Japan and China are neighbors in the East Asian region. They are both dominant nations particularly in terms of their economy and military. These two countries boast of having the largest economies in Asia.
The relationship between Japan and China, however, has been marred by disputes in recent years. Various issues covering post war conflicts, territorial and political disputes have been highlighted by the media putting the two countries under scrutiny by nations around the world.
History of the Japanese-Chinese Relations
Geographically, Japan and China are situated near each other and separated by a narrow stretch of ocean.
Not many people know that China had a strong influence over Japan. This covers its architecture, culture, writing system, religion and philosophy.
Japan was also mentioned in the earliest historical records of China particularly in the Book of Later Han in 57.
Between the period 600 and 900 AD during the reign of the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the Chinese political system and culture were introduced to Japan. It was . At that time, Japan sent students of Imperial embassies to China who brought home with them the Buddhist teachings, Chinese customs and culture, architecture, bureaucracy and city planning.
Although China and Japan engaged in a battle in AD 663 in what was called the Battle of Baekgang, the two nations later developed a friendly relation and engaged in maritime trading. It was during the Ming dynasty that this occurred.
Through the years, however, more conflicts took place between the two nations including those in the First and Second World War.
Issues Affecting Japan and China
Today, tensions remain high between Japan and China despite the fact that the two nations are integrated economically. The tensions have arisen due to several issues that are yet to be settled.
For one, Japan’s war crimes such as the Nanking massacre in 1937 are still being brought up by China. Chinese authorities have been putting the blame on Japan for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of its people during the Second World War when their country was invaded by the Japanese Imperial army.
Japan has insisted that they did not cause the mass killings but acknowledged legitimate killings only among people who violated their rules. Supporters of the Japanese have taken to the internet to refute China’s claims and have even posted published photos of Imperial soldiers interacting and helping out Chinese refugees.
Another major issue affecting Sino-Japanese relations pertains to the claims of ownership of the eight small islands off the Eastern China Sea. Known as the Senkaku/Daioyou islands, the area is considered a rich fishing ground and has a great potential for oil and gas reserve.
Despite these existing tensions, analysts are not seeing an armed conflict happening in the near future between the two nations. They believe China values its economic relations with Japan and is more concerned over getting more investments from its Asian neighbor.
Japan, on the other hand, is seen as confident in sustaining its businesses in the Chinese market. This is considered as the country’s way of boosting its own economy.