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Japanese firms want Abe to cool it on China

39 Comments
By Izumi Nakagawa

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39 Comments
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Well...China is now "China" because these companies are greedy for cheap Chinese labors and centralized their factories in one country. If they diversified in different Asian countries, they wouldn't have to worry about how Japan behaves with China. They should already start moving out of China to Philippines, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Thailand etc.

1 ( +12 / -11 )

I've been saying this all along. The success of Abenomics and Japan's economic recovery in general relies heavily on increasing exports and globalizing corporations. China is Japan's largest export market, so by taking such a hard-line stance against Chins Abe has cemented his own doom and the total failure of Abenomics. おつかれさま fool!

7 ( +16 / -9 )

Tit for tat: companies raise wages as Abe wants, and Abe cools it on China like companies want

7 ( +7 / -0 )

It’s about time for Abe to take a reality check. I think he may get the point.

3 ( +10 / -7 )

So much for the patriotic Abe.

-7 ( +5 / -12 )

The company I work for has suffered due to deteriorating relations with China. Interesting that my business acquaintances in China say similar things about the Chinese government. Cut the crap and put people's livelihoods first.

9 ( +13 / -4 )

You mean someone has actually realised that everything is now made in China and to anger the Chinese unnecessarily is a bit like cutting off one's nose to spite one's face?

1 ( +6 / -5 )

But after 30 years of growth averaging 10 percent or more, the world’s third-biggest economy

Thought China was the second largest after overtaking Japan a couple of years back. And surely this is no reference to Japan.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

"So much for the patriotic Abe"

How about, "So much for the patriotic Japanese companies" lol

0 ( +4 / -4 )

While I'm completely in favor of improving relations between Japan and China, the article seems to misrepresent the result of the survey: "...45% said it [demand] is peaking and 13% it is declining, while only 31% said it is rising" Why say "only 31%"? 31% is more than 13%, therefore more firms say demand is increasing than say it is decreasing. Am I missing something?

1 ( +3 / -2 )

The one and only thing that could change the stance of the Abe government - money.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

It's not just Japanese firms who want Abe to cool it with China.

Abe needs to learn that arrogance and patriotism in international negotiations is about as welcome as a dead cat at a wedding.

He's done enough damage, it's time to put someone else in.

-1 ( +7 / -8 )

The underlying message of the above story is that is not in anyone's interedt, no matter how nationalistic, for China to fail. Lets be honest, we all want to shape the rise of China, but finally, China's own problems are coming to the fore. To date, it has not yet allowed a natural correction, and many people believe (including myself) that putting it off only worsens it.

But what exactly is putting it off entail, what are we supposed to think?

I think we have to wish China well, and support her, because she is about to go through the same growth pains every emerging country has has to deal with, except on the same steroids that all the others consume. There's a very pointed irony in that we have allowed her growth to fly in the face of regulations that would have meant we could never do the same things in our own country, but have left this to her, and she will pay some sort of price for her success. She has to.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

"Abe to cool it on China"

How about China cooling it on Japan/Abe? No good?

3 ( +9 / -6 )

The solution to the problem is clear as crystal. Remove Abe and his gang of thugs as a first step. Then prepare the oldies for a respectful and honest apology to the aggrieved countries One man and his followers is sacrificing the future of Japan on account of his ego. This is not what the Japanese people deserve.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

The headline reads "Japanese firms want Abe to cool it on China" but, from reading the facts given in the article it could have been "75% of Japanese firms are NOT concerened about Abe's approach with China". How jounalists spin facts to make the point they want, true or not, is quite interesting...

3 ( +6 / -3 )

the article seems to misrepresent the result of the survey

Why yes it does, and no surprise there given the left leaning slant of most media, and the headline writer here at JT. The real takeaway from the survey is:

The survey showed a quarter are concerned about the impact of Abe’s approach to foreign policy, which has inflamed tensions with China and South Korea. Forty-six percent said it has not affected them, and 29% said they were unsure.

So regarding the headline, twenty five percent of Japanese firms want Abe to cool it on PRC. Safe to say that twenty five percent is involved in selling out Japanese tech to the commies. Funny how all the JT socialists cry about "money grubbing" and so on until and unless it suits their agenda. Firms selling out Japan to the commies deserve to go bankrupt.

And anyway, could Abe possibly get more "cool" to PRC. He made one thirty minute visit to a shrine. That's it. Are we going to allow the commies to dictate what j-pols do on their own soil with their own free time. Not bloody likely. Maybe PRC should "cool down" and stop having such a massive over-reaction to trivial things like visits to a shrine. Oh, and stop sending their planes and ships top violate Japanese territory. That would be a great start.

1 ( +7 / -6 )

While I agree Abe should be more diplomatic and level headed in his approach, I don't believe that allowing J-corporations that only care about how much money they're making to keep feeding the PRC machine money so they can (and are proving) that they will use their economic "growth" and "power" to force other Asian nations under their "control".

4 ( +7 / -3 )

"So much for the patriotic Abe"

How about, "So much for the patriotic Japanese companies"

I'd rather they were pragmatic than patriotic. Japan needs Abe's brand of patriotism like it needs a norovirus epidemic.

lol

Oh yeah, hilarious.

-4 ( +2 / -6 )

Safe to say that twenty five percent is involved in selling out Japanese tech to the commies.

What commies? Neither China nor Japan are communist.

-4 ( +4 / -8 )

Repeating that "China is not communist" a thousand times is not going to change the fact that the People's Republic of China was founded as and remains today a "communist" country.

2 ( +7 / -5 )

the People's Republic of China was founded as and remains today a "communist" country.

Um no. The fact is, they don't even remotely follow the tenets of communism, and nothing is going to change that fact, even if you call them communist a million times.

Someone doesn't seem to know what a fact is.

-1 ( +7 / -8 )

" What commies? Neither China nor Japan are communist."

Oh, really?

"The PRC is a single-party state governed by the Communist Party"

Then, please inform wkipedia that their information is incorrect.

1 ( +7 / -6 )

@strangerland - China has since 1946 been ruled by the Chinese Communist Party but, it is true that since the end of the Cultural Revolution China has abandoned many of the tenets of classical marxism and has become a curious mix of communism with some capitalist luxuries, especially for the "friends

3 ( +5 / -2 )

Back on topic please.

Though I think that 25% is still a pretty significant number - it's one and 4 companies. And when you consider that the majority of Japanese companies won't have any dealings with China in their business, it makes that number even more significant.

-4 ( +1 / -5 )

I've had some experience dealing with Chinese people and communism for them reminds me of what Christianity means for most Europeans - something some claim to be without too much thought or concern for its tenets. Chinese people are far from stupid and the CCP will be tolerated in China, regardless of its ideology, for as long as they deliver the two most important goals - increased prosperity and unity. If they fail, we'll see a very different China.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

@Roughneck, thanks for mentioning my native country, the Phils. Though I think a lot of corruption and red tape must be trimmed down for foreign companies to come in. @Hiding out, Jfirms selling to commies might as well be originally Chinese but with Jcitizenship who knows. And ditto for your post. You said it right!

0 ( +2 / -2 )

"Abe to cool it on China" How about China cooling it on Japan/Abe? No good?

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Because this was the result of Japanese corporatiopns executives answers, not done in China.

Opinions of corporation executives, Abe will listens more than politicians.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Can't own land and on top of that, they could withold foreign nationals when they want to pack up in close the operation. "China risk" was openly displayed by the riots without the need to hire expensive consultants to define what it exactly is. Now you got seminars in Japan on "how to divest in China".

-1 ( +3 / -4 )

While I am all for diplomacy and proliferation of good and fair relations with all possible, this article seems to be suggesting people lay down so businessmen can make more money. This, I am not in agreement with. IMO, the world has already given up too much in favour of business greed, to China. It is time for consumers to be willing to pay a fair price for quality products so that all is not lost in favour of cheap labour which hurts everyone in the long run.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Its a shame such a small percentage of business executives came to this conclusion.

If they were smart and could see which way the wind blows they'd stick Ishihara with the bill for reigniting all the Senkaku troubles. That was the beginning of Japanese companies beginning to take a hit and when there were riots and businesses were vandalized. Ishihara shrugged it off as saying it was all China's fault. To some degree, yes but it takes to two to tango and when you're the one lead partner in the dance that makes you more responsible. Its amazing that the business community just stood by and let their businesses opportunities get trashed by trash talking politicians. It is also amazing that more of them don't come forward ask the government to put up or shut up for all the money that has been lost as a result of the foolishness of political figures.

If that much money were lost by the irresponsible actions of a private civilian you can bet they would be in serious trouble. Purposely aggravating the second largest economy and your biggest trading partner is beyond stupid. Now the distances traveled and the length of supply lines that have to skirt China have been vastly extended. This was all avoidable.

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

The world gave China the Olympics and World Expo. Isn't it time, as a society, stop giving China and her uncivilized and barbaric behavior among her citizens an excuse to act this way because they are "China"?

-2 ( +4 / -6 )

All corporations care about is profit, even at the expense of suffering and unsustainability. Imagine if we are approaching an irreversible destruction of the environment now, what the effect of 800 million American style consumers added to the current economy. Yes, great for corporations, terrible for the rest of us. Someone needs to point out the truth, that China has fed its people a lie in order to make other rich; the "carrot at the end of the stick", except, there is no carrot and cannot be one. It is cruel. Abe sees that Japan must prepare for the future for his nation (not the world) and he sees that Japan has few resources. Japan needs to feel free to develop Senkaku and the ocean bottom assets that will fuel Japans future, and stand firm on preventing China from becoming the dystopian nightmare that will destroy itself and others.

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

Look, if you wave a red rag to a bull in a China shop how do you think its going to behave? The bull doesn't know any better. The person waving the red rag, who claims to know better, shouldn't then cry about smashed plates.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

China has 1.4 billion mouths to feed; environment to clean up; corrupt officials to bring to justice; medical facilities to improve; employment issues to attent to etc.. Giving them the Diaoyus and kneeling in repentance for WW2 atrocities will not solve their problems. The last thing they want is to have Japan as a foe. Japan knows this and that's why they do what they do to obstruct China's growth. Japan now has awaken to the fact that China will now work with the US and EU and other nations more closely and are now not in the mood to grant Japanese enterprises greater advantages!

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Personally, it's challenging, but I avoid "made in china " as much as possible.

-5 ( +1 / -6 )

this goes to show that self-proclaimed "patriotic" politicians often do much harm to the country the profess to love.

It is a good thing more sensible economic leaders and overseas political leaders (Obama) are reading Abe the riot act behind closed doors and curtailing his dangerous brand of demagogic nationalism. Also good to see polling data suggesting his economic reforms are popular while his nationalism is not: the Japanese people remain essentially decent, but they need to be vigilant to ensure Abe's more dangerous instincts are held in check.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

The US (including Obama) does not want Japan to get closer to China, even economically.

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

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