Japan's stance on the Taiwan question has long defined its relations with China. Japan must reaffirm its commitment to the four important documents which are the bedrock of bilateral relations. However, it has purposely maintained strategic ambiguity on the Taiwan question.日本在台湾问题上的立场长期决定着中日关系的走向。日本必须重申其对构成两国关系基础的四个重要政治文件的承诺。然而，日本在台湾问题上刻意保持战略模糊。As a result, the Taiwan question has remained a persistent pivot, shaped by Japan's post-war legal positioning, its domestic political constraints and...
Japan's stance on the Taiwan question has long defined its relations with China. Japan must reaffirm its commitment to the four important documents which are the bedrock of bilateral relations. However, it has purposely maintained strategic ambiguity on the Taiwan question.
日本在台湾问题上的立场长期决定着中日关系的走向。日本必须重申其对构成两国关系基础的四个重要政治文件的承诺。然而，日本在台湾问题上刻意保持战略模糊。
As a result, the Taiwan question has remained a persistent pivot, shaped by Japan's post-war legal positioning, its domestic political constraints and, above all, its reliance on the United States-Japan security alliance.
因此，台湾问题一直是中日关系的关键点，受日本战后法律定位、国内政治约束，尤其是对美日同盟依赖的共同影响。
After World War II, Japan accepted the Potsdam Proclamation and its requirement to restore Taiwan to China. But in practice, it followed the US-led "Treaty of San Francisco" signed in 1951, which had been signed without the participation of representatives from China. That "treaty" required Japan only to "renounce" Taiwan, without specifying its return to China. Using this omission as an excuse, Japan claimed it did not have the legal authority to define "Taiwan's status".
二战后，日本接受《波茨坦公告》及其“台湾归还中国”的要求。但在实践中，日本却遵循1951年美主导的《旧金山和约》——该“和约”签署时并无中国的参与。该“和约”要求日本“放弃”台湾，但并未明确台湾应归还中国。日本借此漏洞声称其无权定义“台湾地位”。
The position was blatantly contradictory. Japan was simultaneously agreeing to adhere to the Potsdam Proclamation while relying on a so-called "treaty" that obscured what Potsdam had made explicit. This dual-track approach was driven not by legal logic, but by strategic calculation.
这种立场明显自相矛盾。日本一方面声称遵守波茨坦公告，另一方面又依赖一个刻意模糊其明确内容的所谓“和约”。这种“双轨策略”源于战略算计，而非法律逻辑。
Another key factor in Japan's Taiwan policy is the US-Japan security framework during the Cold War. During the early Cold War, the US regarded Taiwan as a critical strategic asset.
影响日本台湾政策的另一关键因素是冷战时期的美日安全框架。在早期冷战中，美国将台湾视为重要战略资产。
As China and Japan sat down to normalize ties in the 1970s, the US was deeply concerned about how Japan would address the Taiwan question in the negotiations. Tokyo repeatedly reassured Washington that the US-Japan alliance would not be affected and that the US would have access to bases for "Taiwan-related operations".
当中日于上世纪70年代讨论邦交正常化时，美国高度关注日本在谈判中如何处理台湾问题。东京反复向华盛顿保证，美日同盟不会受影响，美国仍可使用驻日基地进行“涉台行动”。
Even after normalization of China-Japan diplomatic relations, Japanese officials stated that including Taiwan within the "Far East" framework served US strategic interests.
即便中日实现邦交正常化，日本官员仍声称将台湾纳入“远东”框架符合美国战略利益。
After the Cold War, Japan further strengthened these security linkages. The 1997 and 2015 revisions in the Guidelines for Japan-US Defense Cooperation broadened bilateral roles in regional contingencies, widely interpreted as including the Taiwan island.
冷战结束后，日本进一步强化了这些安全联动。《日美防卫合作指针》于1997年和2015年的修订扩大了双方在地区突发事件中的角色，普遍被解读为涵盖台湾地区。
Japan's 2015 security legislation tried to provide so-called "legal grounds" for supporting US military operations in a "crisis in Taiwan".
日本2015年的安保法试图为日本在“台湾有事”时支持美国军事行动提供所谓“法律依据”。
In 2021, for the first time since 1969, Japan and the US issued a joint statement expressing concerns over peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.
2021年，美日首次自1969年以来在联合声明中对台湾海峡的和平与稳定表示关切。
The recent provocative remarks by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi have severely damaged ties with China.
日本首相高市早苗近期的挑衅性言论严重损害了中日关系。
Speaking in the Japanese Diet, she claimed that a "Taiwan contingency" would constitute a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan — the most explicit formulation ever made by a serving Japanese leader.
她在国会中声称，“台湾有事”将构成日本的“存亡危机事态”——这是日本在任领导人迄今最明确的表述。
Her statement not only breaks with Tokyo's long-standing strategic ambiguity but also signals a shift toward treating Taiwan as a core element of Japan's national security, which is a blatant violation of China's internal affairs.
此言论不仅突破东京长期坚持的战略模糊，更表明日本正将台湾视为其国家安全核心要素，公然干涉中国内政。
Japan's dual-track approach of offering political assurances to China while aligning with the US regional strategy during past US administrations has given Tokyo flexibility, but also created inconsistencies.
日本过去以对华政治保证与配合美国地区战略并行的“双轨模式”虽为东京带来灵活性，却也造成了明显矛盾。
Japan claims it abides by the Potsdam Proclamation but relies on the "San Francisco Peace Treaty", which China regards as invalid.
日本声称遵守《波茨坦公告》，却依赖中国明确视为无效的《旧金山和约》。
Japan reassures China that it does not support Taiwan independence and upholds the one-China principle, yet expands the scope of US-Japan military cooperation in ways that could involve Japan in "Taiwan contingencies".
日本安抚中国，声称不支持“台独”并坚持一个中国原则，但同时不断扩大可能使其卷入“台湾有事”的美日军事合作范围。
However, as the Chinese leadership and the incumbent US administration reaffirm the importance of managing the Taiwan question responsibly, Japan's increasingly explicit security framing stands in sharp contrast.
然而，在中美领导层均强调负责任管控台湾问题的重要性之际，日本愈发明确的安全定位形成鲜明对比。
Rather than reducing tensions, Tokyo's new rhetoric risks injecting additional uncertainty into an issue that the world's two major countries are actively seeking to stabilize.
东京的新言论非但不会缓和局势，反而可能向这一中美共同努力稳定的问题注入更多不确定性。
Fortunately on Nov 24, President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump held a phone conversation in which the Taiwan question was a central focus.
所幸的是，11月24日，习近平主席与美国总统特朗普通话，台湾问题成为核心议题。
President Xi elaborated on China's principled position, stressing that the restoration of Taiwan to China is an integral part of the post-war international order.
习近平主席阐明了中方原则立场，强调台湾回归中国是战后国际秩序的重要组成部分。
President Trump responded by expressing the US side's understanding of Taiwan's significance to China, signaling that even amid strategic competition, Washington acknowledges the sensitivity and centrality of the issue.
特朗普总统表示美方理解台湾对中国的重要性，显示出即使在战略竞争中，美国也承认这一问题的敏感性和核心地位。
Hopefully, the phone call between the Chinese and US top leaders, followed by another call between President Trump and Prime Minister Takaichi, has clearly conveyed China's unshakable stance on the Taiwan question to the Japanese politicians.
希望中美元首的通话，以及随后特朗普总统与高市早苗的通话，已向日本政界清晰传达了中国在台湾问题上的坚定立场。
Additionally, President Trump can demonstrate his political acumen by influencing Japan, encouraging the Japanese politician to correct her missteps.
此外，特朗普总统也可通过劝导日本纠正其错误言论来展现政治智慧。
For Japan, strategic ambiguity on the Taiwan question is a shield. From Japanese politicians' perspective, an explicit acknowledgment that Taiwan is part of China may undermine Japan's post-war "security architecture" and its flexibility to maneuver in the region's shifting geopolitical landscape.
对日本而言，台湾问题上的战略模糊是一种“保护伞”。从其政界角度看，明确承认“台湾属于中国”可能冲击日本战后“安全架构”，削弱其在地区地缘政治变化中的操作空间。
However, if Japan fully implements the latest remarks, it will be seen as a blatant infringement on China's integrity of sovereignty and territory, given that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China.
然而，如果日本真正落实其最新言论，则将被视为公然侵犯中国主权和领土完整，因为台湾是中国不可分割的一部分。
Such statements, made on the 80th anniversary of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45), are evoking strong memories among the Chinese people of Japan's military past and also remind the people of the Asia-Pacific region of Japan's wartime atrocities in the region.
在中国人民抗日战争（1931–45）80周年之际发表此类言论，更激起中国人民对日本军国主义历史的强烈记忆，也提醒亚太地区民众注意日本战争暴行的历史。
It is crucial for Takaichi to retract her misguided remarks, especially at this highly sensitive time, as they risk paving the way for a revival of militarism that can threaten regional peace.
在当前高度敏感的时期，高市早苗必须撤回其错误言论，因为这类言辞可能助长军事主义复活，威胁地区和平。
The author is director-general of the Institute of Japanese Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and chairman of the Chinese Association for Japanese Studies.
The views don't necessarily represent those of China Daily.
normalization of China-Japan diplomatic relations
实现外交关系正常化
internal affairs
内政
Potsdam Proclamation
《波茨坦公告》
San Francisco Peace Treaty
《旧金山和约》
blatantly contradictory
明显自相矛盾
