Intended Mixed Message

It looked like about dispute over how to deal with the relationship with China. But, the true shape of this issue was a long struggle inside the leading party. Hiromu Nonaka, former Chief Cabinet Secretary, approved the Chinese argument that both nations should shelve the problem over the Senkaku Islands in the meeting with a high level Chinese official in Beijing. Current administration led by the Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, immediately responded to it, reiterating traditional viewpoint of denying even the existence of problem between Japan and China. This rigorous rivalry inside Japan will send mixed message to China.

Nonaka, known as former prominent pro-China lawmaker, basically wanted to make a breakthrough from current gridlock in bilateral diplomacy by confirming Senkaku issue on the table. “At the time of normalization of Japan-China relationship in 1972, I heard from then Prime Minister, Kakuei Tanaka, that he and Zhou Enlai agreed on shelving Senkaku issue,” told Nonaka at the meeting with Liu Yunshan, the First Secretary of the Central Secretariat of the Communist Party.

When Tanaka achieved the normalization, Nonaka was a local congressman in Kyoto Prefecture. It is unlikely that he was at the position of getting close information from Tanaka. Supposedly, Nonaka heard that story through other people, although he affiliated to the same political group that Tanaka had once presided. In spite of the skepticisms, Nonaka insisted on that he heard that from Tanaka.

Nonaka’s acknowledgement contradicted from official statement of the government. “Because there is no dispute over Senkaku,” emphasized Chief Cabinet Secretary, Yoshihide Suga, “we have no issue to shelve.” Minister of Foreign Affairs, Fumio Kishida, degraded Nonaka’s comment as “a personal statement.

Abe has been affiliated to the different group, which suffered from strong leadership of Tanaka in 1970s. Abe took the standpoint of pro-Taiwan, following the structure of the Cold War, to make a difference from mainstream groups. The mainstream and the sub-stream had exchanged their position by now. It is unlikely for Abe, well known as a retaliator against former mainstreamers, to accept Nonaka’s historical viewpoint.

Frustrated with hawkish handlings of administration, including strong insistence on constitutional amendment, revision of Kono statement on comfort woman, or denial of Nanjing Massacre, Nonaka is going to take action to disturb Abe’s right wing agenda. Although China is willing to take this opportunity to justify its position on Senkaku issue, it will not be successful as long as this issue will be contained to the dispute inside the leading party in Japan.