Japan's new foreign minister dampens hopes for improved ties with China

Diplomatic dialogue with China is like talking to a wall.

Good god, a Japanese politician who recognises reality, unbelievable! Diplomacy and negotiation with China from the Chinese point of view consists of you just saying yes!

Following Kamikawa's appointment, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told reporters in Beijing that the two nations should "manage and control differences," emphasizing the importance of enhancing "dialogue and communication."

But Kamikawa lambasted China's increasing military assertiveness in the Asia-Pacific region at her first Group of Seven foreign ministerial meeting Monday on the sidelines of the annual session of the U.N. General Assembly in New York.

Exactly what Japanese people have expected from her. A good job.

"Replacing him with a fresh face is unlikely to improve bilateral ties" between Japan and China, Kingston said.

"Fresh face" is not the first expression that comes to mind when I think of a "70-year-old veteran lawmaker."

socrateosToday  08:03 am JST

"But Kamikawa lambasted China's increasing military assertiveness in the Asia-Pacific region at her first Group of Seven foreign ministerial meeting Monday on the sidelines of the annual session of the U.N. General Assembly in New York."

Exactly what Japanese people have expected from her.

Which Japanese people, specifically? Do you mean the paranoid xenophobic right-wing types that the LDP want to get votes from?

A good job.

Is it going to do any good though? You think it's going to make any difference to the way China behaves?

Peter NeilToday  07:24 am JST

Diplomatic dialogue with China is like talking to a wall.

Do you think a more hawkish approach will get better results? It never seems to.

China is entirely Right-Wing. It is a threat to peace and stability in the region if not the whole world. The CCP dictatorship replaced "communism" with "nationalism", making them National Socialists. We used to call such regimes Nazis in the 1930s/40s.

Any difficulty in relations with China stems from China's own behavior and agenda. This goes for any country.

Tokyo, by appointing a woman is not going to help the situation with China. This will just irk the Chinese side even more.

Tokyo, by appointing a woman is not going to help the situation with China. This will just irk the Chinese side even more.

It's not Japans problem if the PRC is stuck in the 1950s and cannot handle women in powerful positions.

It amazes me how some people think a soft approach to China will somehow achieve a better outcome or believe we shouldn't upset China for fear of consequences. Time to get real. China is a totalitarian state with stated goals of upending the world order while undertaking a massive military build up and threatening it's neighbors. Add to this it also weaponizes trade, destroys freedom and speech, mistreats minorities and abuses human rights. So good job Yoko Kamikawa. No need to ignore reality and pretend China is some kind of friendly partner when clearly it is not.

geronimo2006Today  11:39 am JST

It amazes me how some people think a soft approach to China will somehow achieve a better outcome or believe we shouldn't upset China for fear of consequences. Time to get real. China is a totalitarian state with stated goals of upending the world order while undertaking a massive military build up and threatening it's neighbors. Add to this it also weaponizes trade, destroys freedom and speech, mistreats minorities and abuses human rights.

So? Except for macho posturing and table-thumping which is really meant to impress domestic voters rather than intimidate the Chinese, what is anyone actually going to do? Don't confuse tough talk for action, which self-serving career LDP parasites have neither the smarts, inclination or guts for.

So good job Yoko Kamikawa.

You could get the same results by standing outside a Chinese embassy all day with a placard, shouting anti-China slogans.

Fighto!

Today 10:31 am JST

It's not Japans problem if the PRC is stuck in the 1950s and cannot handle women in powerful positions.

The problem doesn't come up much in Sino-Japanese relations though, does it. I mean, the LDP doesn't care much for women in powerful positions either...

Look at Kishida's itinerary/diary the last 6 months. He was more a foreign minister than a prime minister. With this reshuffle, he intents to function more as a foreign minister than a prime minister. Over to Japanese voters.

It seem like yesterday was let kick China day. Australia foreign affairs minister also put the boot in warning all Asian countries that China is looking for the simplest excuse to war on Asia.

"I will continue playing a considerable role in summit diplomacy in the future,"

Nothing is more wasteful than several people doing the same job in any organization.

Still, Kishida has to try and justify his high profile trips around the world at tax payer expense.

Japan's new foreign minister dampens hopes for improved ties with China

Japan's new foreign minister STRENGTHENS hopes for standing up to bully china

There. Fixed it for you.

John-SanToday 12:47 pm JST

It seem like yesterday was let kick China day.

Every day should be let's kick china day.

Because every day the chinazis look for ways to bully and antagonize the rest of the world.

Simon FostonToday 09:38 am JST

Peter NeilToday  07:24 am JST

Diplomatic dialogue with China is like talking to a wall.

Do you think a more hawkish approach will get better results? It never seems to.

china is a country that doesn't respect "dialogue" but only seems to respect when one shows strength in standing up to them.

Case in point: The South Korean Coast Guard & Navy will not hesitate to shoot at china-nese fishing boats that fish illegally in Korean waters. As a result, china-nese dare not enter Korean waters.

So yes, the hawkish & porcupine approach ( come near me and you will get cut) does seem to work with this totalitarian, bully of a nation.

Japan should follow the South Korean example.

Many analysts described Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's decision to replace Hayashi, often seen as holding a pro-China stance, with Kamikawa as a "surprise appointment" that would not create a thaw in ties with Beijing.

In other words, SHE has bigger b**ls than him in standing up to china.

She and Tsai Ing Wen should trade notes.

Both have the guts to stand up to china's bullying that their male counterparts ( esp in the West...with the exception of Trump) don't have.

What China is doing is wrong, which is why it is criticized and hated by the world.

Unless China admits its own mistakes, there is no need for Japan to move closer to China.

The correct path for Japan is to consider China risk and shift its national policy away from China.

The dovish members of the Liberal Democratic Party must realize that superficial friendship with China is not worth a single yen.

WesleyToday  04:06 pm JST

Case in point: The South Korean Coast Guard & Navy will not hesitate to shoot at china-nese fishing boats that fish illegally in Korean waters. As a result, china-nese dare not enter Korean waters.

Hm. I'd be a bit more impressed if they were shooting at Chinese warships.

So yes, the hawkish & porcupine approach ( come near me and you will get cut) does seem to work with this totalitarian, bully of a nation.

Japan should follow the South Korean example.

Yes, quite possibly. But Japan won't.

In other words, SHE has bigger b**ls than him in standing up to china.

She and Tsai Ing Wen should trade notes.

Both have the guts to stand up to china's bullying that their male counterparts ( esp in the West...with the exception of Trump) don't have.

Talk is easy and cheap, and this is all just vague posturing. What does "strongly opposed" mean? Doesn't really matter, but probably not a lot. Let's see her threaten China with actual consequences, like the MSDF and Japan Coast Guard opening fire on Chinese ships in Japanese waters.

In Japan, "balanced diplomatic strategy toward China" means kowtowing. So use or read that phrase carefully.