Diplomatic Bluebook Downgrades China

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) released its annual Diplomatic Bluebook of 2026 on April 10th. The bluebook acknowledges current situation of free and open international order as significantly shaken, indicating negative impact of military attack by major power. Reflecting exacerbation of relations with China, since Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi made controversial comment on Taiwan contingency, the bluebook downgraded China in terms of importance as a neighbor country. Japan keeps on seeking “Free and Open Indo-Pacific” as a basic concept of its diplomacy. 

The Diplomatic Bluebook is published by MOFA every year since 1957. The book describes international relations from the perspective of Japan and records Japan’s yearly diplomatic activities to let the people know what direction Japan is going in the international community. The 2026 bluebook, containing the events in 2025 with additional paragraphs on the War in Iran, is distributed to the ministers of Takaichi Cabinet on April 10th and will be published in June.

 

In the overview of international situation, the bluebook recognizes international disorder caused by “change in balance of power and surge of geopolitical competition. Seeing most complicated security situation around Japan since the end of the World War II, it concludes that relatively stable era, which was called post-Cold War period, has ended, referring to Russia’s invasion to Ukraine or war between Israel and Hamas.

 

The book does not discuss the War in Iran in the context of global instability. “Israel and the United States attacked Iran on February 28th, 2026, and Iranian leaders including supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei and leaders of Iranian Revolutionary Guard were dead,” the bluebook simply says. Not mentioning violation of international laws by the U.S. and Israel, the book accuses Iran of its military attacks on its neighbor countries and its nuclear development.

 

One topic in the bluebook 2026 is change in bilateral relationship with China. Although the Diplomatic Bluebook 2025described China as “one of Japan’s most important bilateral relations,” the 2026 version asserts that Japan regards China as an “important neighbor” and calmly and appropriately treats it with perspective of national interest.

 

Before Shigeru Ishiba stepped down as the prime minister in October 2025, Japan-China relations was on the track of improvement. China was gradually stepping forward to finish banning of importing sea foods from Japan. But it restarted blocking Japan’s sea products after Ishiba’s successor, Takaichi, referred to possibility of using force, in case China attacks Taiwan on November 7th, 2025.

 

The bluebook argues that China has unilaterally been criticizing and pressuring Japan, raising restriction of travelling Japan on Chinese citizens, lighting radar on an aircraft of Japan’s self-defense force or stricter control of dual use goods. Although Japan insists that it is diplomatically open to China, Takaichi administration has not found any momentum to rebuild the bilateral relations with China.

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