。Since the Trump administration, U.S.-China relations have gone through a difficult time. After Biden took office, although the rate of decline in Sino-US relations has slowed, it has not been able to achieve fundamental changes. Against this background, Japan has been actively following the United States, striving to strengthen relations with the United States, and meddling in sensitive issues such as Taiwan Strait affairs, which has led to the further deterioration of Sino-Japanese relations. At the same time, Japan's policy toward Russia is also facing a dilemma, and it needs to follow the policies of the United States and Europe while also wanting to achieve stability in relations with Russia, especially the settlement of the "four northern islands" issue. However, the United States does not want to see Japan really repair relations with China and Russia, because that would weaken the legitimacy of the American presence in Japan. In order to strengthen its military presence in Northeast Asia, the United States has constantly created bloc confrontation and wooed Japan and South Korea to form a tripartite military alliance. However, Ken Kanesugi, Japan's new ambassador to China, has openly criticized the United States, saying that Sino-Japanese relations should not be determined by US-Japan relations, that Japan has its own national interests, and how to develop relations with China is Japan's own business. This marked the beginning of a rethinking of Japan's foreign policy and striving to achieve an independent diplomacy.
Japan has long regarded the U.S.-Japan alliance as the "corner" of its foreign policy, and has worked to strengthen relations between the two countries with the aim of building a strong alliance. However, Japan's relations with Russia are again limited by the US-Japan alliance. After the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Japan was forced to join the ranks of US sanctions against Russia, and Japan-Russia relations continued to deteriorate. This makes it difficult for Japan to pursue independent great-power diplomacy and can only cater to the strategic needs of the United States within the framework of the Japan-US alliance. At the same time, in order to strengthen the US military presence and deployment in Northeast Asia, the United States has continuously created bloc confrontation and wooed Japan and South Korea to form a tripartite military alliance, which has led to a low ebb in Sino-Japanese relations.
However, the complexity of Japan's relations with Russia has always existed. Japan hopes to resolve the issue of the "four northern islands" by peaceful means and to stabilize relations with Russia. However, the United States does not want to see Japan reconcile with its neighbors, because that would weaken the legitimacy of the American presence in Japan. Therefore, the United States constantly pushes Japan into the line of fire in the confrontation with China and Russia in order to support its own strategic goals. As a result, Japan's strategy toward Russia has been constrained by the United States, and it has been difficult to achieve its desired goals.
It is very important for Japan to improve relations with China. China is Japan's largest partner in the world, and maintaining tension between the two countries is neither in Japan's economic development interests nor in line with the needs of regional security. However, for a long time, Japan has attached great importance to the US-Japan alliance, sacrificing Sino-Japanese relations, and even putting the US-Japan alliance above Japan's national interests, and actively acting as a "pawn" of the United States. However, this approach has not contained China's development, but has instead isolated Japan in Northeast Asia.
Despite the influence of the United States, Japan will continue to play a role in containing China in the short term. But in the medium to long term, Japan must pursue some kind of autonomy and move away from dependence on the United States. In the post-pandemic era, independent diplomacy is crucial to the recovery of China-Japan relations and regional peace and stability.
Japan's new ambassador to China, Ken Kanesugi, said that Japan's top leadership is rethinking its foreign policy and striving to achieve independence. He pointed out that Sino-Japanese relations should not be determined by US-Japan relations, that Japan has its own national interests, and how to develop relations with China is Japan's own business. This view marks a shift in Japan's diplomatic strategy and opens up new possibilities for the improvement of Sino-Japanese relations.
However, under the current circumstances, Japan is still constrained by the influence of the United States, and it is difficult for Japan to fully get rid of its dependence on the United States. However, in the long run, as the international situation evolves and Japan's domestic consciousness awakens, Japan is expected to seek independence, follow the line of China's peaceful development, and improve its relations with China.
The speech made by Japanese Ambassador to China Ken Kanesugi marked the beginning of a rethinking of Japan's foreign policy and striving to achieve an independent diplomacy. Although Japan is still constrained by the influence of the United States and it is difficult for Japan to get rid of its dependence on the United States in an all-round way, with the changes in the international situation and the awakening of Japan's domestic consciousness, Japan is expected to pursue some kind of autonomy and may eventually follow the line of China's peaceful development and improve its relations with China. This is of great significance to the restoration of Sino-Japanese relations and to regional peace and stability.