On the afternoon of November 2nd, the Stargazer Agency and the Hearing Way Reading Club jointly held a lecture on “Sino-Japanese Relations and the New Prime Minister Takamichi Kohri” at the Alviso Gold Business Center in San Jose. The event featured Professor Wang Ke from Kobe University in Japan, who analyzed the direction of Sino-Japanese relations following the inauguration of Japan’s new Prime Minister Takamichi Kohri, summarizing six major policy changes.
Wang Ke, born in Nanyang, Henan, and raised in Kashi, is proficient in Chinese, Uyghur, and Japanese. He graduated from Minzu University of China in 1982 and studied in Japan in 1989, focusing on Chinese and Asian ethnic issues. He has published works such as “Biography of Shinzo Abe” and “Research on the East Turkistan Republic,” and is currently a scholar at the Stanford University China Economic and Institutional Research Center.
The host of the event, Ginger Duan, founder of the Stargazer Agency, mentioned in her opening speech the importance of looking beyond the narrative of “US-China confrontation” and exploring the changes in Sino-Japanese relations from the perspectives of the US-Japan alliance and the Indo-Pacific strategy. She emphasized the need to consider the role and power of the intermediary zone, connecting historical reflections with future prospects for a more layered public discussion.
Wang Ke first highlighted the distinction between the “people-to-people” and “government-to-government” levels in understanding Sino-Japanese relations. He warned against nationalism being manipulated and used by those in power as a tool to create enemies, noting that history is often politicized to maintain internal power and handle foreign relations.
Regarding Japan’s new Prime Minister, Takamichi Kohri, Wang Ke outlined six potential changes he may bring: elevating the “Japan-US alliance” to the core of security and economic decision-making, embracing the “free and open Indo-Pacific” strategy more clearly, promoting the normalization of defense and capacity building, accelerating the “risk reduction” in China-related economic and trade activities, taking a more direct stance on human rights issues including Hong Kong, Xinjiang, and Tibet, and reaffirming the international law principles in the Taiwan Strait, East China Sea, and South China Sea.
He further analyzed that these transformations are driven by both US geopolitical and technological chain demands and Japan’s internal considerations, including accelerated decision-making after breaking free from the Komeito party’s constraints. Diplomatically, Kohri’s administration has engaged in intensive meetings with international leaders to enhance Japan’s presence, with significant increases in support from young people and female voters.
Wang Ke stressed the importance of observing how historical narratives are utilized and how institutions respond to risks when considering the future of Sino-Japanese relations. He emphasized that true stability comes from predictable rules, resilient supply chains, and mutual understanding and trust between open societies.
He also pointed out a phenomenon regarding the support rates of past Japanese prime ministers: “The more tension there is in relations with the Chinese Communist Party and the firmer the stance of the prime minister, the higher the domestic support rate.”