does not visit Yasukuni Shrine on the anniversary of Japan’s surrender at end of World War II. One Cabinet minister and 46 Diet members visit the shrine, as does former Prime Minister Koizumi.
: PM Abe makes a private votive lantern offering at a memorial service at the Yasukuni Shrine.
: China’s Vice FM Wu meets in Beijing with Japan’s former Finance Minister Tanigaki. The talks center on the progress of Six-Party Talks.
: China for first time publishes seven volumes containing the names of victims and survivors of the Nanjing massacre.
: The Chinese Foreign Ministry protests the playing of Taiwan’s national anthem during the Asian men’s basketball tournament held in Tokushima, Japan.
: Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Consultative Committee Luo Haocai meets in Beijing with former Japanese Prime Minister Hata.
: Foreign Ministers Yang and Aso meet during ASEAN meetings in Manila. They discuss food safety and East China Sea.
: The LDP suffers an historic defeat in the Upper House election, Abe vows not to resign.
: A government-private interest group conference on the safety of Japanese imports.
: Tokyo High Court reverses a lower court ruling and rejects damages awarded to Chinese plaintiffs seeking compensation for injuries suffered from weapons abandoned in China by the Imperial Army.
: A senior official of Beijing organizing committee expresses hope that Japanese emperor will attend the 2008 Olympics.
: Seventieth anniversary of the Marco Polo Bridge incident.
: Japan releases its defense White Paper, Defense of Japan 2007.
: Abe government establishes a new maritime ministry.
: Japan’s Foreign Ministry awards first prize in manga competition to a Hong Kong cartoonist.
: Sapporo High Court rejects an appeal from Chinese laborers seeking compensation for wartime forced labor.
: Kyodo News reports that Song Il-ho, the North Korean ambassador in charge of diplomatic normalization talks with Japan, said that Pyongyang did not see the point of holding bilateral talks when Japan does not have the right attitude.
: Japanese and Chinese diplomats meet in Tokyo on East China Sea issues.
: The House Committee on Foreign Affairs passes the Honda Resolution (HR. 121) by a vote of 39-2.
: U.S. House Resolution 121 passes the House Foreign Affairs Committee, calling for the Japanese government to formally apologize for the “comfort women” issue. The bill moves to a full House vote.
: North Korea announces that it is ready to fulfill their part of the Feb. 13 six-party agreement and allow in International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors.
: Tokyo High Court rejects suit by war displaced Japanese women seeking state compensation for inadequate government support/delayed resettlement from China.
: Japan’s Yomiuri Shimbun reports that North Korea fired one short-range missile into the sea east of the Korean Peninsula.
: Mainichi Shimbun reports that Shigeie Toshinori, ambassador in charge of Okinawa, has been named Japan’s new ambassador to South Korea.
: President Hu meets former Prime Minister Nakasone and members and families of Japan-China Youth Friendship Delegation.
: Council to Consider the Future of Japan and History Education labels Nanjing Massacre a fabrication.
: ROK Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy announces that the government will help small-and medium-sized firms advance into the Japanese market to counter the trade deficit with Japan created by the fall in the won-yen exchange rate.
: Sankei Shimbun reports plan to shelve boundary issues in East China Sea and focus on joint development.
: Japan and South Korea sign oil sharing agreement to support each other in the event of supply disruptions.
: Tokyo District Court rules against the pro-Pyongyang group Chongryon to repay ¥62.7 billion in debts to the government-backed Resolution and Collection Corp.
: South Korea’s LG files a counter-suit with the District Court in Texas, against Japan’s Hitachi Ltd. Hitachi sued LG in April alleging that LG infringed its plasma display-related patents.
: Tokyo and Seoul hold EEZ talks but fail to come to an agreement.
: Family of North Korean defectors arrives in South Korea after two weeks of custody in Japan.
: District Courts in Sapporo and Koichi reject suits brought by war displaced Japanese seeking state compensation for inadequate government support/delayed resettlement from China.
: Japan’s Supreme Court rejects appeal filed by Chinese wartime forced laborers seeking compensation; judgment reaffirms Tokyo High Court June 2006 ruling against plaintiffs on grounds that 20 year statute of limitations had expired.
: Members of the LDP, Democratic Japanese Party, independents, professors, political commentators, and journalists place a counter advertisement “The Facts” in the Washington Post in response to the advertisement “The Truth About Comfort Women” placed April 26.
: A full page advertisement in the Washington Post – running under the header “The Facts” – is taken out by Japanese Diet members and commentators, disputing claims that Japan engaged in “forceful coercion” of “comfort women.”
: Mainichi Shimbun reports that Ministry of Defense is considering appointment of uniformed SDF officer to Japan’s Taiwan Interchange Association.
: Nihon Keizai Shimbun reports Beijing and Tokyo in final stages of coordination for September visit of China Defense Minister Cao Gangchuan.
: South Korean Navy launches its second 1,800-ton submarine Jeong Ji.
: Bank of Korea reports South Korea’s economic growth was lower than most Asian competitors during the first quarter due to a stronger Korean currency and high oil prices.
: The second Korea-China-Japan Industrial Fair takes place for the in Gyeonggi Province, Korea.
: Yamaha Motors announces ¥100 million award in trademark infringement suit brought in Chinese courts.
: Abe and President Hu meet in Germany during G-8 Summit.
: Japan, China, and ROK Foreign Ministers meet in South Korea; a first time event outside an ASEAN Plus Three, ARF, or international conference context.
: FMs of Japan, South Korea, and China meet in Jeju and agree to launch regular shuttle flights connecting the three countries.
: Four North Korean defectors arrive in Japan’s Fukaura port by boat with an aim to reach South Korea. They are put in protective custody for two weeks.
: Japan’s High Court rejects appeals by seven South Korean women demanding the Japanese government and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. pay compensation for forced labor during World War II.
: Former Taiwan president Lee Teng-hui visits Japan; June 7, visits Yasukuni Shrine to pay homage to his brother.
: Foreign Minister Aso meets China’s new Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi during Eight Asia-Europe Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Hamburg.
: Remembrance ceremonies held at Chidorigafuchi National Cemetery to honor unknown military and civilian war dead and those who died in postwar internment camps.
: Chinese Foreign Ministry announces no change in policy toward East China Sea.
: Chinese and Japanese diplomats meet in Beijing to discuss East China Sea issues.
: Sankei Shimbun reports Defense Intelligence Headquarters suspects China of testing over- the-horizon radar in East China Sea.
: South Korean Navy launches first 7,600-ton Aegis destroyer, Sejong the Great.
: Seven private universities (Korea, Sogang, Sungkyunkwan, Yonsei, Ewha, Chungang, and Hanyang) adopt Korean history test requirement as part of college entrance examination beginning 2010.
: The Associated Press reports that the UN Committee Against Torture accused Japan of trying to whitewash its practice of forcing women to becoming sex slaves for the Japanese Imperial Army.
: Senior diplomats from China, Japan, and the Republic of Korea hold first-ever trilateral consultation in Beijing.
: The ceremony commemorating the 400th anniversary of the first Korean mission to Japan is held in Shizuoka, Japan.
: Yamaha Motor company prohibited from exporting to China remote-controlled helicopters and components for nine-month period effective May 18.
: Nakayama Kyoko, special advisor to the prime minister on abductees issues, visits Beijing; meets Vice FM Wu; Wu pledges cooperation on the issue.
: Tokyo Gov. Ishihara Shintaro, in a speech given in New York City, calls for equality in the Japan-U.S. relationship.
: South Korea’s Uri Party and Grand National Party voice concerns over Japan’s moves to change its pacifist constitution.
: Upper House of Diet adopts legislation establishing procedures for national referendum to revise constitution.
: Japanese Foreign Ministry announces expansion of visa services for tour Chinese tour groups to consulates in Shenyang and Dairen beginning May 31.
: MSDF participates, with U.S, China, Australia, France, India, in 10-country multilateral exercise off Singapore.
: Japan’s Asahi Shimbun reports that U.S. Secretary of State Rice informed PM Abe that resolution of the abduction issue would not be a precondition to drop North Korea from the list of states sponsoring terrorism during Abe’s visit to Washington, D.C.
: Japan’s Parliament passes bill setting out referendum procedures for constitutional amendment.
: The Joongang Ilbo reports under the title “belated reconciliation” that the descendants of leading Korean, Japanese, and Chinese military figures from Japan’s invasion of the Korean Peninsula in 1592 gathered in Andong, South Korea.
: Xinhua reports extradition from Japan of former head of state-owned enterprise suspected of embezzling public funds.
: Japanese and South Korean defense and foreign affairs officials meet for one-day talks to discuss ways to resolve North Korea’s nuclear program.
: South Korea’s Education Minister Kim Shin-il protests the results of Japan’s examination of 2008 high school textbooks over the descriptions of “comfort women,” Dokdo/Takeshima islets, and Sea of Japan/ East Sea.
: Japan War-Bereaved Association meets to discuss issues related to Yasukuni Shrine and separate enshrinement of Class-A war criminals.
: Abe, when asked about private offering made to Yasukuni Shrine during Spring Festival, refuses to comment on shrine-related issues.
: Japan’s Kyodo News reports that PM Abe sent offerings to Yasukuni Shrine in a “private capacity” in late April. South Korea’s Foreign Affairs and Trade Ministry says it was “very regrettable” and calls for a “correct perception of history.”
: Joongang Ilbo reports Japan’s F-22 bid could upset the regional power balance.
: Finance Ministers of ASEAN Plus Three meet in Kyoto to discuss financial cooperation, including currency swaps; agreement reached to establish $2.7 trillion foreign reserve pool.
: The “Plus Three” (Japan, South Korea, and China) countries adopt the Kyoto accord to pool their currencies to prepare for financial crises in the region on the sidelines of the Asian Development Bank annual meeting.
: The 60th anniversary of the postwar constitution; Abe calls for review of constitution to allow Japan to exercise right of collective self defense.
: Japan’s postwar pacifist constitution marks 60th anniversary. PM Abe renews his call for revising the charter.
: ROK government announces plans to seize assets gained during the Japanese occupation (1910-1945) from alleged collaborator families.
: U.S.-Japan 2+2 statement calls on China to increase military transparency.
: Members of Japan-China parliamentary Friendship Federation, led by former Foreign Ministers Komura and Machimura, meet Premier Wen.
: Japan’s FM Aso Taro warns Pyongyang of tougher sanctions if “the situation continues as it is” ahead of high-level Japan-U.S. security talks.
: Japan’s Supreme Court rules that postwar Japan-China agreements preclude suits against the Japanese government for wartime forced labor compensation.
: PM Abe has summit with President Bush and discusses the North’s nuclear program, “comfort women,” and other bilateral issues.
: Asahi Shimbun publishes excerpts from diary of former Grand Chamberlain to Showa Emperor indicating emperor’s displeasure at enshrinement of Class-A war criminals at Yasukuni Shrine.
: 121 Coalition, a group created to support the passage of House Resolution 121 that calls upon the Japanese government to apologize for using women and girls as sex slaves, takes a full-page ad out in the Washington Post calling attention to the “comfort women” issue.
: LDP Diet members Yamasaki and Kato visit China; April 28 meet with Vice Foreign Minister Wu, State Councilor Tang; April 29 visit China-North Korea border.
: The Choson Ilbo reports that Japan will have 2.14 jobs per job seeker, the highest ratio since 1992, next spring due to the “Koizumi Reforms.”
: Hundreds of South Korean fans greet Kimura Takuya, a popular Japanese celebrity, at Busan’s Gimhae Airport. Kimura is on location in Busan to film a cinematic version of the Japanese hit drama “Heroes.”
: 121 Coalition, a group created to support the passage of House Resolution 121 that calls upon the Japanese government to apologize for using women and girls as sex slaves, takes a full-page ad out in the Washington Post calling attention to the “comfort women” issue.
: A senior White House official confirms that Tokyo is considering purchasing F-22 Raptor fighter jets from the U.S., putting South Korea on alert.
: Thirty-nine Diet members visit Yasukuni Shrine for Spring Festival.
: Liberal Democratic Party (LDP)’s Nakagawa Shoichi announces LDP intention to set up special committee to study right of collective self-defense; government announcement follows on April 25.
: In response to documents from International Military Tribunal for the Far East (IMTFE) relating to the issue of “comfort women,” Abe government reverses March 16 statement of no direct evidence linking Imperial Army or government to coercion of “comfort women”; accepts judgment of IMTFE, which found Japanese army responsible for war crimes.
: Upper House of Diet approves legislation aimed at protecting Japanese interests in East China Sea.
: Maritime Self-Defense Force conducts joint exercise with U.S. and Indian Navies off Boso Peninsula.
: Japanese government decision to build a hotline to connect Japanese and Chinese military defense officials.
: Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Shiozaki criticizes North Korea for failing to meet the deadline to close the Yongbyon reactor site.
: On Fuji television program, Nakagawa Shoichi expresses displeasure with results of summit.
: South Korea’s Korea Times reports that President Roh Moo-hyun warned Japan “to stay away from its misguided nationalism … to remove a major stumbling block to regional cooperation and peace” in an article in the latest issue of Global Asia.
: North Korea misses the deadline to close the Yongbyon nuclear reactor site as mandated by the Feb. 13, 2007 agreement.
: Lower House of Diet adopts legislation establishing procedures for national referendum to revise constitution.
: Japan’s Lower House passes a bill on national referendums in a bid to revise the pacifist constitution.
: First meeting of Japan-China High-Level Economic Dialogue.
: Japan’s police adds names of two children missing since the 1970s to their official abductee list.
: China’s National Offshore Oil Corporation releases 2006 annual report, announcing beginning of natural gas production in East China Sea.
: Wen visits Japan; April 11 meets with Abe; April 12 addresses Diet; April 13 in Osaka and Kyoto.
: Xinhua reports discovery of abandoned munitions in Heilongjjang Province.
: Japan’s Cabinet approves a six-month extension of trade sanctions against Pyongyang.
: Asahi Shimbun reports agreement to facilitate disposal of chemical weapons abandoned in China by the Imperial Army.
: Japanese and Chinese technical experts meet in Beijing to discuss East China Sea issues.
: Wen meets with Japanese media in Beijing; previews trip.
: Nakagawa Shoichi, chairman of Policy Research Council, blasts Chinese actions in East China Sea.
: Foreign Ministers Aso Taro and Li Zhaoxing meet in New Delhi during SAARC conference; finalize agenda for Wen visit.
: PM Abe Shinzo says Japan wants a free trade agreement with South Korea and both sides need to make efforts to resume negotiations.
: Chinese and Japanese diplomats meet in Beijing to discuss East China Sea issues in advance of Premier Wen Jiabao’s visit to Japan.
: National Diet Library releases documents related to Yasukuni Shrine.
: Newly appointed South Korean FM Song Min-Soon meets PM Abe and discusses President Roh’s visit to Japan early next year.
: Joint history panel meets in Beijing.
: FMs Aso and Li confer by telephone on North Korea.
: State Councilor Tang meets visiting Lower House Speaker Kono.
: FM Aso says that additional sanctions are not an option at this time and that Japan always keeps its window open for dialogue with Pyongyang.
: At ninth bilateral talks in Tokyo, maritime officials of Japan and South Korea agreed to cut fishing quotas in each other’s waters to 60,500 tons.
: Japanese emperor on 73rd birthday reaffirms importance of mourning war dead; but avoids mention of Yasukuni.
: LDP drafts a set of additional punitive steps against North Korea as the Six-Party Talks recesses without progress.
: Japanese Foreign Ministry announces opening of new embassies in Malawi, Botswana, Mali, Lithuania, Bosnia, and Micronesia; decision interpreted by media as indication of intention to compete with China.
: Japan and China agree to set up organization to recover and treat chemical weapons abandoned in China by Imperial Army.
: UN General Assembly unanimously passes international convention aimed at preventing the abduction of foreigners by states in the form of “enforced disappearances.”
: Yomiuri Shimbun reports that a Yomiuri-Gallup poll in mid-November conducted in Japan and the U.S. shows that about 80 percent of Japanese respondents and about 75 percent of American respondents say that North Korea is a military threat to their countries.
: Upper House passes legislation to raise JDA to ministry.
: Japan Defense Agency upgraded to defense ministry, which will come into being Jan. 9, 2007.
: The Japan Times reports that former President George H. W. Bush said in China that Japan’s Yasukuni Shrine continues to distort the history of WWII.
: Japan releases the National Police Agency’s 2006 report on security that says North Korea may press ahead with harmful acts in retaliation to Japan’s sanctions.
: FM Aso and Li meet in Cebu; confirm experts history panel to meet Dec. 26-27; agree to set up experts panel on East China Sea.
: Cabinet Office public opinion survey confirms up-tick in Japan-China relations.
: Japan, China, and South Korea hold economic ministerial on Cebu in the Philippines.
: On the sidelines of ASEAN meetings in the Philippines, Japan, China, and South Korea agree to resume negotiations on a trilateral investment agreement.
: Abe meets visiting members of China-Japan Friendship Association; calls for expanded grassroots exchanges.
: Song Jian, chairman of China-Japan Friendship Associations, meets FM Aso in Tokyo; praises Abe’s visit to China.
: China arrests Chinese suspect in 2000 slaying of Japanese businessman in Yokosuka.
: Environment Minister Wakabayashi calls for post-2008 extension of Japan’s ODA program for China to protect environment.
: Kobe court orders government to pay ¥468.6 million compensation to 61 plaintiffs in suit by war-displaced Japanese.
: Japanese and Chinese diplomats begin planning for Premier Wen’s spring visit to Japan.
: Abe government appoints Tokyo University professor Kitaoka Shinichi to chair Japan team of joint history study.
: South Korean Defense Ministry and Japanese Defense Agency decide to hold talks between South Korean Minister Kim Jang-Soo and Japanese Defense Minister Kyuma Fumio next year.
: Upper House passes legislation to raise JDA to ministry.
: Japan-China working-level defense talks held in Tokyo.
: Director General for Asia and Oceanic Affairs Sasae meets in Beijing with Vice FM Wu Dawei and Assistant Minister Cui to discuss North Korea.
: Mainichi Shimbun poll shows that 78 percent of respondents opposed Japan’s possession of nuclear weapons while 61 percent said the debate on the question is acceptable. 22 percent of respondents opposed the debate.
: Metropolitan Police Department searches pro-Pyongyang Chongryun headquarters office in Tokyo and other locations on suspicion of violating the Parmaceutical Affairs Law.
: Nakagawa responds to critics.
: China’s Foreign Ministry blasts former Prime Minister Mori’s October visit to Taiwan and meeting President Chen.
: Abe lobbies visiting Danish prime minister against EU lifting of China arms embargo.
: Abe, at APEC, reaffirms Japan’s commitment to non-nuclear principles.
: PM Abe pledges that his Cabinet will not debate the issue of possessing nuclear weapons.
: Abe and Hu meet in Hanoi.
: Bush, Abe, and Roh exchange views on the situation in Northeast Asia on the sidelines of the APEC meeting.
: FMs Aso and Li meet in Hanoi during APEC meeting.
: Directors of War Bereaved Families Association approve study group on Yasukuni issues.
: Japan presents a list of 24 luxury items that will be banned from export to North Korea based on UNSCR 1718.
: PM Abe names 14 defense and diplomacy experts to a committee to consider how to create a body to take charge of diplomatic and national security policy.
: Dalai Lama in Tokyo; calls for democracy in China.
: Japan’s Internal Affairs and Communications Minister Suga Yoshihide orders NHK to air more on North Korea’s abductions in its shortwave radio service.
: Chief Cabinet Secretary Shiozaki announces confirmation of flames emanating from Chinese platform in East China Sea.
: Kyodo News reports opening of war resource center in Saitama Prefecture.
: Japan calls for China to assume larger share of UN dues.
: Some 100 pro-Pyongyang Chongryun members stage a sit-in outside the Japanese Diet protesting Tokyo’s sanctions against Pyongyang and harassment over pro-Pyongyang North Koreans living in Japan.
: LDP Asia Policy Study Group holds inaugural meeting.
: FMs Ban and Aso meet in Tokyo and decide to work closely together with the U.S. over the resumption of the Six-Party Talks.
: Vice Minister Yachi protests to Ambassador Wang Chinese activities in East China Sea.
: Japan, EU, and other countries submit a draft resolution to a committee of the UN General Assembly to denounce the North’s abduction of foreign nationals.
: FM Aso states that Japan and North Korea are not likely to hold direct talks and Japan will not immediately change or ease sanctions with the news of the resumption of the Six-Party Talks.
: JDA Director General Kyuma in remarks to Diet calls for reconsideration of Article 9.
: Flames spotted emanating from Chinese platform in East China Sea.
: LDP factions meet; general opposition to debate on nuclear issues.
: Abe calls for reconsideration of Article 9 in Financial Times interview.
: Relatives of Japanese abductees meet with U.S. Ambassador to the UN John Bolton to lobby for UN help.
: LDP’s Nakagawa Shoichi conducts video conference with Taiwan’s President Chen; says peace and stability in Taiwan Strait is important to Japan; calls on China to account for increases in its military spending.
: Japanese Ambassador to the UN Oshima Kenzo urges North Korea to return all the people it has abducted to their homelands.
: Group of relatives of Japanese abductees releases an emergency appeal reporting that North Korea has abducted people from 12 nationalities.
: Ambassador Wang tells Yokohama audience that Abe’s trip has overcome previous political obstacles.
: Shimomura affirms remarks on comfort women were made in personal capacity.
: Japanese Coast Guard drives off Hong Kong activists from Senkaku islands.
: Abe government begins consideration of legislation to upgrade Defense Agency to ministry.
: Democratic Party of Japan President Ozawa Ichiro meets Wu Bangguo, chairman of National People’s Congress Standing Committee.
: Abe sees no problems with Shimomura’s remarks; notes he was speaking in personal, not official, capacity.
: Chief Cabinet Secretary Shiozaki reiterates Japan’s claim to Senkaku islands.
: Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Shimomura raises “reconsideration” of comfort women issue in remarks to Foreign Correspondents Club.
: FM Aso tells a Lower House Foreign Affairs Committee session that although he abides by the nonnuclear principle, it is natural that Japan should freely debate what had led Japan originally to adopt the nonnuclear principle.
: LDP’s Aisawa Ichiro, Lower House Steering Committee chairman, meets in Beijing with Vice FM Wu Dawei; discussion focuses on Wu’s trip to North Korea and six-party process.
: Chinese activists depart Hong Kong for Senkaku islands.
: Former Prime Minister Mori visits Taiwan.
: Association for Japan-China Friendship in the 21st Century meets in Beijing; on Oct. 18, Kobayashi, Japan chairman, meets Foreign Minister Li; on Oct. 23 Kobayashi, meets Premier Wen; discussion focuses on history and North Korea.
: The U.S., Japanese, and South Korean Foreign Ministers Condoleezza Rice, Aso Taro, and Ban Ki-moon meet for a trilateral meeting in Seoul and agree to cooperate on the North Korean nuclear threat.
: 84 members of Lower House visit Yasukuni for autumn festival.
: Abe declares that Japan will not pursue nuclear weapons.
: Aso in remarks to Diet calls for study of nuclear issue; Abe restates his government’s commitment to Japan’s nonnuclear principles.
: Diet delegation, led by Upper House President Ogi Chikage, meets in Beijing with Wu Bangguo, chairman of National People’s Congress Standing Committee; Oct. 18, Ogi meets President Hu; discussions focus on North Korea.
: Abe meets visiting Chinese Communist Party official Wang Jiarui; affirms Japan’s commitment to its nonnuclear principles.
: Japan-China Ruling Parties Exchange Conference meets in Tokyo.
: South Korean daily Choson Ilbo reports that the Japanese yen dipped below 800 won for the first time in nine years.
: Chairman of LDP Policy Research Council Nakagawa Shoichi, in wake of North Korea’s nuclear test, calls for debate on Japan’s possession of nuclear weapons.
: Nakagawa Shoichi, chairman of the LDP’s Policy Affairs Research Council, remarks on a TV talk-show that Japan needs to discuss the nuclear option from every angle for the sake of its peace and security.
: The UN Security Council unanimously adopts Resolution 1718 to impose sanctions against North Korea under Chapter 7 taking measures under its Article 41, which limit sanctions to nonmilitary areas.
: Tokyo announces additional economic sanctions against Pyongyang for the regime’s nuclear test, which include a total ban on North Korean ships, a ban on all imports from North Korea, and a ban on North Korean nationals from entering the country. North Korea warned against “countermeasures” over Japan’s punitive sanctions.
: Kim Yong-nam, president of the Presidium of the DPRK Supreme People’s Assembly, meets delegation from Japan’s Kyodo News headed by President Ishikawa Satoshi.
: Fukuoka High Court upholds lower court decision rejecting claims for damages resulting from former Prime Minister Koizumi’s 2001 and 2002 visits to Yasukuni Shrine; avoids discussion of constitutional issue.
: Toshiba Corp. announces partnership with the LG Phillips LCD Poland to target the European market. The company will pay ¥5.5 billion for 20 percent stake in the LG Phillips LCD Poland.
: Pyongyang conducts its first underground nuclear test.
: PM Abe visits Seoul for summit with President Roh for the first time in 11 months.
: Abe arrives in Beijing; meets Premier Wen and President Hu.
: Diet members of Japan-Republic of China Parliamentary Discussion Council visit Taiwan for 10-10 National Day celebration.
: South Korea and Japan begin joint radiation study near Dokdo/Takeshima islets.
: PM Abe Shinzo acknowledges war responsibility of former Prime Minister Kishi, and accepts earlier government statements apologizing for Japanese colonial rule and aggression before the House of Representative Budget Committee.
: Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Shimomura announces summit for Oct. 8.
: Japan’s Vice FM Yachi Shotaro announces that Japan and the U.S. agree to seek a UN Security Council Chapter 7 resolution if Pyongyang conducts a nuclear test.
: Abe deals with issues of history during first Diet interpolation.
: Senior members of War Bereaved Families Association consider study group to consider disenshrinement of Class-A war criminals from Yasukuni Shrine.
: Vice Minister Yachi and Ambassador Wang wrap-up summit coordination.
: Japan has presidency of the UN Security Council for October.
: Abe in policy speech to Diet calls for strengthening relations with China/South Korea.
: New JDA Director General Kyuma acknowledges that Japan cannot compete with China militarily.
: Abe becomes prime minister.
: Abe becomes prime minister; new Cabinet announced; Aso remains foreign minister.
: LDP and New Komeito agree on new coalition government under Abe.
: LDP Policy Research Council Chairman Nakagawa meets Vice Foreign Minister Cui Tiankai in advance of Comprehensive Policy Dialogue to explore summit possibilities.
: LDP Secretary General Nakagawa meets Chinese ambassador; assures that Abe will not visit Yasukuni Shrine during spring festival.
: Japanese and Chinese diplomats conduct Comprehensive Policy Dialogue in Tokyo; explore summit options.
: Minister of Economy, Trade, and Industry Nikai visits trade fair in Hunan province; meets Vice Premier Wu Yi and Commerce Minster Bo Xilai.
: Vice Foreign Minister Yachi Shotaro and Vice Foreign Minister Cui meet in Tokyo in sixth Comprehensive Policy Dialogue; talks major focused on summit possibilities; also discussed are East China Sea and Korean Peninsula issues.
: Abe elected LDP president; Beijing welcomes Abe with same greeting it gave to Taiwan’s President Chen; namely that China would listen to what Abe says and watch what he does.
: Abe elected president of the LDP.
: Abe rejects China’s logic on war responsibilities as basis for normalization, i.e., separation of general public and war leadership.
: Koizumi and China’s Premier Wen Jiabao meet in Helsinki at ASEM meeting; photographed smiling and shaking hands; photo taken by official Chinese photographer posted on ASEM website, reportedly at request of Chinese government.
: Senior Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Shiozaki visits Beijing; holds informal talks with Communist Party officials on possibility of summit.
: National Defense Academy President Iokibe Makoto in Koizumi government e-mail magazine criticizes the prime minister’s Yasukuni visits as having negative affect on Japan’s diplomacy.
: Former President Lee postpones travel to Japan due to health reasons.
: Keidanren Chairman Mitarai Fujio, adviser to the Japan-China Business Associations, visits China; meets President Hu; Hu calls for regular high-level exchanges, once political obstacles are removed; meeting, however, is focused on economic, financial, technology cooperation.
: Abe tells reporters that he will make efforts to realize a summit; urges China and Korea to make similar efforts.
: Former Prime Minister Nakasone raises issue of Japan possessing nuclear weapons; former Ground Self-Defense Force Gen. Shikata talks of need for Japan to possess pre-emptive strike capability.
: Abe tells Morioka LDP convention of plans to elevate JDA to ministry status.
: Abe announces candidacy for LDP presidency.
: Mainichi Shimbun reports Abe had initiated planning for a Japan-China summit during November APEC meeting in Hanoi; Nakagawa tells Naha audience that China is interested in improving relations.
: Chinese court awards 1.6 million yuan damages to Nanjing massacre survivor.
: Foreign Minister Aso declares candidacy for LDP presidency.
: Japan Coast Guard ship intercepts Taiwanese ship attempting to land on Senkaku islands.
: Koizumi visits Yasukuni; China protests; Japanese ambassador called in; Chinese ambassador protest to Japanese Foreign Ministry.
: Fisheries Vice Minster Miyakoshi Mitsuhiro makes “private” visit to Taiwan meets with Taiwan’s President Chen, Premier Su, and Agriculture Minister Su to discuss fisheries issues; China urges Japan to honor “one China” policy; trip acknowledged by Abe on Sept. 12.
: Ministry of Trade and Economics confirms no change in status quo in East China Sea.
: Former Taiwan President Lee Teng-hui announces plans for Sept. 12-17 sight-seeing visit to Japan.
: Relatives of war dead enshrined at Yasukuni file suit in Osaka District Court; demand relatives be disenshrined on grounds that enshrinement was effected without their permission.
: Koizumi says that he will decide appropriately with regard to visiting Yasukuni.
: Koizumi reaffirms 2001 campaign pledge to visit Yasukuni on Aug. 15.
: Kyodo News reports that China National Oil Corporation had announced on its website the beginning of full-scale production; later Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Futabashi reports that Beijing confirmed no change in status quo.
: Nakagawa Hidenao, chairman of LDP’s Policy Research Council, suggests legislation to make Yasukuni a government-directed entity.
: Koizumi announces that he is ready to visit Yasukuni at any time.
: 1944 War Ministry order becomes public; by order of War Minister Tojo enshrinement at Yasukuni limited to those who directly died from military service.
: Aso releases multi-step reform plan for Yasukuni.
: Reports surface that Abe had visited Yasukuni April 15.
: Koga presents War Bereaved Families Association with plan to study separation of Class A-war criminals; association decides to postpone consideration until after Sept. 20 LDP presidential election.
: Relatives of Taiwanese conscripted into Imperial Army file law suit in Osaka District Court requesting disenshrinement from Yasukuni.
: Hong Kong-Taiwan group announce plans for Senkaku protest.
: Akiba Takeo appointed director of Foreign Ministry’s China and Mongolia Division.
: Grandson of Class-A war criminal former Foreign Minister Togo Shigenori calls on Koizumi to end visits to Yasukuni.
: Koga suggests secularization as solution to Yasukuni issue.
: China’s Ambassador Wang suggests to Nagoya audience that restraint on the part of Koizumi with regard to Yasukuni visit could open door to summit meeting.
: LDP Tokyo chapter hosts Abe, Aso and Tanigaki in policy debate.
: LDP Asia Study Group meets at LDP headquarters; calls for strategic ambiguity with regard to Yasukuni.
: Foreign Ministers Aso and Li meet in Kuala Lumpur during ARF meeting.
: Asahi Shimbun publishes interview with grandson of Class-A war criminal Hirota Koki in which grandson voices family opposition to Hirota’s Yasukuni enshrinement.
: Minister for Financial, Economic, and Fiscal Policy Yosano calls on Yasukuni to create environment that would allow emperor to visit.
: In Tokyo speech, Koga calls on Yasukuni to remove Class-A war criminals.
: Abe tells Kobe audience that decision on Class-A war criminals should be made by the shrine or the War Bereaved Families; refuses to say whether he will or had visited the shrine.
: Finance Minister Tanigaki characterizes Yasukuni as a “fishbone” in Japan’s throat with respect to China and Korea.
: China’s Vice Foreign Minister Wu and Japan’s Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Nishida lead delegations to 10th China-Japan security dialogue in Beijing.
: Abe publishes campaign manifesto “Toward a Beautiful Country”; criticizes China for refusing to meet with Koizumi because of Yasukuni.
: Nihon Keizai Shimbun publishes record of conversation with Showa Emperor on the enshrinement of Class-A war criminals in Yasukuni.
: Yamasaki faction issues proposals for LDP presidential election; calls for secular war memorial.
: Foreign Minister Aso addresses Yasukuni issue; points to difficulty of government making decisions with regard to Yasukuni as private, religious corporation.
: Koizumi meets with German Chancellor Merkel during G-8 Summit in St. Petersburg; lobbies against dropping of EU arms embargo on China.
: Koga visits China; July 17 visits Nanjing and museum dedicated to Nanjing Massacre; on July 19 Koga meets with Wang Jiarui, head of CCP Central Committee International Department; Wang approves of Koga’s Yasukuni plan.
: Transportation Minister Kitagawa visits China; markets shinkansen technology to China’s railroad minister.
: Taipei Mayor and Nationalist Party Chairman Ma meets former Prime Minister Mori in Tokyo; also meets Tokyo Gov. Ishihara, Yokohama Mayor Nakada, and addresses Tokyo Foreign Correspondents Club during six-day stay in Japan.
: DPJ President Ozawa visits China; meets State Councilor Tang and President Hu.
: Yamasaki tells Asahi TV audience that Koizumi’s visits to Yasukuni may be unconstitutional.
: Working-level talks on East China Sea held in Beijing.
: Former LDP Secretary General Koga, head of War Bereaved Families Association, proposes secular war memorial as solution to Yasukuni.
: LDP and DPJ Diet members visit China, including acting LDP Secretary General Aisawa.
: Tokyo Gov. Ishihara equates 2008 Beijing Olympics to Hitler’s 1936 Berlin games.
: Cleanup of chemical weapons abandoned by Imperial Army begins near Ning’an in China’s Northeast; 210 poison gas bombs found; completion of chemical weapons cleanup slated for 2007; in August, Japanese official says complete cleanup will require five additional years.
: Ozawa meets with China’s President Hu Jintao.
: Delegation of junior Diet members from ruling and opposition parties visits China.
: Democratic Party of Japan President Ozawa meets Wang Jiarui, head of CCP Central Committee International Department and State Councilor Tang Jixuan.
: Japanese Foreign Ministry protests operation of Chinese research ship within Japan’s EEZ.
: Koizumi government releases 2006 Defense White Paper.
: Aso tells NHK broadcast audience that, without political pressure, Yasukuni authorities should reconsider the religious nature of the corporation; calls for government to consider propriety of separating Class-A war criminals from those enshrined at Yasukuni.
: China-Japan mark 60th anniversary of Japanese repatriation from China; ceremonies held in Huludao, Liaoning province (formerly Japanese occupied Manchuria) and attended by former Foreign Minister Tang and former Ambassador to Japan Wu.
: Fukuda in speech delivered in Jakarta to the Indonesia-Japan-Friendship Association focuses on Asia policy; proposes Economic Partnership among Asian countries; stresses need for Japan, China and South Korea to cooperate in bringing about regional economic integration; again calls for Koizumi to stop visiting Yasukuni.
: Yomiuri Shimbun releases results of June 17-18 public opinion survey.
: Japan’s Supreme Court upholds Osaka High Court ruling dismissing claims for damages resulting from Koizumi’s visits to Yasukuni; avoids ruling on constitutionality of prime minister’s visits; Koizumi’s finds ruling “appropriate.”
: Nihon Keizai Shimbun public opinion poll reveals 37 percent of respondents against Aug. 15 visit to Yasukuni by Koizumi; 32 percent support visit but not on Aug. 15; 17 percent supporting visit on Aug. 15.
: Association to Consider a Secular War Memorial, chaired by Yamasaki Taku, issues report calling for inclusion of funds in coming fiscal year budget to study establishment of secular war memorial dedicated to those who died in war.
: President Hu expresses interest in visiting Japan under proper conditions to Japanese ambassador.
: China notifies Japan of discovery of chemical weapons in Heilongjiang province and asks for fact-finding team; June 14, Abe announces plan to send team to China to ascertain if the weapons had been abandoned by the Imperial Army.
: Council for Overseas Economic Cooperation approves lifting of freeze on yen loans to China; approves loan package of ¥74 billion.
: Japanese and Chinese consular authorities meet in Tokyo; Japan renews protest of May 2004 suicide of Japanese consular official in Shanghai; Chinese officials deny government involvement.
: Aso says relations with China are returning to normalcy.
: War Bereaved Association deadlocks on Koga’s proposal; restates current policy that the issue must be decided by Yasukuni authorities, not politics.
: Former PM Mori urges next prime minister not to pay homage at Yasukuni in order to improve Japan-China relations.
: China and South Korea opt out of Japan Coast Guard sponsored six-nation exercise aimed at practicing pursuit of ships suspected of illegal activities.
: Foreign Ministers Aso and Li meet in Qatar.
: Japanese-Chinese delegations meet in Beijing to discuss East China Sea issues; fail to make progress; but agree to meet again.
: Former LDP Secretary General and head of War Bereaved Association Koga proposes separation of Class-A war criminals from war dead at Yasukuni.
: Advisor to Democratic Party of Japan Hata Tsutomu meets with PRC State Councilor Tang; Tang invites Ozawa to visit China.
: Abe says that decision on separation must be made by shrine authorities, not government.
: China’s ambassador to Japan Wang in speech in Tokyo calls for improving Japan-China relations; expresses hope that foreign ministers will soon meet.
: Keizai Doyukai calls for separation of Class-A war criminals from war dead at Yasukuni.
: Fifth Japan-China Vice Ministers’ Comprehensive Policy Dialogue takes place in Beijing.
: Former Chief Cabinet Secretary Fukuda calls for a new policy toward Asia; expresses negative view of Koizumi’s visits to Yasukuni.
: Komeito party leader Kanzaki calls for stabilizing relations with China.
: METI Minister Nikai meets with China’s Vice President Zheng in Boao China; both agree on peaceful resolution of East China Sea issues.
: Ninety-six Diet members visit Yasukuni shrine; 87 from LDP.
: China’s Foreign Ministry, citing technical error, says exclusion zone in East China Sea extends only to its side of the median-line boundary; Abe accepts correction as simple mistake on April 18.
: LDP Secretary General Takebe expresses displeasure with reports that China has declared exclusion zone in East China Sea.
: Aso in speech at Hiroshima says that resolution of Yasukuni will not resolve all Japan-China issues.
: Foreign Ministry releases 2006 Diplomatic Blue Book; cites China for lack of transparency about military buildup.
: China’s Smbassador to Japan Wang Yi says Hu’s Yasukuni-summit proposal shows desire to improve relations; urges end to Yasukuni visits.
: FM Aso finds Yasukuni-summit linkage “beyond comprehension.”
: Chief Cabinet Secretary Abe Shinzo and Foreign Minister Aso Taro both reject Hu’s linkage proposal.
: Japan and China sign agreement to simplify customs administration.
: Leaders of seven Japan-China Friendship Associations, including former Prime Minister Hashimoto and former Foreign Minister Komura meet with President Hu; Hu proposes ending Yasukuni visits in exchange for summit.
: Group of 40 Chinese sue Japanese government in Tokyo District Court for wounds/loss of life suffered during Japanese bombing of Chongqing.
: Heads of seven Japan-China friendship organizations, including former PM Hashimoto, visit Beijing to exchange views on how to increase nongovernmental exchanges and promote bilateral growth. President Hu tells them he will agree to summit if Japan PM refrains from Yasukuni visits.
: Defense Agency releases 2006 East Asian Strategic Review, which cites North Korea’s nuclear challenge and China’s striking military modernization as continuing sources of instability
: Koizumi again expresses his inability to understand why, because of a single issue [Yasukuni], China and South Korea continue to refuse summit meetings, professes himself to an advocate of friendly relations with both countries.
: Japanese and Chinese Finance Ministers meet in Beijing.
: Nakagawa Hidenao, chairman of the LDP’s Policy Research Council, calls for mutual efforts to surmount the Yasukuni issue and for leaders in both countries to take risks toward that end.
: China’s national Development and Reform Commission announces funding to support rehabilitation and expansion of Harbin’s Unit 731 Germ Warfare Exhibition Hall into a peace park.
: Foreign Ministry Blue Book calls attention to lack of transparency in China’s military budget and modernization.
: Foreign Ministry postpones consideration of fiscal year 2005 ODA yen loans to China.
: Former DPJ leader Okada meets President Chen Shui-bian during visit to Taiwan.
: Koizumi, in speech to Defense Academy graduates, critical of lack of transparency in unspecified countries’ military expansion, does not single out China.
: Defense Agency is reported to be considering allowing Air Self-Defense Force to provide covering fire in the event Maritime Self-Defense force ships are fired on in Japan’s air defense identification zone; the zone extends beyond the median-line boundary in the East China Sea.
: FM Aso in op-ed in Wall Street Journal urges China to learn from Japan’s missteps with regard to “extreme nationalism “and to embrace its democratic future which Aso finds “imminent.”
: FM Aso tells Diet that Japan would have to consider countermeasures should China develop other gas fields.
: FM Aso expresses dissatisfaction with China’s assistance to North Korea.
: Premier Wen in press conference cautions that unless the Yasukuni issue is resolved relations will be difficult with a post-Koizumi government.
: Chief Cabinet Secretary Abe reaffirms one China policy; observes that he believes FM Aso understands Japan’s position.
: Nagano District Court rejects suit for compensation filed by wartime conscripted Chinese laborers and their families; appeal filed on March 16.
: LDP approves legislation to protect Japanese companies engaged in resource exploration in Japan’s EEZ.
: FM Aso again refers to Taiwan as “a country” in remarks before Upper House Budget Committee; later amends his statement acknowledging Beijing as the “only legitimate government.”
: Chief Cabinet Secretary Abe announces that Japan cannot accept Beijing’s proposal and asserts Japan’s right to carry out exploration activities.
: METI Minister Nikai calls for continuation of diplomatic efforts to resolve East China Sea issues.
: China’s FM Li asserts that Koizumi’s visits to Yasukuni are the equivalent of Germany’s leaders honoring Hitler.
: Director general-level talks on East China Sea resume in Beijing. China advances joint development proposal. Japan and China agree to early resumption of Six-Party Talks.
: Former Chief Cabinet Secretary Fukuda calls for improving relations with Japan’s Asian neighbors, including China and South Korea.
: Chinese companies establish fund to support lawsuits of Chinese citizens seeking compensation for wartime forced labor.
: Miyamoto Yuji, China-school diplomat, named ambassador to China.
: Nikai meets Premier Wen Jiabao and State Councilor Tang.
: Nakagawa delivers speech in Beijing offering proposals for a future-oriented relationship.
: Association to Consider National War Memorial opens Diet study group under chairmanship of LDP’s Yamasaki Taku.
: METI Minister Nikai arrives in Beijjng.
: FM Aso backtracks on suicide charge saying he was offering a hypothetical scenario.
: Delegation of Ruling Coalition members, led by Nakagawa Hidenao, head of LDP’s Policy Research Council, visits China; meets Li Zhangchun, Standing Committee member of Political Bureau; Li calls Yasukuni visits “most serious difficulty” since normalization.
: FM Aso charges official Chinese involvement in 2004 suicide of Japanese cipher clerk in Shanghai Consulate.
: Noda quotes Tang’s remarks in speech to Tokyo audience; China’s ambassador Wang calls for removal of “political impediments” in obstacles in bilateral relations and asserts PLA raison d’etre is to defend China not threaten others.
: Tokyo District Court dismisses lawsuit by three Japanese women left in China at end of World War II, seeking damages from government for lack of support.
: Chief Cabinet Secretary Abe meets in Tokyo with Jing Dunquan, vice chairman of the China-Japan Friendship Association; Jing meets FM Aso Feb. 14.
: Vice ministerial-level talks in Tokyo on East China Sea again fail to make progress.
: Chief Cabinet Secretary Abe calls Tang’s remarks “inappropriate.”
: LDP leader Noda meets in Beijing with State Councilor and former Foreign Minister Tang; Tang writes off expectations of progress for Koizumi government.
: Japan Trade Union Confederation and All China Federation of Trade Unions agree to strengthen exchanges.
: FM Aso back-peddles on Taiwan remark, claiming “I’m not that stupid.”
: FM Aso tells Fukuoka audience that imperial Japan was responsible for present-day Taiwan’s high educational standards; is reported to have referred to Taiwan as “a country.”
: Koizumi government adopts position paper stating that China is not a threat to Japan.
: FM Aso tells reporters that he only intended to raise the issue as to how best to pay homage to those who died for their country.
: Abe tells reporters that Aso was simply expressing a personal opinion.
: FM Aso suggests that the emperor should visit the shrine and thus resolve issue of prime minister’s visits.
: Chief Cabinet Secretary Abe Shinzo and FM Aso tell Diet that it is wrong for China to use Yasukuni as a diplomatic instrument.
: Koizumi tells Diet that only China and South Korea are critical of his visits to Yasukuni; reiterates interest in building future-oriented relationship and summit meeting.
: Mainichi Shimbun public opinion poll shows public evenly divided on question of whether next prime minister should visit Yasukuni Shrine.
: DPJ adopts view that China is an “actual threat” to Japan.
: Foreign Minister Aso Taro in foreign policy address to Diet “welcomes” China’s peaceful development, assures China that Japan has learned lessons of history, and seeks to build a future-oriented relationship.
: Agriculture Minister Nakagawa in speech to Foreign Correspondents Club warns Japan is facing military threats from North Korea and China.
: LDP party convention adopts platform promising continued party members’ visits to Yasukuni.
: JDA Director General Nukaga visits Moscow; asks Russian counterpart to consider impact on regional balance of Russia arms exported to China.
: Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) leader Maehara Seiji reiterates view that China is an “actual threat.”
: China, Japan, India, South Korea, Australia, and the U.S. meet in Sydney to discuss global warming.
: Director general/working-level informal discussions in Beijing on East China Sea fail to make progress.
: China’s director general for Asian affairs is reported to have criticized Japanese media for only reporting negative aspects with regard to China.
: Ground Self-Defense Forces conduct joint exercises with U.S. Marines in California; exercises focus on defense of remote islands.
: Keidanren Chairman Okuda tells news conference that economic relations, with one or two exceptions, were not been affected by political tensions during 2005.
: Ronza magazine publishes Asahi-Yomiuri editorial dialogue critical of Koizumi’s visits to Yasukuni.
: Prime Minister Koizumi visits Ise Shrine; afterward in nationally televised news cast, says he cannot understand foreign governments attempting to turn matter of the heart (Yasukuni) into a diplomatic issue.
: Koizumi indicates he will not visit Yasukuni during New Year Holiday; acknowledges that Japan must “take steps to get understanding in this regard;” ask China and Korea “also to consider the matter”; calls for mutual efforts to promote “friendly relations.”
: Koizumi at dinner with former LDP VP Yamasaki and New Komeito Secretary General Fuyushiba speaks of China’s development as an opportunity for Japan, dismisses China threat; Koizumi also makes clear his intention to upgrade Defense Agency to Ministry before leaving office.
: Japan protests May 2004 reported suicide of Shanghai consular official in charge of encryption of classified communications at consulate; suicide note suggests Chinese pressure to reveal classified information; government sources reveal Dec. 27 protest to be the fourth on the matter. China denounced Dec. 29 the accusation as “vile behavior” of the Tokyo government.
: China’s Vice FM Qiao meets in Beijing with Japan’s Deputy FM Kono to discuss UN reform.
: FM Aso, following Maehara, sees China “becoming a considerable threat.”
: Beijing releases foreign policy White Paper assuring that China will “never be a threat to anyone” and will not seek hegemony.
: Meeting of China, Japan, and ROK telecommunications ministers, scheduled for Jan. 9 in Amoy, is postponed.
: Tokyo Municipal Government includes funds for fishery research ship in 2006 budget, aiming to strengthen Japanese claims to waters off Okinotori island.
: LDP and New Komeito establish study groups to coordinate drafting of legislation to elevate Defense Agency to Defense Ministry
: Koizumi government approves establishment (February 2006) of Japan-China 21st Century Foundation to provide scholarships to Chinese high school students (150-200 per annum) for study in Japan.
: Chinese work crews begin restoration of Japanese Shanghai Consulate building damaged during the April anti-Japanese demonstrations.
: LDP adopts draft legislation to protect Japanese exploration in East China Sea.
: Yomiuri Shimbun poll indicates 73 percent of Japanese see Japan-China relations as not in good shape, an all time high; 72 percent distrust China; Dec. 28 Nihon Keizai Shimbun poll finds 69 percent distrust China, only 14 percent trust China.
: ASEAN Plus Three Summit; Japan-ASEAN Summit; East Asia Summit in Kuala Lumpur; Koizumi speaks briefly with China’s Premier Wen.
: Maehara travels to Beijing meets with State Councilor Tang, PLA deputy Chief of Staff Xiong, and Vice FM Dai Bingguo.
: DPJ President Maehara labels China a “threat” in speech delivered in Washington, DC; on Dec. 12 Maehara repeats China threat remarks in speech in Beijing.
: FM Aso in Asia policy speech welcomes the “rise of China” while expressing concern with China’s defense policy.
: LDP and New Komeito secretaries general and Policy Board chairmen agree to elevate Defense Agency to Defense Ministry.
: Beijing announces postponement of China-Japan-ROK (+3) meeting during the ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur.
: FM Aso, meeting Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld in Washington, tells Rumsfeld “we would like to be able to convince China to play a more constructive role in the international community.”
: Sankei Shimbun reports Japan Coast Guard plan to upgrade patrol aircraft and ships to protect Japanese interests in East China Sea.
: Fourth round of China-Japan-ROK investment treaty discussions conclude in Amoy.
: LDP Special Committee on Maritime Interests unveils legislation to protect exploration activities in East China Sea.
: State Councilor Tang meets supra-party Diet delegation representing the Japan-China New Century Association; says there is “no possibility” that China’s development activity in East China Sea is siphoning off Japanese resources; calls for joint development while shelving sovereignty issues.
: Vice FM Wu meets with delegation, calls for complete dismantling/destruction of chemical weapons abandoned by Imperial Army by 2012.
: Koizumi speaks at LDP headquarters on Yasukuni, and says he will not allow Yasukuni to become a diplomatic card for China and calls for revision of Article 9 of constitution.
: Koizumi, Wen, and ROK President Roh (“Plus Three”) meet during ASEAN meeting in Vientiane, Laos.
: Senior Vice FM Shiozaki Yasuhisa travels to Beijing to discuss Six-Party Talks and bilateral issues; meets Vice Foreign Minister Wu Dawei.
: Chiba District Court rules against plaintiffs seeking damages for Koizumi’s visit to the Yasukuni Shrine in August 2001.
: Chinese work crews begin restoration of Beijing embassy and consular buildings damaged during April anti-Japanese demonstrations.
: Xinhua News Agency reports CCP Propaganda Departments adds 66 National Patriotic sites to existing list; at least five commemorate the struggle with Japan.
: Chief Cabinet Secretary Abe finds FM Li’s “Hitler” analogy “disagreeable” to many Japanese.
: LDP announces draft legislation to govern exploration in East China Sea will be submitted to Diet in 2006.
: LDP Secretary General Takebe begins three-day visit to Beijing.
: Koizumi meets President Bush; observes that “because the U.S.-Japan relationship is so strong, Japan will be able to build better ties with China and South Korea.”
: China’s FM Li compares Koizumi visits to Yasukuni to paying Germany’s political leaders paying homage to Hitler.
: Chief Cabinet Secretary Abe tells TV Asahi Sunday audience that China should reconsider patriotic anti-Japanese education campaign, calls attention to double-digit increases China’s military spending, asks for increased transparency, pronounces himself fond of China, and supports increase of Chinese students studying in Japan.
: FM Aso defends Koizumi’s Yasukuni visits in speech in Tottori Prefecture.
: Multi-party coalition forms Association to Consider Secular War Memorial.
: New Komeito Party leader Kanzaki calls on Koizumi to exercise restraint on Yasukuni visits.
: Governors of Osaka, Kyoto, and Hyogo visit Beijing to promote tourism; meet with Vice Premier Wu Yi.
: China’s Vice President Zeng Qinghong meets former Prime Minister Murayama Tomiichi in Xian; promotes wide range of exchanges.
: Fifth meeting of Japan-China-ROK economic directors general in Beijing.
: Chinese Ambassador Wang speaks at National Defense Academy of Japan.
: Koizumi reshuffles Cabinet, appointing Aso Taro foreign minister and Abe Shinzo chief Cabinet secretary.
: Foreign Minister Machimura tells Sunday TV audience that, with regard to Yasukuni, Japan “should be able to say what we believe is right.”
: Keidanren Chairman Okuda tells business audience in Kanazawa that, while Koizumi’s visits to Yasukuni are affecting political relations, economic relations remain largely unaffected.
: 92 Diet members visit the Yasukuni shrine
: Beijing cancels visit of Japanese foreign minister scheduled for Oct. 23.
: Koizumi visits Yasukuni Shrine on first day of Autumn Festival.
: China protests Yasukuni visit.
: Chinese companies participating in Tsingtao Japan Week 2005 cancel participation to protest Yasukuni visit.
: Japan-China Foreign Ministry director general-level talks on North Korea and six-party meeting take place in Beijing.
: Taiwan’s former President Lee Teng-hui backs Koizumi’s visits to Yasukuni Shrine.
: Vice Foreign Minister Yachi meets Foreign Minister Li in Beijing to discuss Japan-China issues; second day of meetings scheduled for Oct. 16 is cancelled.
: Japanese Foreign Ministry announces Third Japan-China Comprehensive Policy Dialogue, Oct. 14-17, in Beijing.
: Vice Minister of the Cabinet Office Erikawa Takeshi visits Beijing to discuss disposal of chemical weapons abandoned by Imperial Army.
: Osaka High Court rules Koizumi’s visits as “official” and “religious” in nature.
: Keidanren Chairman Okuda Hiroshi meets secretly in Beijing with President Hu Jintao. During Oct. 24 press conference, Okuda denied that he was acting as Koizumi’s special emissary.
: Japanese and Chinese diplomats meet in Tokyo to discuss East China Sea issues.
: Japan and China meet for director general-level talks on East China Sea issues in Tokyo.
: Tokyo High Court dismisses suit seeking compensation for prime minister’s visits to Yasukuni.
: To emphasize Japanese sovereignty claims, METI Minister Nakagawa uses Japanese name “Kashi” given to Tianwaitian natural gas field.
: Koizumi government institutes 90-day visa waiver for Taiwanese tourists.
: Keidanren Chairman Okuda Hiroshi meets in Beijing for one hour with Premier Wen Jiabao; Wen tells Okuda, “I want you to study [history] fully.”
: Yamasaki Taku, political confidant of the prime minister, tells a Sunday Fuji TV audience that he thought Koizumi would visit Yasukuni before the end of the year.
: Foreign Minister Machimura Nobutaka announces Japanese and Chinese diplomats will meet in Tokyo at the end of September to discuss East China Sea issues.
: METI Minister Nakagawa assures Teikoku Oil Company that Japan “will do its duty” with regard to protecting exploration activities.
: Kyodo and AP report China has initiated natural gas production in Tianwaitian field, located west of the mid-line boundary; Foreign Ministry protests to Chinese Embassy.
: Five Chinese warships found near mid-line boundary in East China Sea.
: Nagasaki District Court sentences man to eight-month prison terms for mailing threatening notes and razor blades to Chinese consulates in Nagasaki and Osaka during April anti-Japanese demonstrations in China.
: Japanese Coast Guard requests funding for construction of lighthouse on Okinotori island in the Senkaku island chain.
: Koizumi government holds Inter-Agency coordinating meeting on issues related to the continental shelf and protection of marine resources; ¥11.7 billion requested for survey activities in 2006.
: President Hu Jintao delivers speech in Beijing celebrating China’s victory in the Struggle against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.
: Eleventh meeting of the Japan-China Cooperation Committee on Science and Technology takes place Beijing.
: Tamagawagakuen, a private school in Tokyo suburb, adopts history texts compiled by Japanese Society for History Textbook Reform.
: Teikoku announces that it is prepared to explore for natural gas in East China Sea; asks for reassurances from government that it will be protected in the event of reaction by China.
: China’s Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Wu Dawei meets in Tokyo with Asia Director General Sasae to discuss six-party meeting on North Korea.
: Japanese Foreign Ministry announces that translations of Japanese history books will be posed on its website; initial translations are in Chinese and Korean.
: Tokyo District Court dismisses defamation of character suit filed by relatives of two executed Japanese soldiers against Mainichi and Asahi papers and Asahi journalist Honda Katsuichi for reporting that the two had competed in China in 1937 to be the first to behead 100 Chinese.
: Japanese Foreign Ministry initiates History Q&A site on its homepage.
: Japanese Foreign Ministry protests Chinese pipe-laying operations in East China Sea, requests survey data from China, and asks that Chinese exploration activities cease.
: Koizumi tells reporters that he has no intention of making Yasukuni an election issue.
: Chinese injured by exposure to poison gas in Qiqihar, Heilonjiang Province (August 2003) from chemical weapons abandoned by the Imperial Army meet in Tokyo with Senior Vice Foreign Minister Aisawa to seek assistance and medical care.
: Diet approves legislation permanently waiving visa requirement for Taiwanese tourists, extending waiver put in place for Aichi Expo.
: Teikoku Oil Company completes license application process.
: Japanese Diet adopts resolution commemorating 60th anniversary of the end of the war.
: Koizumi Cabinet approves Defense Agency White paper “Defense of Japan 2005.”
: Tokyo Metropolitan School Board adopts history texts compiled by Japanese Society for History Textbook Reform.
: Osaka High Court dismisses class action appeal seeking compensation for Prime Minister’s August 13, 2001 visit to Yasukuni.
: Kakegawa City mayor meets Li Jun, head of CCP Internal Department Second Bureau; Li cautions that Koizumi visit to Yasukuni could change political situation in China.
: Japanese Foreign Ministry announces decision to expand visa waiver for Chinese tourist groups from present locations – Beijing and Shanghai and five provinces – to authorized tourist groups nationwide.
: Chinese plaintiffs appeal to Supreme Court decision by Tokyo High Court rejecting claims for compensation for suffering inflicted by Japan’s germ warfare activities in China.
: Japanese officials welcome China’s decision to revalue the yuan.
: Japan sends chemical-weapons expert mission to Guangzhou to excavate chemical weapons abandoned by the Imperial Army.
: Fourth security-related meeting between Japanese and Chinese officials held in Tokyo.
: Koizumi tells Japan-China 21st Century Friendship Committee that Yasukuni is “not the only problem” in Japan-China relations.
: Chinese Embassy in Tokyo protests East China Sea decision to Japanese Foreign Ministry.
: Koizumi government approves granting of East China Sea exploration rights to Teikoku Oil Company; Chinese Foreign Ministry protests to Japanese embassy.
: LDP pro-Yasukuni study group holds its third meeting.
: City of Otawara adopts history texts compiled by Japanese Society for History Textbook Reform.
: LDP pro-China study group holds initial meeting.
: China executes Yang Ning, convicted of 2003 Fukuoka robbery and murder.
: Senior vice minister for foreign affairs visits China to attend WTO meeting in Dalian.
: Japanese Embassy in Beijing reports possible attack on its web-page.
: China’s Ambassador Wang advocates bilateral FTA with Japan to business community.
: Okinawa prefectural government approves granting of East China Sea exploration rights to Teikoku Oil Company.
: China reopens renovated museum on site of Marco Polo Bridge Incident.
: Osaka District Court dismisses lawsuit seeking compensation filed by Japanese war orphans abandoned in China at end of war.
: Kagoshima prefectural government approves granting of East China Sea exploration rights to Teikoku Oil Company.
: China and Japan steel industry associations agree to share environmental protection expertise.
: Iimura Yutaka, ambassador to Indonesia, tabbed as next ambassador to China.
: Japanese Coast Guard ships visit Shanghai to join in maritime rescue drills.
: Chinese authorities in Dalian confiscate 128 Japanese social studies textbooks ordered from Japan and intended for use in local Japanese school on grounds that the texts contain 130 instances of “inappropriate” reference to Taiwan.
: Former Foreign Minister Komura, chairman of the Japan-China Parliamentary Friendship Association meets in Beijing with Wu Bangguo, chairman of the Standing Committee of China’s National People’s Congress, Wu urges Koizumi to consider Yasukuni from a broad perspective; suggests Japan’s prospects for participation in Beijing-Shanghai rail project are not promising in present political environment.
: Chief Cabinet Secretary Hosoda calls Guangzhou poison-gas incident “extremely regrettable.”
: Former PM Nakasone tells television talk show that he opposes Koizumi’s visits to Yasukuni if they harm national interests; Nakasone also announces opposition to the building of new war memorial to replace Yasukuni.
: Koizumi tells Upper House Budget and Administrative Oversight Committee that, contrary to ROK President Roh’s statement, Yasukuni is not at the core of Japan’s relations with the ROK and China; rather the core is to consider how relations can be developed while taking history as a mirror.
: Parliamentary Secretary for Health Labor and Welfare Morioka repeats May remarks concerning validity of International Military Tribunal for the Far East judgment with respect to war crimes; Chief Cabinet Secretary Hosoda again reaffirms government’s acceptance of the tribunal’s decisions.
: Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announces that on June 17 it placed address plate on Okinotori island, giving it the address of 1-banchi, Okinotori island, Ogesawara Village, Tokyo.
: Taiwan sends warship with defense minister and legislators on board into East China Sea near Senkaku islands.
: Three Guangzhou residents are exposed to poison gas shells abandoned by the Japanese Imperial Army during World War II.
: Lower House Speaker Kono leads Diet delegation to China, meets with Vice Premier Huang, State Councilor Tang, and head of CCP’s International Department Wang.
: PM Koizumi rejects call for new war memorial shrine to replace Yasukuni; Chief Cabinet Secretary Hosoda confirms that alternative shrine plan is not under consideration.
: Japanese business delegation visits China and calls for measures to protect intellectual property.
: METI announces intention to grant exploration rights in East China Sea to Teikoku Sekiyu pending approval of Kagoshima and Okinawa prefectural governments.
: Chief Cabinet Secretary Hosoda tells reporters that Nakayama had apologized during Cabinet meeting for “comfort women” remarks; Nakayama later denies making an apology.
: Bereaved Families Association issues statement calling on prime minister to pay consideration to neighboring countries and obtain their understanding with regard to visits to Yasukuni; later Association reaffirms position that PM should continue to visit the shrine.
: Education Minister Nakayama, while acknowledging the terrible experiences of “comfort women,” tells Shizuoka town meeting that the title “comfort women” did not exist during the war years and accordingly this “incorrect” description was removed from history texts; Koizumi urges Nakayama to be cautious in his remarks.
: Noda Takeshi, president of the Japan-China Friendship Society, travels to Beijing and meets with Chinese leadership including State Councilor Tang and Vice Premier Zhen; on May 31 Noda called on Koizumi to discuss Yasukuni issues and disenshrinement of Class-A war criminals.
: Koizumi tells Lower House Budget Committee that he visits Yasukuni to pay respects to all who lost their lives during the war, not to pay respects to particular individuals and that he visits the shrine as a matter of personal belief not as prime minister.
: Former PM Nakasone tells reporters that Koizumi should “think more about national interests than personal beliefs”; the next day in speech in Tokyo Nakasone again calls on Koizumi to place national interests first and make the difficult but courageous decision to stop paying homage at Yasukuni.
: Former Foreign Minister, presently Speaker of the Lower House, Kono meets with five former prime ministers to discuss relations with China; the Asahi Shimbun describes the meeting as “highly unusual.”
: Foreign Ministry Director Generals Sasae and Cui meet in Beijing to discuss issues related to exploration and boundary demarcation in East China Sea.
: Parliamentary Secretary for Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare Morioka tells LDP lawmakers that Class-A war criminals are “no longer regarded as war criminals in Japan.”
: Middle school history textbook, “History to Open the Future,” is published by a team of scholars and civic organizations from China, Japan, and ROK.
: FM Machimura finds Wu incident “regrettable” but not the entirety of Japan’s relations with China.
: Chinese Foreign Ministry makes clear that cancellation was related to Koizumi’s remarks about Yasukuni.
: Chinese navy ship carries out survey activities within 1-2 kilometers of Okinotori.
: Wu abruptly cancels meeting with Koizumi and returns to China to attend “urgent public business.”
: LDP and Komeito secretaries general visit China and meet with Wang Jiarui, head of CCP international department, State Councilor Tang, and President Hu.
: Tokyo Gov. Ishihara lands on Okinotori island during inspection tour.
: State Council Vice Premier Wu Yi visits Japan to attend Aichi Expo and meet with Japan’s leaders.
: Koizumi tells Lower House Budget Committee that he does not think his visits to Yasukuni Shrine have injured the feelings of the Chinese people.
: Former PM Nakasone says Wang’s assertion is “completely at odds with reality,” denies existence of agreement, and telephones the Chinese embassy to protest.
: Japan’s Teikoku Sekiyu becomes first company to apply for exploration rights in East China Sea.
: Ambassador Wang Yi tells a meeting at LDP headquarters that Koizumi’s visits to Yasukuni violate a “gentleman’s agreement” given by then PM Nakasone, following his 1985 visit.
: Tokyo District Court dismisses a suit claiming that Koizumi’s and Tokyo Gov. Ishihara Shintaro’s August 2001 visits to Yasukuni Shrine violate the principle of separation of church and state.
: Machimura tells TV Asahi talk show that Chinese textbooks are “extreme” in their interpretation of history.
: Koizumi meets President Hu on sidelines of Asia-Africa Summit in Jakarta.
: Some 80 Diet members visit Yasukuni Shrine.
: Former Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Hiranuma Takeo meets with former Foreign Minister now State Councilor Tang to discuss demonstrations.
: CCP Propaganda Department begins nation-wide campaign to rein in “unauthorized demonstrations”
: Vice FM Wu Dawei attributes current problems to Japan’s “incorrect understanding of history.”
: FMs Machimura and Li Zhaoxing meet in Beijing; while in Beijing Machimura also meets with former FM, now State Councilor, Tang Jiaxuan.
: Minister Nakagawa calls on China to “prevent mobs attacking businesses.”
: Anti-Japanese demonstrations in 10 Chinese cities, including Shanghai, Shenyang, and Amoi.
: Lower House Speaker Kono Yohei meets with Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of National People’s Congress Lu Yongxiang; discussion focuses on anti-Japanese riots.
: Premier Wen Jiabao calls on Japan to “profoundly reflect” on reasons for anti-Japanese demonstrations.
: Japan-China Directors General Sasae and Cui Tiankai meet in Beijing in advance of foreign ministers’ April 17 meeting.
: Japan-China Friendship Organizations meet in Tokyo; Ambassador Wang tells members that taking history as a mirror is the key to unlocking the future.
: PM Koizumi Junichiro calls demonstrations “truly regrettable,” asks Beijing to prevent recurrence; acting LDP secretary general calls China’s response to demonstrations “insufficient.”
: Twenty-five reported acts of vandalism and harassment against Chinese embassy, consulates, businesses, and schools take place in Japan.
: Large-scale anti-Japanese demonstrations in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzen.
: Japan’s Ambassador to China Anami Koreshige requests protection for Japanese residents and businesses.
: Japan’s Ministry of Education approves new middle-school history textbooks.
: Director General for Asian and Oceanic Affairs Sasae Kenichiro informs Chinese embassy that Japan is moving ahead with exploration rights in East China Sea; asks China to suspend its exploration activities and provide data to Japan.
: VM of Foreign Affairs Yachi Shotaro calls in Ambassador Wang Yi and expresses “concerns” and requests protection for Japanese residents in China.
: Anti-Japanese demonstrations, in Chengdu, Shenzen, and Chongqing, express opposition to Japan’s efforts to secure permanent seat in UN Security Council.
: Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Nakagawa Soichi announces Tokyo is prepared to grant exploring rights in East China Sea to Japanese companies.
: Private Japanese research team lands on Okinotori Island.
: Director General of the Asia Bureau of China’s Foreign Ministry Cui travels to Tokyo to meet with counterpart Sasae.
: Japan’s National Institute for Defense Studies releases East Asian Strategic Survey 2005, calling attention to China’s military modernization, cross-Strait military balance, and increasing nationalism behind China’s foreign policies.
: Koizumi meets in Tokyo with French President Jacques Chirac; Chirac affirms EU intent to end China arms embargo.
: JDA deputy director general travels to Beijing; meets with PLA Deputy Chief of Staff Xiong Guangkai and Minister of Defense Cao Gangchuan.
: Liaison Council on continental shelf and ocean resources meets at Prime Minister’s official residence.
: Chief Cabinet Secretary Hosoda tells press that negotiations on ODA termination are still in process.
: Tokyo High Court dismisses suit for wartime compensation brought by two Chinese comfort women.
: FM Machimura announces Japan-China agreement to terminate new ODA loans by 2008.
: FM Machimura and Li discuss Taiwan and ODA during 30-minute telephone call.
: PM Koizumi addresses pending EU arms embargo decision during Lower House meeting.
: Premier Wen Jiabao addresses issue of China-Japan reciprocal high-level visits; offers three-step plan toward their resumption.
: Vice Education Minister Shimomura criticizes as “masochism” government consideration of sensitivities of Japan’s neighbors in developing textbooks.
: PM Koizumi states that Japan’s Taiwan policy is unchanged.
: Foreign Ministry advisory panel on ODA agrees to gradual phasing out of ODA program for China; recommends continuing aid projects for environmental protection and personnel training.
: Asahi Shimbun reports F-15s will replace F-4s in Okinawa by 2008.
: FM Machimura during Upper House session tells China to make efforts to improve its teaching of history.
: Democratic Party of Japan introduces legislation calling for Coast Guard protection for Japanese ships engaged in exploration of Japan’s EEZ.
: Director General of Asia and Oceanic Affairs Sasae travels to Beijing; meets with Vice Minister Wu on North Korea issues.
: Sun meets with FM Machimura.
: Chinese Foreign Ministry briefs Japanese and South Korean ambassadors on Wang Jarui’s mid-February visit to Pyongyang.
: Japan, China, ROK, and ASEAN meet in Bangkok to discuss dollar and monetary coordination issues.
: Sun Yafu, deputy director of Taiwan Affairs Office, travels to Tokyo to brief Vice FM Yachi on China’s anti-secession law.
: Foreign Ministry officially informs Chinese Embassy of concerns over exploration activities in East China Sea.
: Economics Minister Nakagawa tells television audience that it is “highly likely” Chinese exploration in East China Sea extends into Japan’s EEZ.
: Joint Statement issued at conclusion of U.S.-Japan Security Consultative Committee calls for peaceful resolution of China-Taiwan issue.
: Ministry of Economics, Trade and Industry releases interim report on activities in East China Sea.
: Chief Cabinet Secretary Hosoda announces government has assumed management of lighthouse on Uotsuri Island in Senkaku Islands; Foreign Ministry informs Chinese Embassy of its decision.
: Vice FM Yachi announces Japan’s acceptance of Chinese proposal for China-Japan Strategic Dialogue.
: Ambassador Wang calls for Japan-China FTA in speech delivered in Kobe.
: Tokyo Gov. Ishihara announces plans to construct power-generating facility on Okinotori Island.
: Finance Ministry releases 2004 trade statistics, revealing China has become Japan’s top trading partner.
: In response to questions about his intention to visit Yasukuni, PM Koizumi responds that he would make “appropriate decisions” on his own.
: PM Koizumi in Diet policy speech defines Japan-China relations as of “utmost importance,” pledges to “build future-oriented Japan-China relations” and to “enhance cooperation in a broad range of areas from a broader perspective, even if views on individual areas may differ.”
: Working-level diplomat discussions take place in Beijing; Japanese propose “Comprehensive Work Plan” to advance bilateral relations.
: Ambassador Wang meets with senior LDP leaders; tells them that he is personally trying to avoid Yasukuni issue.
: Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Nakagawa tells French counterpart that East Asian countries are concerned that EU will end China arms embargo.
: China’s Ambassador Wang speaks at Waseda University, does not include Yasukuni issue in prepared remarks; speaks to issue only in response to a question.
: Diet delegation arrives in Beijing; meets with former FM Tang and Vice FM Zhang.
: PM Koizumi and Premier Wen Jiabao meet briefly during tsunami relief conference in Jakarta; pledge cooperation in relief effort.
: LDP 2005 party platform calls for continuation of visits to Yasukuni.
: Chinese embassy informs LDP’s Nukaga that scheduled visit of Diet delegation has to be postponed.
: PM Koizumi and five Cabinet members visit Ise Shrine.
: PM Koizumi does not visit the Yasukuni Shrine.
: Lee arrives in Japan.
: China releases 2004 Defense White Paper calling for 14.2 percent increase in defense spending, the 16th consecutive year of double-digit increases.
: Third Japan-China Economic Partnership Consultation in Tokyo; Japan represented by Deputy FM Fujisaki Ichiro and China by Vice Minister of Commerce Min An.
: Lee Teng-hui applies for “sightseeing” visa.
: Chief Cabinet Secretary Hosoda announces that Japan will grant visa to Taiwan’s former President Lee Teng-Hui; China’s Vice FM Wu calls in Japanese ambassador to protest; China’s Ambassador Wang tells Vice FM Takeuchi that the decision is “incomprehensible and unacceptable.”
: Premier Wen meets in Beijing with Senior Vice FM Aizawa Ichiro and LDP and Democratic Party of Japan lawmakers; discussion focuses on North Korea.
: Tokyo High Court dismisses suit for compensation brought by four Chinese women forced to serve as sex slaves by the Imperial Army.
: Machimura tells Lower House that government would like to push forward review of China ODA policy.
: Tokyo Gov. Ishihara Shintaro announces Tokyo government will begin fishing activities off Okinotori Island to assert Japanese sovereignty in the area.
: Vice FM Takeuchi telephones Ambassador Wang to protest; Minister Harada at Japanese embassy in Beijing calls on Foreign Ministry to protest; FM Machimura tells visiting Chinese State Councilor Zhang Qizheng that this kind of behavior will harm relations between the countries.
: Japan releases new NDPG.
: FM Machimura meets visiting Chinese State Councilor Zhang Qizheng; expresses concerns over ship incident; Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhang Qiyue calls for calm, says ship activities are normal.
: Asian and Oceanic Affairs Director General Yabunaka protests Chinese ship presence in EEZ to Chinese Minister Cheng Yonghua.
: Japanese patrol aircraft find Chinese research ship Kexue Yi Hao within Japan’s claimed EEZ.
: Koizumi and Wen meet in Vientiane during ASEAN Plus Three meeting.
: In advance of meeting with Wen Jiabao, Kozumi tells reporters that it may be time to graduate China from the ODA program.
: FM Machimura tells Diet that time may be approaching to end China ODA program.
: Koizumi government presents draft of new National Defense Program Guidelines (NDPG) to LDP security project team.
: Hu and Koizumi meet in Santiago, Chile during APEC meeting.
: China admits responsibility for the incursion; Vice FM Wu Dawei tells Ambassador Anami that the incident was the result of “technical errors.”
: Yamasaki Taku, special advisor to Koizumi, meets in Beijing with senior Chinese officials, including Vice FM Wu Dawei.
: Ambassador Wang in speech delivered in Wakayama prefecture appeals for calm on submarine incursion.
: FM Machimura calls Chinese Minister Cheng Yonghua to the Foreign Ministry to protest the incursion and demand an apology; Koizumi calls the incident “extremely regrettable.”
: Japanese patrol aircraft acquire and track Chinese submarine in Japanese territorial waters.
: Upper House of Diet releases report calling for eventual termination of China ODA program.
: FM Machimura announces that Japan and China agree to work toward Koizumi-Hu summit during APEC meeting in Chile.
: Vice FM Takeuchi and Ambassador Wang meet secretly in Tokyo to work out talking points for Yasukuni issue in the event of a Japan-China summit.
: Koizumi and Ambassador Wang meet at Prime Minister’s Official Residence; details not released.
: Japanese and Chinese defense officials meet in Tokyo; first meeting of defense vice ministers since November 2000.
: Working-level talks in Beijing; Yabunaka Mitoji, director general of the Asian and Oceanic Affairs Bureau and Kodaira Noboyuki of the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy represent Japan; Cui Tiankai, director general for Asian Affairs represents China.
: Koizumi tells Upper House Budget Committee that he does not see Yasukuni visits as stumbling block in Japan’s relations with China.
: Some 79 Diet members visit Yasukuni.
: Working-level talks on exploration issues announced by Beijing.
: Ambassador Wang Yi in Tokyo speech asserts exploration is within waters in which Chinese claim to sovereignty is indisputable.
: Koizumi tells Lower House Budget Committee that he sees nothing wrong in paying appropriate respects to Japan’s war dead.
: Ambassador Wang tells Japan’s National Press Club that from his perspective paying respects at Yasukuni is not a domestic issue or cultural issue.
: METI Minister Nakagawa tells TV audience that Japan has information that China has granted exploration rights within Japan’s EEZ to Chinese companies.
: FM Li and FM Machimura meet in Hanoi during ASEM talks; agree to working-level discussions on resource exploration in East China Sea.
: Vice FM Takeuchi tells reporters that a Koizumi-Hu Jintao meeting during ASEM meeting is unlikely due to Hu’s schedule; next opportunities are APEC in Chile and ASEAN Plus Three in Laos.
: Foreign Minister Machimura presents 2004 ODA White Paper to Cabinet, later tells Tokyo town hall meeting that ODA to China will continue to be reduced, though it’s premature to end China program.
: Nippon Yakin Kogyo agrees to ¥21 million settlement with Chinese wartime forced laborers in Osaka High Court.
: Japanese Embassy sources report that five of 29 North Koreans who sought refuge in Japanese school on Sept. 1, left China Sept. 24 for a third country.
: Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Kong Quan reacts negatively to PM Koizumi’s speech at the UN seeking UN reform and a permanent seat for Japan on the Security Council.
: Lower House Speaker Kono in Beijing; meets with Wu Bangguo, head of China’s National People’s Congress, Vice President Zeng Qinghong; and President Hu Jintao.
: Democratic Party leader Ozawa Ichiro announces visit to China as honorary head of the Japan-China Business Exchange; Ozawa is accompanied by 17 young leaders of the Democratic Party; young leaders meet with Vice Premier Dai Bingguo on Sept. 20.
: Japanese press reports that Tokyo will not issue visa to Lee Teng-Hui to visit Japan this year.
: FM Kawaguchi visits China.
: During ASEAN Plus Three meeting of economic ministers, Japan’s Nakagawa meets with Chinese counterpart; views are exchanged on East China Sea natural gas exploration.
: Yabunaka Mitoji, director general for Asian and Oceanic Affairs, meets with China’s Wu Dawei to discuss North Korea issues, including up-coming six-party talks and handling of believed North Korean defectors.
: Some 29 North Korean refugees, seeking asylum, storm into Japanese high school in Beijing. Japanese Embassy assumes protective custody of the group; Prime Minister Koizumi says that Japan will deal with the issue in a “humanitarian way.”
: China awards contracts for high-speed rail modernization to consortia of Japanese, European, and Chinese companies, introduction of Japanese shinkansen technology sparks anti-Japanese protest on website of China’s Patriot Alliance.
: Tokyo Metropolitan Government approves nonprofit status for Japanese branch of Falun Gong.
: Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education approves high school text written by Japanese Society for History Textbook Reform; Chinese Foreign Ministry calls on Japan to educate youth with accurate understanding of history.
: News reports of possible Lee Teng-hui visa application and visit to Japan.
: JETRO releases trade statistics for January-June 2004; Japan’s two- way trade with China grows by 30 percent over first half of 2003.
: Taiwanese Premier Yu hyi-kun, traveling from the U.S. to Taiwan, lands in Okinawa to avoid typhoon # 17; meets with local officials while in Okinawa. China’s Foreign Ministry (Aug. 25) blasts Taiwanese authorities for using weather as cover for political activities and expresses “grave concern” to Japan.
: Four Cabinet-level officials and 58 Diet members visit Yasukuni Shrine to mark 59th anniversary of Japan’s surrender; Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Kong calls on Japanese leaders to accurately reflect on history.
: Chairman of Japan-China Friendship Society expresses dissatisfaction with Chinese behavior during Asia Cup.
: Thirteen Chinese plaintiffs bring suit against Japanese government and Mitsubishi Material Corporation for compensation for wartime forced labor.
: Departing Chinese ambassador Wu Dawei calls at Foreign Ministry; Foreign Minister Kawaguchi raises Asia Cup disorder.
: Japan defeats China 3-1 in Asia Cup Final; anti-Japanese disorder breaks out, including damage to Japanese Embassy vehicle.
: Japanese Interagency Coordinating Committee meets at Prime Minister’s Residence to discuss EEZ-related issues.
: Chinese ships found operating without prior notification in Japan’s EEZ.
: In press conference, Senior Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Abe Masatoshi addresses Asia Cup security issues; Vice Minister Takeuchi does too with the Chinese ambassador as does FM Kawaguchi at Foreign Ministry Guest House with visiting Ka Yun of CCP Secretariat.
: Chief Cabinet Secretary addresses Asia Cup issues.
: Cyber attacks launched against Japanese government websites.
: Japan sends investigation team to China to identify artillery shell. It is identified as belonging to the Imperial Army.
: LDP Working Group on Maritime Interests calls for increase in Coast Guard personnel to protect Japan’s interests.
: Tokyo asks Beijing to take steps to protect Japanese soccer team and fans during Asia Cup tournament in China.
: Two Chinese children in Dunhua city, Jilin Province injured by chemicals leaking from abandoned artillery shell.
: Japan approves expansion of Chinese eligibility for 15-day tourist visa.
: Chief Cabinet Secretary Hosoda calls for government to lodge strong protest over Chinese ships operating in Japan’s EEZ.
: Two Chinese ships found in Japan’s EEZ.
: Economics Minister Nakagawa finds Chinese ship in violation of Japan-China prior notification agreement.
: Chinese ships again sighted in Japan’s EEZ.
: Hiroshima High Court awards damages for wartime forced labor to Chinese petitioners.
: Vice FM Wang Yi calls in Japanese ambassador to protest Japanese exploration in East China Sea.
: Japanese survey activities begin in Japan’s EEZ.
: The 67th anniversary of Marco Polo Bridge Incident.
: Japanese aircraft finds Chinese maritime research ship, operating without prior notification, in Japan’s EEZ. Japanese Embassy in Beijing asks for explanation.
: Japanese Defense Agency Defense White Paper, Defense of Japan 2004, approved by Cabinet.
: Japanese, Chinese, ROK foreign ministers meet in “Plus Three” format at ASEAN meeting in Jakarta.
: China’s Wang Yi, vice minister for foreign affairs, announced as next ambassador to Japan.
: Aichi Prefectural Police arrest Chinese national residing in Gifu City for counterfeiting and selling foreign residency documentation.
: Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs Chen Guofeng calls in Japanese ambassador to protest undersea survey.
: METI Minister Nakagawa tells reporters that China has failed adequately to respond to Japan’s requests for data regarding exploration of the Chunxiao natural gas field and makes clear his intention to conduct survey on the Japanese side of the demarcation line in July.
: METI Minister Nakagawa tells reporters that Japan will survey undersea resources in the East China Sea.
: Chinese court sentences Noguchi Takayuki, a member of Japanese NGO Life Funds for North Korean Refugees, to eight months in prison for helping North Korea refugees in China seek refuge in third countries. Noguchi was arrested in December and will be deported upon completion of sentence in August, having been credited with time already served in custody.
: Japanese Embassy in Beijing reports Japanese experts conclude chemical weapons clean-up in Qiqihar.
: Japan Defense Agency sources report Chinese maritime research ship seen operating within Japan’s EEZ.
: Economic, Trade, and Industry Minister Nakagawa Shoichi confirms China natural gas exploration following observation from Coast Guard airplane.
: Six-party talks on North Korea in Beijing.
: Foreign ministers of China, Japan, and South Korea meet on the sidelines of Asian Cooperation Dialogue in Qingdao. Kawaguchi-Li, in June 21 bilateral, take up China’s gas exploration in East China Sea.
: Japan’s Health Ministry lifts import restrictions on frozen spinach from China. In May 2003, the ministry asked Japanese companies voluntarily to restrict spinach imports from China because inspections had detected pesticide residue. In November, China responded by implementing a new inspection regime.
: Sankei Shimbun and Fuji Television report Chinese construction of a second natural gas drilling test site.
: LDP Working Group on Japan’s Maritime Interests issues report calling on government to begin exploration of natural resources on Japan side of the Japan-China EEZ border and development of a comprehensive strategy to deal with issue, including the creation of an intergovernmental committee to deal with related issues.
: LDP China Study Group is established; Kakuga Fukushi is appointed chairman of the approximately 20-member group.
: Japan communicates concern to China that construction of drilling sites for natural gas in East China Sea violates Law of the Sea Convention.
: Japan, China, and South Korea energy ministers attend joint meeting with ASEAN counterparts meet during APEC meeting in Manila to discuss energy issues. This is the first energy ministerial of the ASEAN Plus Three.
: Chinese FM spokesperson Liu Jianchao, touching on the Soga family, tells reporters that China is prepared “to play a constructive role” in improving Japan-North Korea relation but China does “not have a position” on the site for a meeting.
: Chinese patrol ship, Haixun 21, participates in a joint exercise conducted by the Japanese Coast Guard and focused on counterterrorism, piracy, and smuggling.
: Japanese press reports that China has begun construction of a natural gas drilling facility in an area Tokyo considers to be within Japan’s EEZ.
: Shinkansen train unloaded in Kaohsiung.
: Chemical weapons incident in Qiqihar.
: FM Kawaguchi briefs FM Li on Koizumi’s May 22 visit to Pyongyang.
: Council on East Asian Community established in Tokyo; former PM Nakasone named chairman. The Council is aimed at building support in Japan for the development of an East Asian economic community.
: Tokyo Gov. Ishihara Shintaro visits Taiwan for inauguration of President Chen Shui-bian (May 20); meets with Chen. Both agree to develop Japan-Taiwan relations.
: First Shinkansen high-speed bullet train shipped to Taiwan; it is the first model built for overseas use and will connect Taipei and Kaohsiung. Japan is still awaiting China’s decision on a high-speed train to connect Beijing and Shanghai.
: Professor Koh Se-kai of Providence University Taiwan, appointed Taiwan unofficial representative to Japan.
: Japan supports Taiwan entry as observer in World Health Organization.
: ASEAN Plus Three Finance Ministers meet in South Korea to discuss multilateral framework for currency swap issues.
: Finance Ministry announces discovery of counterfeit 500 yen coins sent in mail from China.
: Japan protests activities of research ship to China’s Foreign Ministry.
: Chinese research ship leaves area claimed by Japan as its EEZ.
: Osaka District Court rules prime minister’s visit to Yasukuni Shrine as private in nature.
: Six-party working group meets in Beijing.
: Chinese female trainees of Tokushima gardening company report video cameras in their dormitory; Chinese Foreign Ministry orders consul general in Osaka to interview students and meet with local police.
: Chinese maritime research ship detected operating without prior notification in Japan EEZ; Japan asks Chinese Embassy to end ship’s survey activities
: China’s ambassador for six-party talks, Ning Fukui, visits Japan to coordinate positions in advance of May 12 meeting.
: Dalien Court sentences Japanese national, arrested in October 2003 and charged with intent to smuggle approximately 1kg of amphetamines from China to Japan, to indefinite confinement.
: Rightwing Japanese activist rams loudspeaker truck into main gate of Chinese Consulate in Osaka; Chinese Foreign Ministry protests the “unscrupulous” act and expresses strong dissatisfaction with police protection.
: Japan-China meeting on Law of the Sea Convention takes place in Beijing.
: Japan and China reach final agreement on construction of facilities to manage destruction of chemical weapons left in China by the Imperial Army
: Wen Jiabao meets with visiting former PM Hashimoto in the Great Hall of the People.
: Members of LDP and Minshuto establish Association of Members of the Diet to Defend Japan’s Territorial Integrity.
: Fukuoka District Court rules prime minister’s visit to Yasukuni unconstitutional.
: Minister of Land Ishihara Nobuteru urges government to build a lighthouse or heliport in the Senkakus to demonstrate Japanese sovereignty over the islands.
: FM Kawaguchi travels to Beijing, meets with FM Li Zhaozing, Premier Wen Jiabao, and State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan.
: Yamasaki Taku, former vice president of the LDP, and Hirasawa Katsuei, LDP member of the Lower House, travel to Beijing to meet with North Korean officials on abductees issue.
: Security Committee of Lower House passes resolution affirming Japanese sovereignty over Senkakus and requesting government to take all possible measures to protect Japan’s territorial integrity.
: China, citing Vice Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s “tight schedule,” cancels planned signing ceremony for Japan’s yen loans. The loan was signed March 31.
: Niigata District Court rules against government and Japanese company in suit brought by Chinese nationals seeking compensation for wartime forced labor.
: FM Kawaguchi telephones FM Li asking that China prevent a recurrence of the Senkakus landing and protests the burning of the Japanese flag at the Japanese embassy in Beijing.
: Niigata District Court rules against government and Japanese company in suit brought by Chinese nationals seeking compensation for wartime forced labor.
: FM Kawaguchi telephones FM Li asking that China prevent a recurrence of the Senkakus landing and protests the burning of the Japanese flag at the Japanese embassy in Beijing.
: Sapporo District Court rules against Chinese plaintiffs seeking compensation for wartime forced labor.
: Sapporo District Court rules against Chinese plaintiffs seeking compensation for wartime forced labor.
: Seven Chinese activists land on Uotsuri Island in Senkakus and are arrested by Okinawa Prefectural Police. Vice FM Takeuchi calls in China’s ambassador Wu Dawei on March 24 to protest. Activists are deported to China on March 27.
: Chinese activists land on Uotsuri Island in the Senkakus, are arrested and deported.
: Seven Chinese activists land on Uotsuri Island in Senkakus and are arrested by Okinawa Prefectural Police. Vice FM Takeuchi calls in China’s ambassador Wu Dawei on March 24 to protest. Activists are deported to China on March 27.
: FM Kawaguchi announces early April visit to China
: FM Kawaguchi announces early April visit to China
: Japanese immigration authorities deny permission to enter Japan to 150 Chinese students suspected of holding forged papers to study at Japanese-language schools in Tokyo; police suspect owner of school of taking bribes and using school as pretext to find employment for Chinese nationals.
: Japanese immigration authorities deny permission to enter Japan to 150 Chinese students suspected of holding forged papers to study at Japanese-language schools in Tokyo; police suspect owner of school of taking bribes and using school as pretext to find employment for Chinese nationals.
: Matsuyama District Court dismisses suit claiming that Koizumi’s visit to the Yasukuni Shrine in August 2001 violates the constitutional separation of church and state.
: Matsuyama District Court dismisses suit claiming that Koizumi’s visit to the Yasukuni Shrine in August 2001 violates the constitutional separation of church and state.
: Vice FM Dai Bingguo meets with FM Kawaguchi and Vice FM Takeuchi in Tokyo. Subjects for discussion include North Korea and the prime minister’s hoped-for an invitation to make an official visit to China.
: Vice FM Dai Bingguo meets with FM Kawaguchi and Vice FM Takeuchi in Tokyo. Subjects for discussion include North Korea and the prime minister’s hoped-for an invitation to make an official visit to China.
: LDP panel proposes expansion of tour group visas for Chinese visitors to Japan to include provinces of Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shangdon, and Liaoning. At present such visas are only issued to tour groups from Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangdong provinces.
: LDP panel proposes expansion of tour group visas for Chinese visitors to Japan to include provinces of Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shangdon, and Liaoning. At present such visas are only issued to tour groups from Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangdong provinces.
: Liu Hong Cai, deputy director of the CCP’s External Liaison Department, visits Tokyo meets with JDA Director General Ishiba; former PM Nakasone, former LDP VP Yamasaki, President of the Democratic Party of Japan Kan, and Social Democratic Party leader Fukushima.
: Liu Hong Cai, deputy director of the CCP’s External Liaison Department, visits Tokyo meets with JDA Director General Ishiba; former PM Nakasone, former LDP VP Yamasaki, President of the Democratic Party of Japan Kan, and Social Democratic Party leader Fukushima.
: LDP approves ODA reduction for China.
: LDP approves ODA reduction for China.
: Vice FM Takeuchi brands Chinese research activities in Japan’s EEZ as “extremely regrettable.”
: Vice FM Takeuchi brands Chinese research activities in Japan’s EEZ as “extremely regrettable.”
: FM Li addresses Yasukuni in NPC press conference; Koizumi replies March 9.
: FM Li addresses Yasukuni in NPC press conference; Koizumi replies March 9.
: Japanese Foreign Ministry asks Beijing to cease activities of Chinese research ships in Japan EEZ.
: Japanese Foreign Ministry asks Beijing to cease activities of Chinese research ships in Japan EEZ.
: Osaka District Court dismisses a suit seeking compensation brought by 631 petitioners who argue that Koizumi’s visit to the Yasukuni Shrine in August 2001 violates the constitutional separation of church and state.
: Osaka District Court dismisses a suit seeking compensation brought by 631 petitioners who argue that Koizumi’s visit to the Yasukuni Shrine in August 2001 violates the constitutional separation of church and state.
: LDP Policy Research Chairman Nukaga meets with China’s Minister to Japan Cheng Yonghua at LDP headquarters to set up an LDP-Komeito-Chinese Communist Party consultative committee to exchange views on history and economic relations.
: LDP Policy Research Chairman Nukaga meets with China’s Minister to Japan Cheng Yonghua at LDP headquarters to set up an LDP-Komeito-Chinese Communist Party consultative committee to exchange views on history and economic relations.
: Senior Vice FM Aisawa Ichiro, at invitation of China’s Academy of Social Science, visits China to attend symposium on China-Japan Economic Relations in the 21st Century; also meets with Vice FM Wang Yi and FM Li.
: Senior Vice FM Aisawa Ichiro, at invitation of China’s Academy of Social Science, visits China to attend symposium on China-Japan Economic Relations in the 21st Century; also meets with Vice FM Wang Yi and FM Li.
: Lower House member Noda Takeshi, chairman of the Japan-China Society, meets in Beijing with China’s VP Zeng.
: Lower House member Noda Takeshi, chairman of the Japan-China Society, meets in Beijing with China’s VP Zeng.
: Chinese ships detected carrying out illegal research activities in Japan’s EEZ.
: Former PM Hata Tsutomu, currently senior advisor to Japan’s Democratic Party, visits China, meets with former FM Tang.
: Chinese ships detected carrying out illegal research activities in Japan’s EEZ.
: Former PM Hata Tsutomu, currently senior advisor to Japan’s Democratic Party, visits China, meets with former FM Tang.
: Ninth Japan-China Security Dialogue held in Tokyo. Foreign Ministry and Defense delegations are led by Japan’s Deputy FM Tanaka Hitoshi and China’s Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi.
: Vice FM Wang travels to Japan to meet with Foreign Ministry Asia Director General Yabunaka to coordinate on upcoming six-party talks; meets with FM Kawaguchi on Feb. 11 and with LDP Secretary General Abe and Chief Cabinet Secretary Fukuda on Feb. 12.
: Kanzaki Takenori leads New Komeito Party delegation to China, meets with President Hu Jintao, former FM Tang, and other Chinese leaders.
: Ninth Japan-China Security Dialogue held in Tokyo. Foreign Ministry and Defense delegations are led by Japan’s Deputy FM Tanaka Hitoshi and China’s Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi.
: Vice FM Wang travels to Japan to meet with Foreign Ministry Asia Director General Yabunaka to coordinate on upcoming six-party talks; meets with FM Kawaguchi on Feb. 11 and with LDP Secretary General Abe and Chief Cabinet Secretary Fukuda on Feb. 12.
: Kanzaki Takenori leads New Komeito Party delegation to China, meets with President Hu Jintao, former FM Tang, and other Chinese leaders.
: Kono Yohei, former LDP secretary general and former foreign minister, currently speaker of the House of Representatives and chairman of the LDP’s Asia-Africa Research Group, meets in Tokyo with China’s ambassador Wu Dawei.
: Tokyo High Court rejects appeal from seven Taiwanese for official apology and ¥70 million compensation for being forced to serve as comfort women for the Imperial Japanese Army.
: Kono Yohei, former LDP secretary general and former foreign minister, currently speaker of the House of Representatives and chairman of the LDP’s Asia-Africa Research Group, meets in Tokyo with China’s ambassador Wu Dawei.
: Tokyo High Court rejects appeal from seven Taiwanese for official apology and ¥70 million compensation for being forced to serve as comfort women for the Imperial Japanese Army.
: Former FM Komura Masahiko becomes chairman of Diet’s Japan-China Friendship League.
: Former FM Komura Masahiko becomes chairman of Diet’s Japan-China Friendship League.
: China’s VP Zeng Qinghong meets with former PM Murayama Tomiichi, currently honorary advisor to the Japan-China Friendship Association and Hirayama Ikuo, chairman of the association.
: Japanese Foreign Ministry announces that, beginning April 1, visas will no longer be required of short-term visitors from Hong Kong.
: China’s VP Zeng Qinghong meets with former PM Murayama Tomiichi, currently honorary advisor to the Japan-China Friendship Association and Hirayama Ikuo, chairman of the association.
: Japanese Foreign Ministry announces that, beginning April 1, visas will no longer be required of short-term visitors from Hong Kong.
: Former PM Nakasone meets President Hu Jintao in the Great Hall of the People.
: Chinese activists attempt to land on disputed Senkaku (Daioyutai) Islands and are turned back by Japanese Coast Guard ships.
: Former PM Nakasone meets President Hu Jintao in the Great Hall of the People.
: Chinese activists attempt to land on disputed Senkaku (Daioyutai) Islands and are turned back by Japanese Coast Guard ships.
: Japan, China, South Korea meet in Bangkok at ASEAN-plus-Three conference on terrorism and crime prevention.
: LDP Policy Research Chief Nukaga and New Komeito policy chief Kitagawa visit China, meet with former FM Tang, Vice President Zeng Qinghong, and Vice FM Wang Yi.
: Japan, China, South Korea meet in Bangkok at ASEAN-plus-Three conference on terrorism and crime prevention.
: LDP Policy Research Chief Nukaga and New Komeito policy chief Kitagawa visit China, meet with former FM Tang, Vice President Zeng Qinghong, and Vice FM Wang Yi.
: Japan-China vice ministerial defense dialogue resumes in Beijing after three-year hiatus; Vice Minister of Defense Moriya Takemasa meets with Defense Minister Cao Guangchuan and PLA Deputy Chief of Staff Xiong Guangkai.
: Japan-China vice ministerial defense dialogue resumes in Beijing after three-year hiatus; Vice Minister of Defense Moriya Takemasa meets with Defense Minister Cao Guangchuan and PLA Deputy Chief of Staff Xiong Guangkai.
: Fukuoka police serve arrest warrant on Chinese student Wei Wei in connection with June 2003 murder of Fukuoka family.
: Fukuoka police serve arrest warrant on Chinese student Wei Wei in connection with June 2003 murder of Fukuoka family.
: Senior Vice FM Aisawa Ichiro visits China, meets with Vice FM Dai Bingguo, Vice FM Wang Yi, and State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan.
: Senior Vice FM Aisawa Ichiro visits China, meets with Vice FM Dai Bingguo, Vice FM Wang Yi, and State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan.
: Prime Minister Koizumi visits Yasukuni Shrine; Vice Foreign Minister Yang calls in Japanese ambassador to protest.
: Chinese officials begin to disperse ¥300 million compensation from Japan for August poison gas incident in Qiqihar.
: Prime Minister Koizumi visits Yasukuni Shrine; Vice Foreign Minister Yang calls in Japanese ambassador to protest.
: Chinese officials begin to disperse ¥300 million compensation from Japan for August poison gas incident in Qiqihar.
: China protests Mori visit to Taiwan.
: Former Japanese PM Mori Yoshiro visits Taiwan; meets with President Chen Shui-bian and former President Lee Teng-hui.
: Nippon Steel joins Baoshan Iron and Steel and Arcelor S.A. of Luxembourg to set up a joint venture in Shanghai to produce high quality sheet steel.
: Democratic Party of Japan Secretary Okada Tetsuya leads party delegation to Beijing; meets with CCP and government officials.
: Xinhua posts pictures of Japanese involved in planning of Zhuhai orgy.
: Bank of Japan office opens in Beijing.
: The Bank of Japan announces the opening of a Beijing office, the seventh overseas office, established since the opening of the Washington office in March 1991.
: Zhuhai Intermediate Court hears case relating to Zhuhai sex scandal; fourteen Chinese citizens sentenced.
: Koizumi government announces Cabinet decision to deploy Self-Defense Forces to Iraq; China expresses concerns.
: Previously classified Foreign Ministry documents submitted by Chinese plaintiffs to Fukuoka District Court in suit against government involving compensation for wartime forced labor.
: Japan defeats China in the opening day soccer match of the East Asian Football Championship in Tokyo.
: First meeting of Japan-China Friendship Commission held in Dalian.
: Beijing protests Japanese plans to celebrate the emperor’s birthday at Japan’s unofficial Interchange Association on Taiwan scheduled for Dec. 12. The Foreign Ministry argued that private organizations should not hold celebrations usually conducted by embassies. Over 600 of Taiwan’s leading political and business leaders, including cabinet officials are expected to attend.
: Japan’s Tore announces plans to transfer elements of its research facilities to China as part of its overall strategy to expand its presence in the China market.
: Japan’s Democratic Party announces that Secretary General Okada Tetsuya will lead a parliamentary delegation to Beijing Dec. 23-26.
: Mizuho Bank President Saito Hiroshi announces plans for a significant expansion of banking operations in China, seeking to double the number of Mizuho branches there. Mizuho is already operating in Shanghai, Dalian, Beijing, and Shenzhen. Future activities are focused in Taijin, Guangzhou, Wuxi, Qingdao, and Chongqing.
: Hitachi Home and Life Solutions announces it will purchase Chinese-manufactured refrigerators for sale in Japan under the Hitachi brand name.
: Foreign Ministry Director General for Asia and Oceanic Affairs Yabunaka Mitoji travels to Beijing to meet with Chinese counterpart Fu Ying on North Korea-related issues.
: Japan’s Sumo Association announces plans for June 2004 goodwill visit and exhibitions in Beijing and Shanghai.
: Toyota President Nakamura Kotsuki announces that the Toyota joint venture with China’s FAW is aiming to produce 620,000 automobiles in China by 2007, a doubling of 2003 production.
: Keidanren Chairman Okuda Hiroshi leads Japanese delegation to China to lobby for China’s adoption of Shinkansen technology in the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway to be built for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The delegation met with Premier Wen Jiabao in the Great Hall of the People.
: Chinese authorities release Chinese resident of Japan, Luo Rong (Kaneko Yoko) detained in May 2002 for Falun Gong activities.
: Nissan and its Chinese joint venture partner Dong Fang announce plans to produce medium and heavy trucks in China.
: Japan announces intention to sign ASEAN Treaty of Amity and Cooperation, signed by China during ASEAN Plus Three Bali Summit.
: Presidents of 16 Japanese, Chinese, and Korean electronic and software companies meet in Osaka to discuss cooperation in the development of a common operating system for computer and family electronic products.
: JMSDF P-3C finds Chinese Ming-class attack submarine on surface in international waters off the coast Satamisaki.
: China’s Vice Foreign Minister Dai Bingguo begins five-day visit to Japan for consultations on North Korea; meets with Vice Minister Takeuchi Yukio, former LDP Secretary General Nonaka Hiromu; FM Kawaguchi, PM Koizumi, and LDP Secretary General Abe Shinzo.
: Mitsubishi Rayon announces plans for a new plant in Guangzhou and its intention to join Royal Dutch Shell in the first petroleum-chemical combine in China.
: Japanese citizenship established, female asylum seeker in Shenyang Consulate is repatriated to Japan.
: Japanese and Chinese business leaders meet in Osaka to discuss bilateral and Asian economic issues.
: Fujistsu announces opening of a chip design center in Shanghai.
: Chinese Foreign Ministry calls in Japanese Minister on Xian Northwest China University incident.
: Tibet’s Dalai Lama arrives in Japan at the invitation of a supra-party parliamentary league; China protests visit as aimed “at splitting China.”
: Japanese students involved in performance are expelled from Xian Northwest China University.
: Japanese students performance at Xian Northwest China University sets off Chinese protests.
: Bilateral agreement on crested ibis conservation program is announced.
: Bank of Japan Gov. Fukui meets with Chinese counterpart in Beijing.
: Working-level discussions on energy cooperation held in Beijing.
: Japanese male citizen and woman claiming to be his sister seek asylum in Japanese Consulate General in Shenyang. Consultations between Tokyo and Beijing initiated.
: China’s Ambassador Wu Dawei to Japan calls on Finance Minister Tanigaki to request continuation of Japan’s ODA program for China.
: PM Koizumi meets with President Hu during APEC meeting in Bangkok.
: Settlement is made on Qiqihar incident.
: Suntory announces construction of a second soft-drink plant in Shanghai to be completed by 2005.
: Japanese Foreign Ministry officials travel to Beijing to discuss Qiqihar compensation.
: The official China Daily reports that Minolta will transfer all digital camera production to China.
: Itochu Shoji, together with Chinese joint venture partner Ting Hsin, announce that Family Mart convenience store will open its first store in Shanghai by the end of 2003. Family Mart rival Lawson’s, which opened in Shanghai in 1996, had 129 stores in operation as of Sept. 30. Seven-Eleven is planning to open its first store in Beijing.
: Boats carrying Chinese activists enter Japanese territorial waters and approach Senkaku Islands.
: Shenyang authorities arrest Chinese citizens involved in kidnapping former Japanese businessman.
: Japan-China-ROK working level discussions on North Korea at director- general level during ASEAN Plus Three meeting in Bali.
: PM Koizumi meets Premier Wen Jiabao at ASEAN Plus Three in Bali; Japan, China, and South Korea issue Joint Declaration on the Promotion of Tripartite Cooperation.
: Affidavit filed on Chinese students involved in June 20 Fukuoka murders.
: Lawyers for Chinese injured in August Qiqihar poison gas incident petition PM Koizumi for compensation and apology; China’s foreign minister calls in Japanese ambassador to protest lack of resolution of Qiqihar claims.
: Chinese plaintiffs meet with FM Kawaguchi and ask that government not to appeal decision.
: Tokyo District Court rules in favor of Chinese seeking compensation for exposure to poison gas incidents in 1972, 1982, 1995.
: Tokyo district court awards ¥190 million in compensation to group of Chinese claiming injury from chemical weapons abandoned in China by the Imperial Army at the end of World War II.
: 400 Japanese reported to have participated in two-day orgy with Chinese prostitutes in city of Zhuhai.
: JAL and ANA announce post-SARS increase in weekly flights to China.
: Minister for Reform suggests that China’s lack of appreciation for Japan’s ODA efforts is cause for reconsideration of China ODA program.
: Wu Bangguo travels to Japan, meets with PM Koizumi and leaders of Japan’s opposition parties.
: APEC finance ministers meet in Phuket, Thailand. Finance Minister Shiokawa is unable to attend and replaced by Vice Minister for International Affairs Mizoguchi Zenbe.
: Ishiba meets with China’s Minister of Defense Cao Gangchuan.
: Japanese Foreign Ministry officials travel to Beijing to resolve chemical weapons issue.
: PLA officer enrolls in Japan’s National Institute for Defense Studies.
: Japan’s Defense Minister Ishiba Shigeru visits China.
: North Koreans detained in Shanghai on Aug. 11 deported from China.
: Former LDP Secretaries General Nonaka and Koga meet with State Councilor (and former foreign minister) Tang Jiaxuan to discuss upcoming six-party talks in Beijing and to ask China’s help in resolving the abductee issue. Tang also used the occasion to convey China’s indignation over the poison gas incident in Heilongjiang.
: Japan expresses condolences on death of construction worker.
: Chinese victim of chemical weapons exposure dies.
: Sankei Shimbun reports that China has inquired about PLA officer attending classes at Japan’s National Institute for Defense Studies.
: Five members of Koizumi Cabinet visit Yasukuni Shrine.
: FM Li meets with secretaries general of three ruling parties.
: FM Li meets with PM Koizumi.
: Japanese NGO reports arrest in Shanghai of Japanese national working to support North Korean refugees planning to seek asylum in Japanese Consulate.
: Fukuda meets with Premier Wen.
: China’s FM Li meets with FM Kawaguchi in Japan.
: Japan dispatches survey team to Qiqichar chemical weapons site.
: Chief Cabinet Secretary Fukuda meets President Hu Jintao in Beijing.
: Fukuda meets with Wu Bangguo.
: China requests Japan to take appropriate actions to deal with chemical weapons injuries.
: ASEAN Plus Three finance ministers meet in Manila, Philippines.
: Japan’s minister of transportation travels to China to plug shinkansen technology.
: Thirty-six workers injured at construction site in Qiqichar, Heilongjiang Province as a result of chemical weapons abandoned in China by the Imperial Army.
: Premier Wen Jiabao meets with Japanese parliamentary delegation of the Japan-China Friendship League in the Great Hall of the People. Discussion focuses on North Korea.
: Japanese and Chinese economic ministers meet in Dalian, China to discuss trade-related matters in the context of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM).
: China’s Foreign Ministry “corrects” Eto’s statement.
: LDP faction leader Eto Takemi denies Nanjing massacre.
: Wu Bangguo, chairman of the National People’s Congress, meets delegation from the Japan-China Friendship Association.
: Japanese and Chinese finance ministers meet at Bali, Indonesia to discuss formation of an Asia regional bond market.
: Japanese Coast Guard escorts 13 Chinese protesters from Senkaku Islands’ waters.
: FM Kawaguchi and Li meet at ASEAN Plus Three meeting in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
: China announces support for Japanese and South Korean participation in multilateral talks with North Korea.
: China announces antidumping case against Japan, U.S., ROK over chemicals used to produce polyurethane.
: MFA cancels travel warning for all areas of China except Beijing and Guangdong.
: Upper House of Japan’s Diet passes emergency legislation.
: China announces antidumping case against Japan and four other countries over import price of raw materials used in making of nylon.
: PM Koizumi meets with President Hu in St. Petersburg, Russia.
: Matsushita announces closing of two plants in China as result of SARS.
: Secretaries general of Japan’s three ruling parties meet with President Hu.
: Lower House of Japan’s Diet passes emergency legislation.
: Ministry of Health announces additional relief package for China.
: China’s Vice FM Wang Yi travels to Tokyo to brief Japan on U.S.-North Korea-China talks.
: MFA announces that Japan will send four-man Disaster Relief Team to China. They arrive May 11.
: Ministry of Health sends additional SARS assistance to China.
: PM Koizumi instructs Health Minister Sakaguchi to establish SARS-prevention system in Japan.
: Japanese government meets to develop anti-SARS strategy.
: Japan Socialist Party Chairperson Doi Takako meets with President Hu and former FM Tang.
: Aso Taro, head of the LDP’s policy board, in Taipei recommends Japanese-Taiwanese discussion of security issues.
: ASEAN-China emergency summit on SARS in Bangkok.
: ASEAN Plus Three meet in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on SARS.
: Japanese government announces anti-SARS assistance, sending surgical masks, protective clothing, for China.
: Japan’s Trade Ministry announces trade statistics for 2002; imports from China exceed imports from the U.S. for the first time.
: Ministry of Foreign Affairs extends SARS travel warning to Inner Mongolia.
: Kan meets with China’s President Hu Jintao.
: Kan Naoto, president of Japan Democratic Party, meets with Wang Jiarui, chief of the Chinese Communist Party’s External Liaison Department.
: FM Kawaguchi meets with Premier Wen Jiabao.
: FM Kawaguchi meets with former FM Tang Jiaxuan.
: Foreign Minister Kawaguchi Yoriko meets with Chinese counterpart FM Li Zhaozing.
: Ministry of Foreign Affairs issues SARS travel warning for China, Macau, Taiwan.
: Mainichi Shimbun reports the Dalai Lama will visit Japan in November 2003, at the invitation of the Diet bipartisan group “League to Consider the Tibet Issue.”
: Mainichi Shimbun reports the Dalai Lama will visit Japan in November 2003, at the invitation of the Diet bipartisan group “League to Consider the Tibet Issue.”
: Mainichi Shimbun reports Foreign Minister Kawaguchi will visit China, April 6-8.
: Mainichi Shimbun reports Foreign Minister Kawaguchi will visit China, April 6-8.
: Japan’s Trade Ministry announces that exports to China surged 66.6 percent in February.
: Japan’s Trade Ministry announces that exports to China surged 66.6 percent in February.
: North Korean refugees leave Japanese Embassy in Beijing and, after passing through Singapore, enter the Republic of Korea.
: North Korean refugees leave Japanese Embassy in Beijing and, after passing through Singapore, enter the Republic of Korea.
: Chinese Ambassador Wu calls on Chief Cabinet Secretary Fukuda Yasuo to discuss high-level political relations.
: Japan announces 25 percent reduction in Overseas Development Assistance for China.
: Chinese Ambassador Wu calls on Chief Cabinet Secretary Fukuda Yasuo to discuss high-level political relations.
: Japan announces 25 percent reduction in Overseas Development Assistance for China.
: Tokyo District Court dismisses compensation lawsuit for wartime forced labor filed by Chinese nationals.
: Tokyo District Court dismisses compensation lawsuit for wartime forced labor filed by Chinese nationals.
: Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan addresses China-Japan relations during China’s National People’s Congress.
: China’s Finance Minister Xiang Huaicheng announces sharp decline in China’s military spending for FY 2003.
: Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan addresses China-Japan relations during China’s National People’s Congress.
: China’s Finance Minister Xiang Huaicheng announces sharp decline in China’s military spending for FY 2003.
: Japanese Ambassador Anami Koreshige meets with Liberal Democratic Party’s Foreign Affairs Joint Committee to discuss China and North Korea issues.
: Japanese Ambassador Anami Koreshige meets with Liberal Democratic Party’s Foreign Affairs Joint Committee to discuss China and North Korea issues.
: Former Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto visits China and meets with PLA Deputy Chief of Staff Xiong Guankai, Defense Minister Chi Haotian, and Vice Premier Qian Qichen.
: Former Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto visits China and meets with PLA Deputy Chief of Staff Xiong Guankai, Defense Minister Chi Haotian, and Vice Premier Qian Qichen.
: Japanese national and daughter flee from North Korea into China and are taken into custody by Japanese Embassy.
: Japanese national and daughter flee from North Korea into China and are taken into custody by Japanese Embassy.
: Chinese Ambassador Wu addresses Japan-China relations in a speech in Tokyo.
: Asahi Shimbun reports on essay by China’s Ma Lisheng calling for new thinking on Japan and history.
: Chinese Ambassador Wu addresses Japan-China relations in a speech in Tokyo.
: Asahi Shimbun reports on essay by China’s Ma Lisheng calling for new thinking on Japan and history.
: Four North Korean nationals enter Japanese school in Beijing and are taken into custody by Japanese diplomats.
: Four North Korean nationals enter Japanese school in Beijing and are taken into custody by Japanese diplomats.
: Japanese national Hirashima Fudako, a refugee from North Korea, returns to Japan.
: Prime Minister Koizumi tells Diet of his intention to continue to visit Yasukuni Shrine.
: Japanese national Hirashima Fudako, a refugee from North Korea, returns to Japan.
: Prime Minister Koizumi tells Diet of his intention to continue to visit Yasukuni Shrine.
: DG Yabunaka visits Beijing, meets with Vice Foreign Minister Wang and Asian Director General Fu Ying to discuss Yasukuni, Senkakus, refugees, and North Korean issues.
: DG Yabunaka visits Beijing, meets with Vice Foreign Minister Wang and Asian Director General Fu Ying to discuss Yasukuni, Senkakus, refugees, and North Korean issues.
: Japan’s Trade Ministry releases 2002 trade statistics, which show that for the first time Japan’s imports from China surpassed imports from the U.S.
: Foreign Ministry Director General for Asian and Oceanic Affairs Yabunaka Mitoji informs Diet that Foreign Ministry is working with China to deal with North Korean refugee issues.
: Japan’s Trade Ministry releases 2002 trade statistics, which show that for the first time Japan’s imports from China surpassed imports from the U.S.
: Foreign Ministry Director General for Asian and Oceanic Affairs Yabunaka Mitoji informs Diet that Foreign Ministry is working with China to deal with North Korean refugee issues.
: Foreign Minister Kawaguchi Yoriko tells reporters that a special emissary to China is under consideration to deal with the Yasukuni issue.
: Foreign Minister Kawaguchi Yoriko tells reporters that a special emissary to China is under consideration to deal with the Yasukuni issue.
: China’s Vice Foreign Minster Wang protests the Yasukuni visit to the Japanese ambassador.
: China’s Ambassador Wu calls on Vice Minister Takeuchi to protest.
: China’s Vice Foreign Minster Wang protests the Yasukuni visit to the Japanese ambassador.
: China’s Ambassador Wu calls on Vice Minister Takeuchi to protest.
: China’s Ambassador Wu Dawei calls on Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Takeuchi Yukio to protest Senkaku activities.
Jan. 14, 2003: Prime Minister Koizumi Junichiro visits Yasukuni Shrine.
: China’s Ambassador Wu Dawei calls on Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Takeuchi Yukio to protest Senkaku activities.
Jan. 14, 2003: Prime Minister Koizumi Junichiro visits Yasukuni Shrine.
: China’s Vice Foreign Minister Wang Yi calls in the Japanese ambassador to protest Japan’s leasing of privately held islands in the Senkaku/Daoyutai island chain.
: China’s Vice Foreign Minister Wang Yi calls in the Japanese ambassador to protest Japan’s leasing of privately held islands in the Senkaku/Daoyutai island chain.
: China issues 2002 defense white paper.
: Japanese Foreign Minister Kawaguchi Yoriko telephones Chinese FM Tang Jiaxuan to ask China’s help with North Korea nuclear program.
: FM Kawaguchi, during a telephone conversation with her Chinese counterpart, asks China to urge North Korea to immediately give up it nuclear weapons program.
: Prime Minister’s Advisory Task Force on Japan’s Foreign Relations issues report on Japan’s diplomatic strategy for the 21st century. China cited as top priority.
: Chinese and Japanese officials meet in Beijing to discuss China’s claims for compensation resulting from recovery of North Korean spy ship as well as Japanese protests of recent Chinese violations of Japan’s EEZ.
: Politburo’s Standing Committee member Zeng Qinghong meets with chairman of the Japan-China Friendship Association, Tokyo University Professor Hirayama Ikuo, in the Great Hall of the People. Zeng emphasizes China’s new leadership attaches great importance to relations with Japan.
: China applies formal safeguards on five categories of steel imported from Japan, lasting until May 2005.
: Japanese Foreign Ministry announces voluntary return (on Nov. 13) of Japanese military attaché from China.
: Former President Lee withdraws visa application.
: Former Taiwan President Lee Teng-hui applies for visa to visit Japan.
: PM Koizumi, Zhu Rongi, President Kim Dae-jung meet during ASEAN Plus Three meeting in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Discussions focus on North Korea and Zhu’s proposal for a China, Japan, South Korea Free Trade Agreement.
: Nihon Keizai Shimbun releases results of a Survey of Japanese Industry Strategy Toward China and Asia, results indicate expectations for a 45-50 percent increase in sales volume in China by the year 2005.
: Prime Minister Koizumi and PRC President Jiang Zemin meet at APEC Leaders’ meeting in Los Cabos, Mexico.
: Japanese military attaché apprehended by Chinese police in “off-limits area” near Chinese naval base.
: Advisory panel to Chief Cabinet Secretary Fukuda releases interim report on free trade agreements (FTAs) recommending that Japan conclude as many bilateral FTAs as possible by 2006.
: Chief Cabinet Secretary Fukuda Yasuo explains in Asahi Shimbun interview that Diet issues and the compilation of the FY 2003 budget make it difficult for the prime minister to visit China before the end of the year.
: Asahi released the results of poll conducted in China and Japan: 45 percent of Japanese respondents and 50 percent of Chinese respondents think Japan-China relationship is “not going well”.
: PM Koizumi meets Zhu Rongji at Asia-Europe meeting in Copenhagen.
: Ceremonies marking 30th anniversary of normalization take place in Beijing.
: Yomiuri Shimbun releases results of national public opinion survey conducted Aug. 24-25; survey shows declining trust in China among Japanese respondents.
: “Mystery ship” sunk by Japan on Dec. 22, 2001 is raised with China’s understanding.
: FM Kawaguchi visits China; meets with President Jiang, Vice Premier Qian Qichen, and FM Tang.
: Revised Food Sanitation Law comes into force, allowing government to ban imports of foods from countries with health or sanitary-related problems.
: Tokyo District Court acknowledges for the first time that Japan’s Unit 731 engaged in biological warfare in China during World War II, but dismisses claims for compensation for lack of standing.
: Five members of the Koizumi Cabinet visit Yasukuni Shrine in their individual capacities; visits draw criticism from Beijing.
: PM Koizumi Junichiro decides against attending 30th anniversary ceremonies in Beijing.
: Japanese Foreign Minister Kawaguchi Yoriko and Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan meet in Brunei at the ASEAN Regional Forum.
: Prime minister’s advisory panel releases report on development assistance. The report, while recommending that appropriate assistance to China should continue, calls for further discussion and review of the program.
: Asahi Shimbun lead story on health problems stemming from imported Chinese dietary supplements.
: Japan’s Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry announces pesticide residue on vegetable imports from China; asks industry to restrict imports.
: Hiroshima District Court dismisses wartime forced labor compensation suit of Chinese plaintiffs against Nishimatsu Construction Company.
: Former Japanese Prime Minister Mori Yoshiro travels to China.
: Mystery ship salvage operations begin.
: Salvage ship Shinyo Maru leaves Kagoshima for salvage site.
: Japanese Embassy officials in Seoul interview Shenyang asylum-seekers.
: Koizumi government gives final go-ahead for raising mystery ship.
: Working-level consultations in Beijing reported to reach agreement on terms and conditions of raising mystery ship.
: Foreign Ministers Kawaguchi and Tang meet in Thailand to discuss Shenyang incident and finalize agreement on raising mystery ship.
: Japanese and Chinese officials meet in Beijing to discuss China’s imposition of safeguards on imported steel.
: China’s Vice Premier Wen Jiabao meets with visiting New Conservative Party leader Noda Takeshi. Wen tells Noda that the mystery ship issue would be resolved from the broader perspective of China-Japan relations.
: Chief Cabinet Secretary Fukuda Yasuo takes up theoretical possibility of Japan possessing nuclear weapons under the existing constitution. Koizumi, in Seoul for the opening of the World Cup, makes clear that his government has no intention of revising Japan’s three nonnuclear principles. That evening Fukuda issues a similar statement.
: China announces increase of tariff on imported steel, setting off protests among Japanese steelmakers.
: Japanese Coast Guard announces intent to begin mystery ship salvage operation in June.
: On the afternoon of May 8, North Korean asylum-seekers attempting to enter Japan’s consulate in Shenyang, are forcibly taken from consulate grounds by Chinese police setting off a two-week diplomatic stand-off. North Koreans leave China for Manila and ultimately Seoul May 22.
: President Jiang Zemin tells visiting New Komeito delegation, led by Kanzaki Takenori, that Koizumi’s Yasukuni visit is “absolutely unacceptable.”
May 1, 2002: Undersea divers begin survey of mystery ship.
: Zeng Qinghong, director of the Chinese Communist Party’s Organization Department and confidant of Jiang Zemin, arrives in Oita Prefecture accompanied by Provincial Party Secretaries Li Jiangquo and Meng Jianzhu.
: Koizumi visits Yasukuni Shrine, again raising history-related issues. China cancels April 27-30 visit of JDA head Nakatani Gen and scheduled May port call in Tokyo by PLA Navy.
: Working-level consultations in Beijing over raising of mystery ship.
: Koga Makoto, chairman of the Association of Bereaved Families, meets in Beijing with China’s Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan to discuss issues related to the Yasukuni Shrine.
: Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi Junichiro travels to China to address Boao Asia Forum on Hainan Island and meets with Premier Zhu Rongji.
: Liberal Party leader Ozawa Ichiro, speaking in Fukuoka, warns Beijing that China could drive Japan to possess nuclear weapons.
: Li Peng, chairman of China’s National People’s Congress, visits Japan.
: Trade ministers meet in Beijing and reach agreement on resolution of trade dispute.
: Trade talks resume in Tokyo at vice minister level.
: Trade ministers meet in Beijing but fail to resolve issues.
: Japan Defense Agency Director General Nakatani Gen and Chinese Ambassador Wu Dawei agree to exchange warship visits.
: Diplomatic consultations in Beijing on bilateral issues and Japan’s response to the war on terrorism.
: Jin Xide, director of the Japan Office in the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, addressed issues regarding Japan’s special anti-terrorism legislation, which, he observed, “signifies a major change in Japan’s postwar foreign security strategy.”
: Koizumi meets with Jiang and ROK President Kim Dae-jung at ASEAN Plus Three in Brunei.
: Working-level trade talks in Beijing fail to resolve trade dispute.
: A Nihon Keizai Shimbun editorial titled “Japan Should Change its Thinking about ODA to China,” bemoans the lack of mutual understanding and trust in Japan’s relations with China and argues Japan’s efforts to work with the Chinese Communist Party and the government alone have proven to be “absolutely insufficient to fill up this gulf.”
: Koizumi meets with Jiang at APEC Leaders’ Meeting in Shanghai. Trade ministers also discuss bilateral trade dispute.
: Prime Minister Koizumi visits Beijing and meets with PRC President Jiang Zemin and Premier Zhu Rongji to discuss Yasukuni visit, bilateral relations, and Japan’s response to the war on terrorism.
: Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi Junichiro announces he is prepared to travel to Beijing in advance of the APEC Leaders’ Meeting.
: China commemorates 70th anniversary of the Mukden Incident. Foreign Ministry spokesperson urges Japan to draw “profound lessons” from its past and “go down the road of peaceful development.”
: WTO working group in Geneva clears Taiwan for membership as customs territory; formal approval to take place in November at trade ministers’ meeting in Doha, Qatar.
: WTO working group in Geneva accepts China’s accession protocol; formal approval to take place in November at trade ministers meeting in Doha, Qatar.
: Jiang Zemin meets with visiting Japanese parliamentarians and expresses his lack of understanding of the Yasukuni visit.
: Vice Foreign Minister Wang Yi expresses Chinese hopes to restore relations with Japan, but leaves it to Tokyo to decide how to do this.
: China commemorates 56th anniversary of the victory of the War of Resistance against Japan.
: Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan tells the Asahi Shimbun that there is no change in China’s policy of placing great importance on relations with Japan.
: Hayashi Yoshiro, chairman of the Japan-China Parliamentarians Friendship League, announces plans for mid-September visit to China.
: Japan-China New Century Association meets with Li Peng, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, in Beijing.
: School districts overwhelmingly do not adopt “New History” textbook.
: Koizumi visits the Yasukuni Shrine and issues statement of regret.
: Koizumi meets with secretaries general of ruling coalition in preparation for final decision on Yasukuni visit.
: Koizumi government announces intention to revise National Defense Program Outline.
: Former LDP Secretary General Nonaka Hiromu visits China at invitation of Chinese leadership; Yasukuni is central issue of discussion.
: Foreign Ministers Tanaka and Tang meet in Hanoi prior to the ARF meeting; Tang requests cancellation of shrine visit.
: Chinese research ships found operating in Japan’s EEZ in contravention of protocols of Mutual Notification Agreement.
: Minister of Finance Shiokawa questions whether Japan should provide ODA to countries with nuclear weapons and missiles capable of striking Japan; later explains he did not mean “China” specifically.
: Secretaries general of the ruling coalition travel to South Korea and China to discuss textbooks and Yasukuni visit.
: Japan issues “Defense of Japan 2001.”
: Trade negotiators meet in Beijing to discuss Japan’s safeguards and China’s special import duties.
: Chinese analyst Zhu Haiyan argues that PM Abe has used UN peacekeeping operations to demonstrate both Japan’s capabilities and its will to use them, promote a positive image, and accustom the world to Japan’s resuming the use of force.