Japan's Blue Book Downgrades China to 'Important Neighbor'; Beijing Demands Correction

China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs held a regular press conference this afternoon. According to Pengpai News, Mao Ning made the aforementioned statement in response to a question from a Japanese media outlet.

Mao Ning reiterated China's long-standing position, stating that the root cause of the current state of China-Japan relations lies in "Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's erroneous remarks concerning Taiwan, which betrayed trust, undermined the political foundation of China-Japan relations, and challenged the post-war international order."

She added that Japan should abide by the "four political documents between China and Japan" and its own commitments, "reflect and correct its mistakes," and safeguard the political foundation of China-Japan relations with concrete actions.

Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs officially released its 2026 "Diplomatic Bluebook" today, with Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi reporting its contents at a cabinet meeting. This bluebook describes relations with China as "important neighbor," a downgrade and regression compared to the 2025 edition's description of "one of the most important bilateral relationships," as widely perceived by various sectors in Japan.

The diplomatic bluebook also mentioned that after Sanae Takaichi's "Taiwan contingency" remarks in November 2025, China "intensified unilateral criticism and threatening measures against Japan." However, it also emphasized that Japan's position is "open to various dialogues with China and has not closed the door."

Japan's Fuji News Network (FNN) interpreted that this year's change in the diplomatic bluebook's description of China reflects the deterioration of Japan-China relations following Sanae Takaichi's "Taiwan contingency" remarks.

In November 2025, during a parliamentary interpellation, Sanae Takaichi stated that if a "Taiwan contingency" involves the use of force by the other party, it could constitute a "situation threatening Japan's existence" that would allow Japan to exercise collective self-defense. The Chinese authorities considered this an implication of possible military intervention in the Taiwan Strait, expressing strong anger and lodging protests with Japan, demanding a retraction.

However, the newly released diplomatic bluebook still emphasizes that Japan's consistent policy is to "comprehensively promote strategic reciprocal relations and build constructive and stable relations" with China. (Edited by Chiu Kuo-chiang/Yang Sheng-ju) 1150410