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China-Japan relations

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China-Japan relations
Breaking news and analysis on China-Japan relations, covering trade, investment, the legacy of war in Asia, military tensions and the impact of wider issues such as the US-China trade war and South China Sea.
Open Questions series

Economist James Heckman on the value of risk-taking, and China’s ‘common goal’

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

Zheng Yongnian on what US’ ‘neocolonialism’, Venezuela operation mean for China

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Illustration: Victor Sanjinez

Liu Qian on Chinese innovation, the US rivalry and women holding up half the sky

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Illustration: Victor Sanjinez Garcia

Fuchsia Dunlop tells how she fell for China’s cuisine and names her perfect dish

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

80 years on from WWII, China’s interests lie in peaceful Asia-Pacific: Mitter

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

‘Delusional’: Jeffrey Sachs on why Western hegemony has ended

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Illustration: Henry Wong

Economist James Heckman on the value of risk-taking, and China’s ‘common goal’

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7
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

Zheng Yongnian on what US’ ‘neocolonialism’, Venezuela operation mean for China

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15
Illustration: Victor Sanjinez

Liu Qian on Chinese innovation, the US rivalry and women holding up half the sky

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Illustration: Victor Sanjinez Garcia

Fuchsia Dunlop tells how she fell for China’s cuisine and names her perfect dish

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

80 years on from WWII, China’s interests lie in peaceful Asia-Pacific: Mitter

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

‘Delusional’: Jeffrey Sachs on why Western hegemony has ended

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Illustration: Henry Wong
MORE FROM THIS SERIES
The Chinese coastguard conducted what it described as a law enforcement patrol in waters east of Taiwan after Japan and the Philippines agreed to hold maritime border talks. Photo: CCTV
Taiwan

China sends warning to Japan and the Philippines over ‘wrongful’ maritime talks

Legal opinion is the latest protest from Beijing over planned delimitation negotiations that it claims violate international law.

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Japan

China’s pressure campaign tests Trump’s commitment to Japan

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China shipbuilding

China’s grip on global ship repair worries Japan. Can Tokyo end its dependence?

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China manufacturing

China steps up challenge to US, Japan in a strategic aerospace material

New production lines highlight Beijing’s push to strengthen self-sufficiency in a cutting-edge material used across aerospace and advanced industries.

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State-owned CNBM has launched three production lines in east China’s Jiangsu province for high-strength carbon fibre. Photo: Handout
China trade

China adds 20 Japanese entities to its export-control list

Ministry of Commerce cites national security concerns as reason for move.

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WWII

Chinese translation of Tokyo war trial records fill ‘critical gap’: state media

The 40-volume project marks the first time that the complete court records from the tribunal have been published in Chinese.

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China consumption

Open Questions | Nomura economist on China’s deflation woes, fraught Japan ties

Richard Koo on the difficulty of raising consumption spending, why fraying Tokyo ties should worry Beijing, Trump’s weakness and fallout from Iran war.

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Illustration: Henry Wong
China travel

China-Japan flights to decline 57% in summer travel peak as tensions linger

Of Japan’s top five inbound tourism markets so far this year, mainland China is the only one where travellers require a visa.

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China exports

China’s new front in rare earth export violations: rewarding tip-offs

The announcement follows the arrest of two Japanese nationals over alleged smuggling and comes as Beijing tightens oversight of critical minerals.

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Japan

2 Japanese held in China over alleged rare earths smuggling

Both detainees taken into custody last month about a week apart but at least one not suspected of spying.

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China dominates the production of rare earths. Photo: USDA-ARS
Mainland China

Japan’s visa fee jump to hit Chinese tourists hard, straining tense ties

Beyond the fivefold visa fee spike, flight shortages and soaring airfares expected to deter price-sensitive Chinese travellers, analysts say.

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Members of a Chinese tour group cross a road in Tokyo on November 17, 2025. Analysts warn that a potential drop in Chinese tourists to Japan due to rising visa fees could economically squeeze Japanese local governments. Photo: AFP
Tokyo

Japan’s defence outreach to counter China in the region hits hidden roadblocks

Tokyo’s approach combines security, economic and diplomatic tools to show regional nations an alternative to the China-US dilemma.

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China’s aircraft carriers

China says it warned off multiple Japanese ‘provocations’ during carrier drills

State media airs footage of several encounters involving warships and planes during the Liaoning carrier group’s recent operations in the Pacific.

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Japan

Japan’s latest live-fire drill is about offence, not defence: PLA Daily

Tokyo’s forces will become ‘more offensive, more dangerous and more oriented towards actual combat’, Chinese military mouthpiece says.

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A Japan Ground Self-Defence Force soldier operates a quadrupedal uncrewed ground vehicle during a live-fire exercise in Gotemba on June 7. Photo: AFP
Rare earths

China resumes gallium exports to Japan after 4-month suspension

The resumption of exports is expected to be tied to civilian demand, as the metal is a key material in chips, fibre optics and EV chargers.

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A block with the symbol, atomic number and mass number of gallium is seen in this illustration taken February 6, 2026. Photo: Reuters
Japan

Macroscope | Why Japan’s proposal for G7 critical mineral stockpiles is a bad idea

Tokyo’s overtures towards the G7 assume that China is a threat to be countered with economic or security measures.

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China exports

Do China’s export curbs on tungsten threaten Japan’s AI chip supply chain?

Tungsten-based materials are widely used in semiconductor manufacturing, and recent supply constraints highlight growing vulnerabilities.

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Mainland China

Wartime apology author and Japan-China ‘bridge’ Yohei Kono dies at 89

Trade delegation to Beijing postponed after death of prominent backchannel figure who served as Japanese chief cabinet secretary.

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Yohei Kono, pictured in Tokyo in 2013, held various high-level positions in Japan’s government, including stints as chief cabinet secretary and foreign minister. Photo: AP
Taiwan

What’s behind Beijing’s seabed mapping east of Taiwan?

Expert says knowledge of the waters and seabed could allow ‘more effective submarine and anti-submarine operations’.

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Taiwan

Beijing detects suspected Japanese spy planes near Taiwan

Two crewed electronic reconnaissance aircraft sent to ‘snoop around’ and observe mainland Chinese vessels, leading PLA analyst says.

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Taiwan

Has a diplomatic feud prompted China to press pause on Japanese film and music?

This week’s Shanghai film festival doesn’t include any movies from Japan – the latest sign of an unofficial boycott.

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China has imposed official restrictions on tourism and trade with Japan since a row erupted in November. Photo: AFP
Japan

Japan museum under fire for ‘rewriting history’ with Nanking ‘incident’ label

Conservatives force the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum to drop the word massacre, a move critics say downplays Japan’s wartime aggression.

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People attend a memorial for the Nanking massacre victims in Nanjing, China’s Jiangsu province, last year. Photo: Xinhua
China's military weapons

China urged to fast-track carrier fleet upgrades as Japan boosts strike power

A potential gap that China’s carrier strike groups ‘need to address is the limited number of stealth fighters’, former PLA Navy officer says.

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Taiwan

Beijing sends largest patrol ship east of Taiwan after Japan-Philippine talks

Communist Party mouthpiece warns the two countries are becoming a ‘source of trouble’ and putting regional peace at risk.

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Taiwan

Are Japan-Philippines talks a maritime red line for China’s blue-water ambitions?

Analysts warn the Tokyo-Manila boundary negotiations will be seen in Beijing as an attempt to challenge its position on Taiwan.

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Beijing responded to the announcement of the maritime boundary talks by sending its coastguard into new waters east of Taiwan on Monday. Photo: Xinhua
The Philippines

Japan-Philippines maritime talks 2026

SCMP’s coverage of the ongoing maritime and defence talks between Japan and the Philippines. The high-level summits began in late May 2026 to China’s condemnation.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (right) and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr (left) shake hands before talks in Tokyo on May 28, 2026. Photo: Kyodo
China-Philippines relations

How Beijing could use its military and trade to hit back at Tokyo-Manila ties

Chinese experts warn the pair could pose a threat in a conflict over Taiwan, urge tough economic and military measures.

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Taiwan

How Japan, Philippines are building a maritime security front against China

Tokyo-Manila defence cooperation is linking Pacific flashpoints, with broad implications for Beijing, analysts say.

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