Japan’s annual diplomatic report released on Tuesday took aim at the growing security threat posed by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and reaffirmed the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.
The Diplomatic Bluebook 2025, which was presented by Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Iwaya Takeshi at a Cabinet meeting, focused on the difficult international situation, including the security environment in East Asia and the PRC’s growing military activity around Japan.
The report noted Beijing’s attempts to unilaterally change by force the “status quo” around the East China Sea, including the Japan-controlled Senkaku Islands, known as the Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台) in Taiwan, and the South China Sea.
Photo: Reuters
In its latest Diplomatic Bluebook, the Japanese government also expressed serious concern about growing military cooperation between China and Russia, with military aircraft from the two nations both crossing into Japanese airspace last year.
Further south, the PRC conducted “coercive and intimidating maneuvers” in the South China Sea, and carried out military exercises around Taiwan, it said.
Peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait is not only a guarantee for Japan’s security, but also a cornerstone of stability for the international community, it said.
Statements issued at meetings of G7 foreign ministers have also affirmed the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and called for the peaceful resolution of cross-strait issues since 2021, it said.
The report also included the joint statement released after a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in Washington in February.
“The two leaders emphasized the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait as an indispensable element of security and prosperity for the international community,” the joint statement said.
“They encouraged the peaceful resolution of cross-strait issues and opposed any attempts to unilaterally force or coerce changes to the “status quo,” it said.
The Diplomatic Bluebook normally records events from the previous year (the 2025 edition recorded events from January to December last year), but this new edition included important events from early this year, including Ishiba’s meeting with Trump.
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