‘Uncompromising’: Takaichi’s meeting with Trump seen as key to China-Japan ties

2026.03.19 12:20 Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, pictured soon after being re-elected in February, has sought to cultivate a close relationship with US President Donald Trump amid Japan-China tension. Photo: Kyodo via Reuters China and Japan’s long-standing rivalry has deep historic roots, and relations between the two have taken a significant turn for the worse in recent months. This article, the third in a three-part series, looks at how US President Donald Trump, Taiwan and war in the Middle East factor into their relationship. Read the second part . As Chinese President Xi Jinping is set to host regional leaders for the Apec summit later this year, observers are closely watching whether the summit could instigate a thaw in relations between China and Japan. Or will it simply clarify how protracted this cold spell between the Asian giants is likely to be? Analysts are also watching how the United States factors into the relationship between Beijing and Tokyo as Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi prepares to meet US President Donald Trump on Thursday. Beijing has piled pressure on Japan since Takaichi started her second term last month, having won a snap election in a landslide. At his annual press conference on the sidelines of the National People’s Congress in Beijing, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi lashed out at Japan for failing to reflect enough on its wartime history, and the foreign ministry has repeatedly issued travel alerts warning Chinese against travelling to Japan. In a major escalation, China has applied an export restriction on all “dual-use” items for 40 entities, including Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and the National Defence Academy of Japan, a military training university. Beijing said the measures, which came into immediate effect on February 24, were needed to prevent Japan’s “re-militarisation”, stating that the actions were “justifiable, reasonable and lawful”. Tokyo strongly protested against

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