China's anti-Japanese campaign has been growing. The major reason behind it is to stop Japan from becoming a permanent member of the UN Security Council. Other issues such as textbook changes and "comfort women" are mere excuses.
China's loudest campaign slogan is: A Japan that does not review its invasion of China and that has no credibility in Asia is absolutely not qualified to represent Asia on the council. In fact, Beijing has already shown its support for Germany, which is also currently striving for a permanent seat.
Japan-US alliance
This is because the US and Japan are the largest obstacles to China's "unification."
In early February, the US-Japan Security Consultative Committee even publicly stated for the very first time that it would "encourage the peaceful resolution of issues concerning the Taiwan Strait through dialogue."
In light of the positive relations between Taiwan and Japan at the moment, China believes that Japan may "collude" with the US if it becomes a permanent member of the security council, making the issue of Taiwan tougher.
This is why Beijing has launched a large-scale anti-Japanese movement. In other words, it has linked historical problems to Japan's bid for a permanent seat.
Further, issues such as the sovereignty dispute over the Diaoyutai Islands, and the conflicts over oil and gas development in the East China Sea, add to China's desire that Japan not become a leading political power.
All of these factors are closely related to the two countries' national security and energy strategy.
Political pressure
Obviously, if Japan becomes a permanent member and stands side-by-side with the US in international politics, the political pressure on China will become greater.
As a result, it may be difficult to restrain China's anti-Japanese sentiment.
Last Sunday, Japanese Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura arrived in Beijing for an exchange of opinions with Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing (李肇星).
Today, Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi will attend an Asia-Africa summit in Indonesia, and he is expected to meet Chinese President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤).
They will certainly talk about the current anti-Japanese protests.
The anti-Japanese movement will inevitably affect the two countries' trade and economies. In recent years, Japan has sold an enormous amount of steel to China.
compatible economies
Some Japanese people have even said that China saved Japan's steel industry.
Nevertheless, China has also made a fortune from Japan. While it makes use of Japan's capital and technology, Japan also leverages China's relatively cheap laborer and materials. So the two countries are economically complementary to each other.
Still, it may be hard to remedy historical hatred and ethnic emotions in a short period of time. Sino-Japanese relations may improve after the meeting between Hu and Koizumi, but China's anti-Japanese sentiment is like a ticking bomb that may explode at anytime.
The situation depends completely on Japan's introspection and efforts, as well as China's self-restraint.
Chen Peng-jen is the director of the Graduate Institute of Japanese Studies at Chinese Culture University.
TRANSLATED BY EDDY CHANG
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