What's the root cause of impeded Sino-Japan relations?

As we look over the centuries-old history of China-Japan relations, we find that in Japan's relations with China, there has never been the notion of "associations based on equality", this makes it seem possible to sum up that as a law of "following the strong and bullying the weak".

When China was strong, Japan was like a modest and courteous advice-seeking student; but when China declined, Japan would usually fight its way on to the Chinese door. Japan, which grew strong after the Meiji reform, embarked on a path of "attaching itself to Western powers and bullying its Asian neighbors".

Lin Yu-tang, once president of P.E.N, published a slew of essays during the 1930s, in which he humorously compared Japan to an upstart who reached the position by relying on speculation. On the one hand, it put on a Western-style suit and squeezed itself into the church of Westerners, where it sat side by side with Britain and America, addressing one another as brothers. On the other hand, it unseemly climbed over walls to obstinately and forcibly occupy the backyard garden and daughter (meaning northeast China) of its old and weak neighbor.

Even after its defeat in WWII, Japan didn't thoroughly reform itself and its foreign policy only changed to "associate with distant powers and guard against neighbors".

The so-called "association with powers" simply means holding tight the big thigh of the United States. It can be said that Japan hardly had an independent foreign policy after the war and Japan-US relations have always been the pivot. Especially after Junichiro Koizumi took office, the country repeatedly intensified its military alliance with the United States, and proceeded to march toward political alliance.

The US encouragement of Japan to develop toward a political and military power is made primarily out of the strategic need to contain China (as well as the DPRK), secondly, it takes Japan as an effective tool for seeking global hegemony--by forcing Japan to contribute money in the Gulf War and both money and troops in the Iraqi War, while Japan could just take the opportunity to search for a position of a political and military power. Japan's contingency bills have actually brought the Taiwan Straits into its so-called "neighboring" area, and allowed the SDF to provide coordination and support for US overseas military operations, which laid hidden perils for interfering in future possible Taiwan conflicts.

It is thus clear that the root cause of impeded Sino-Japan relations actually doesn't lie in Yasukuni Shrine visits, but on the wrong base of Japan's policy toward China. Japan once looked down upon China when the latter was weak; but now as China has developed, it is jealous of and guards against China.

A country's foreign policy is usually a reflection of its history and culture. The vast territory and rich produce have, on the one hand, helped cultivated in the Chinese nation the moral beliefs of being broad-minded, generous and friendly with neighbors; but on the other hand also formed a national character of vanity, complacency and conservativeness.

In foreign relations, these characters are manifested as a tradition of self-satisfaction and treating neighbors with kindness and generosity. China has never pursued a Western-style policy of aggression, occupation and pillage, but satisfied itself with relations of giving more and receiving less. When the Sino-Japan relations were normalized in the 1970s, China took the initiative to give up rights to war indemnity, which can be regarded as a projection of the national character in modern China's diplomacy.

While Japan's national psychology seems to be expressed more in the mindset of "having belief only in the strong while disrespecting the weak". That's why after Japan became an upstart in modern times, it never stooped to associate with poor and weak Asian nations and raised the slogan of "breaking away from Asia and getting itself into Europe", the influence of which remains even up to date.

A recent international survey showed that even today, only 26 percent Japanese acknowledge themselves as Asians. So it's not hard for us to understand Japan's foreign policy of "associating with far-off countries and guard against, or attack those near".

Of course, we should understand Japan's efforts in moving toward a political power in a well-intentioned way. No matter how Koizumi visits the shrine, it is hardly possible for Japan in today's world to revive militarism and retake the road of aggression. On the other hand, the shrine visit and revision of history books demonstrate Japan's disrespect for its Asian neighbors, which can even be regarded as an open contempt for and hurt to the feelings of the various victimized Asian courtiers. If Japan really wants to become a respectful political power and play a leading role in Asia, it should refrain from irrational acts like these.

By People's Daily Online