why does China suddenly want to be friends with Japan?

Welcome back to China Uncensored.

I'm your host Chris Chappell.

Last week marked the 45th anniversary

of diplomatic ties between China and Japan.

And suddenly,

it seems like they're best buddies.And that's weird.

Until 1972,

their diplomatic ties consisted of

a brutal military invasion—

which China still refers to not as World War II,

but as “The War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression.”—

and the war was followed by nearly

30 years of anti-Japanese propaganda.

But eventually, diplomatic ties were restored.

And now relations between China and Japan

have never been better!

In a rare appearance,

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe

actually showed up to an event

hosted by the Chinese Embassy in Tokyo.

That was the first time in 15 years

that a Japanese Prime Minister

showed up to this kind of shindig.

Abe and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang

also exchanged congratulatory messages.

You know,

congratulating each other on not

tearing each others' throats out.

Li's message talked about improving ties, quote,

“in the spirit of taking history as a mirror

and looking into the future”.

Yeah, if Li Keqiang ever asks

if you'd like to go to his poetry reading,

tell him you have somewhere else to be.

But as, um, beautiful as that poetry may sound,

the Chinese Communist Party has actually been

undermining Japan for years—

even during the period of diplomatic relations.

For example, the CCP has stolen

tons of Japanese technology.

I'm looking at you, high-speed train.

Sadly, China didn't also steal Japan's

safety standards for high-speed trains.

And then in 2012, the CCP allowed

widespread anti-Japanese riots across China.

It was sparked by a dispute over some small,

uninhabited islands.

And then some people decided

the most logical course of action would be

to march down the street,

carrying pictures of...Mao Zedong?

Ok.

But then they also destroyed

every Japanese product in sight.

Like this Chinese police car

that happened to be made in Japan.

An over-reaction?

Chinese police didn't think so.

I'm thinking maybe the CCP told them

to look the other way.

But the CCP was still worried—

about all those Chinese citizens

who didn't join the protests!

Maybe they didn't hate Japan enough.

That's why the CCP embarked on

a slew of borderline absurd Japanese-themed TV shows.

Not absurd like that game show “Food Floor Dinosaur!”

That was awesome.

These ones were not.

They were mostly about killing people.

In 2013, Quartz reported that 30% of Chinese primetime TV

was dedicated to shows about killing Japanese soldiers.

As you might imagine, at that time,

for the 40th anniversary of Sino-Japanese relations,

China didn't even bother sending a congratulatory message.

In fact, as recently as two months ago,

China sent its military into

Japanese Air Defense Identification Zones

and told them to “get used to it.”

But now, the CCP is suddenly being friendly.

Hosting that anniversary party and all.

So how did the CCP go from

“Japanese and Dogs are Forbidden”

to hosting a black tie party for the Prime Minister

with an awesome ice phoenix?

Well, it's the fallout from this.

That's the path a North Korean missile took

right over Japan just a few weeks ago.

Though it wasn't targeting Japan,

it did freak everyone out.

And it reopened Japan's internal debate

about developing its own military.

After the Japanese surrender in World War II,

the US forced Japan to agree to a constitution

that prohibited the country from having any military

except a self-defence force.

Japan is also not allowed to declare war

or have nuclear weapons.

And before you ask, Godzilla is allowed;

he's part of the self-defense force.

Though having him around is a bit of a double-edged sword.

Anyway, the CCP has always been happy

about Japan's military restrictions.

When your biggest economic rival

can never go to war against you,

it makes you feel a bit more confident

telling them to “get used” to your military activity...

Riiiiight up until they start pushing for a military.

Then it's time to make peace.

But Prime Minister Shinzō Abe

has always wanted a military.

And North Korea is giving him the perfect excuse.

"The gravity of this threat is unprecedented.

It is indisputably a matter of urgency.

It's also giving him a much needed boost

in the polls at home.

“Abe is taking advantage of bolstered approval ratings—

partly on the back of his handling

of the situation with North Korea…

in a bid to achieve his long held goal

of revising Japan's postwar pacifist constitution.”

This is something he's been pushing

for a long time.

In 2014,

Japan made the first expansion of

its defense force in forty years.

Not long after,

he made a reinterpretation of the Japanese constitution.

Instead of limiting military force to Japan's self-defense,

Japan could now also use its military to defend an ally.

And just a few months ago,

Abe put a deadline on his plans to change the constitution.

This was right after saying North Korea

could launch a sarin gas attack.

Japan has also recently been doing live fire drills

with the US military.

The US has a mutual defense treaty with Japan.

That means the US is bound to protect Japan,

including the Senkaku islands.

Those are the islands China also claims,

the ones that sparked the protests I mentioned earlier.

“There's a nightmare scenario brewing in the East China Sea.”

“The risks of an accidental confrontation

between the two nations is rising

and it could draw in other countries

like the United States.”

And the reason the Chinese Communist Party

is so freaked out about a militarized Japan,

is that Japan's self-defense force

can already rival China's military.

Even though China has more soldiers

and outspends Japan,

“Japan has the strongest navy and air force in Asia”

according to one expert.

And remember,

that's with only a self-defense force.

Japan's supremacy is thanks in part

to cutting edge technology

plus a missile defense system

installed by the US.

Meanwhile, the Chinese military

is still struggling to modernize.

And even though right now

Japan isn't allowed nuclear weapons,

the country already has nuclear power.

It's not stretch to imagine how quickly

Japan could arm itself with nuclear weapons.

In recent weeks,

some Japanese officials have even quietly suggested

that they should allow the US

to keep nuclear weapons in Japan.

With Godzilla and a nuclear-armed Uncle Sam,

they'd be unstoppable.

This is all very convenient for Prime Minister Shinzō Abe.

He's using the North Korea nuclear situation,

and Japan's relationship with the US,

to get Japan the military force he's always wanted.

“Together with Donald Trump,

we have been successfully demonstrating

our strong will to exercise pressure against North Korea….

So I strongly look forward to making every effort

with you and also with other members

of the international community

to achieve the de-nuclearizaton of North Korea.”

And that might be a reality the Chinese Communist Party

will just have to get used to.

Let us know what you think.

Thanks for watching this episode of China Uncensored.

I'm your host Chris Chappell.

See you next time.

So how much you want to bet

that if Japan gets a military,

it will have giant robots?

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