There are multiple issues that have caused tension between Japan and China over the past two hundred years. The tension between the two countries initially began in the Sino-Japanese War in 1895. During this war, Japanese troops sought to destroy China (Economist, 2012). The war caused a mass panic in China with one Chinese governmental official stating, “China will have no more history” (para. 1). However, this war helped to shape what is presently known as modern day China in the sense that the government began rebuilding itself based on the values of the people.
Another contributing factor to the Chinese-Japanese conflict was the war between China and Japan. This war began shortly before World War II. During this period, China fought exclusively with Japan, with no help from other nations (Economist, 2012). Furthermore, the way the Japanese treated the Chinese during Japan’s occupation over China (beginning in 1931) is another factor that helped to breed animosity between the eastern neighbors.
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The growth in China’s economy over the past few decades is another contributing factor. Historically, Japanese tended to be dominant over China (Council on Foreign Relations, 2012). However, with in the past few decades, Japan has growth at nearly twice the pace of Japan. Other, external factors, such as the United States developing a stronger relationship with Japan have contributed to the tensions between the two countries. Finally, the countries have argued over who owns the islands located in the East China Sea makes this matter more complex.
The longstanding tensions have been evident over the past few years in viewing international relations. The Council on Foreign Relations (2012) further expands on this in noting a dispute between China and Japan in 2008, after individuals in Japan ate imported Chinese food and became violently ill. It was later found that the distributor (in China) found “trace levels of methamidophos, a potentially lethal pesticide that is banned in both Japan and more recently in China” (para. 3). Prior to this event, the wording present in a Japanese textbook launched reunited a longstanding conflict between the two countries (PBS, 2006).
All of these issues continue to affect the relationship between China and Japan in the present. As two of the largest economies in the world, it could be argued that these longstanding feuds continue to effect trade relationships. Generally, few citizens of either country promote the expansion of the other into their country. This is problematic, as it prevents Chinese firms from expanding into Japan and Japanese firms from expanding to China. However, it is increasingly important for the two countries, as two of the world’s largest economies, work together to support economic growth throughout the world (Investopedia, 2012). Despite this notion, it is increasingly difficult for these two countries to work together, as every few years the feud flares up again.
The longstanding feud between Japan and China has further been evident in international relationships as well. In 2005, China sought to permanently block Japan from gaining a permanent seat on the United Nations Council. According to the Council on Foreign Relations (2012) China stated, “Only a country that respects history, takes responsibility for history, and wins over the trust of peoples in Asia and the world at large can take greater responsibilities in the international community” (para. 7).
In terms of applying this situation to the quote, ‘the winner write’s history’ it could be argued that the competition between the two continues to influence how history is perceived. In exploring historical concepts, this quote could be applied in explaining how each country perceives each battle of each war. Since Japan enjoyed increased financial security that long surpassed China for decades, it appears as though Japan has there own way of describing the Japanese/Chinese history. This is best evident in the 2006 incident where China was offended by the way a Japanese textbook worded a conflict as an ‘incident’ (PBS, 2006, para. 4). Furthermore, it could be argued since China was occupied by Japan starting in 1931, a part of China’s history (in terms of how these perceived these events) was not maintained, as Japan had the power over China during this period.
As the world becomes increasingly globalized, it is imperative for China and Japan, two of the economically strongest countries in the world, to work through their issues. However, this will not be an easy task, as both countries appear to harbor animosity against each other. One of the first things that each country could agree to do is to disagree on the past. Both have different perceptions on what happened and what caused the conflicts to occur. However, dwelling on the past is not going to help either country in the future. Instead, both countries need to figure out how to disagree and remain civil with each other. This is an important attribute in promoting economic growth for both countries.
In moving forward, Japan and China need to determine how they can help each other to continue growing. It is likely that certain industries are more presented in one country over the other. However, the need to expand these industries into countries with strong economies is evident. Whether or not this can be done without each country letting go of the past and their animosity towards the other remains debatable. It is unlikely that if the two countries do not come to some type of resolve in moving away from the past there will be continued tension in the future between China and Japan.
- Japan & China: The Unforgotten War (2006) Retrieved from: http://www.pbs.org
- Strained Ties Between China & Japan (2012) Retrieved from: http://www.cfr.org
- The Relationship Between Japan and China’s Economies (2012) Retrieved from: http://www.investopedia.com
- The Start of History (2013) Retrieved from: http://www.economist.com/
