No Longer a "Partner", Japan Now Regards China Merely as a "Neighbour"

Japan has officially downgraded its assessment of China for the first time in a decade. This step marks the deterioration of relations between the two major Asian powers. In the annual diplomatic report released on Friday (10/4/2026), Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs no longer refers to China as “one of Japan’s most important partners” as it has since 2016. Now, Tokyo only describes Beijing as an “important neighbour”. The report also accuses China of “intensifying its one-sided criticism of and taking intimidating actions against Japan”, reflecting rising bilateral tensions, as quoted by AFP. Relations between the two countries have worsened in recent months, particularly after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi signalled the possibility of military intervention if an attack occurs on Taiwan. China regards Taiwan as part of its territory and has not ruled out taking it by force. As diplomatic tensions rise between the world’s second- and fourth-largest economies, Beijing has also taken retaliatory steps. The Chinese government is reportedly urging its citizens to postpone trips to Japan and tightening trade restrictions on several Japanese companies. The impact is already evident in the tourism sector. Official data shows the number of Chinese tourists to Japan plummeted by 45.2% in February compared to the same period the previous year. More broadly, Japan also provides a bleak outlook on the global situation in the report. “It can be said that the era of relative peace once known as the ‘post-Cold War period’ has ended,” the report states.