Sunday marked the 30th anniversary of the normalization of Japan-China relations. But the citizens of both nations are not in much of a celebratory mood despite the pomp and fanfare of commemorative events. Maturity is hardly the right word to describe the state of Sino-Japanese ties. Opinion polls show the Japanese and the Chinese hold each other in low esteem. Both sides still carry the heavy psychological baggage of the past.
In quantitative terms, bilateral relations have expanded by leaps and bounds since 1972. Two-way trade has increased 90-fold, and the number of visitors has multiplied by a factor of 300. Japanese investment and assistance, which were virtually zero 30 years ago, have soared astronomically. Japan and China today play a major role in the global economy.
In qualitative terms, however, relations between the two neighbors remain at a low ebb, as shown by events of the past year. Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's April visit to Yasukuni Shrine, the World War II symbol of Japanese militarism, provoked Chinese protests. Relations soured again in May when Chinese police trespassed on the Japanese Consulate General in Shenyang, China, to arrest North Korean asylum seekers. Dubious diet drugs and tainted vegetables from China have scared off Japanese consumers. And crime involving Chinese nationals has increased in Japan.