Japan recently made a small change in the registration of household names, starting on May 26, 2025, in Japan Taiwanese can change the nationality bar from the original "China" to "Taiwan".
The Japanese Ministry of Justice said it was to facilitate the registration of residents, and also took into account the "identity identification" of Taiwanese people, but the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs directly criticized it, saying it violated a Chinese principle and was a small move on the Taiwan issue.
The Japanese economy is being squeezed by Trump's tariff policy, and it was intended to strengthen trade cooperation with China to calm down, as a result of this, it is estimated that the path to seeking help is narrower.
Especially because of the pressure within the party and economic difficulties announced resignation on September 7th, is there not a shadow of friction behind this?
Japan's household registration system is inherently rigorous. In principle, when foreigners register, only the name of the country is recognized in the nationality column. People born in Taiwan Province used to mark "China" in a unified way, which is related to Japan's diplomatic position. After all, they recognize one China.
However, as of February 17, 2025, the Ministry of Justice officially announced that the nationality column would be changed to "Nationality, Region", allowing the name of the region, such as Taiwan or Palestine.Registered can also apply for change, operation is not complicated, send a request to the district office.
A few months ago, the Japanese government openly sought opinions on the matter, and the Minister of Justice also stressed that it was an internal decision, without exaggerating it to the outside.
On the surface, this is Japan's small adjustment in immigration and resident management, after all, there are a lot of Japanese Taiwanese, and there are always problems with marriage or long-term residence.
On February 17, Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiangkun said in a press conference that Japan was interfering in China's internal affairs, urging them to adhere to "the four political documents of China and Japan" and not to blur their positions on the Taiwan issue.
On March 17, spokesman Mao Ming reiterated that Taiwan is Chinese territory, outside forces should not interfere.Taiwan State Council Office August 27 also issued a statement that Japan must reflect on history and abide by the one-China principle.
Japan’s move has indeed stumbled on the red line because it indirectly recognizes Taiwan’s “regional” identity, much like the word games played by many countries internationally.
In the past few years, Japan has made a lot of moves on Taiwan-related issues. For example, the white paper on defense always mentions the security around Taiwan Province, and the one published in September 2025 revisited the old saying, which provoked criticism from Jiang Bin, spokesman of the Chinese Ministry of National Defense, saying that Japan should not use Taiwan Province to cause trouble and block Sino-Japanese relations.
Why should Japan change at this time? because internal demand and external pressure are mixed together.
Japan's society is ageing seriously, the easing of immigration policy is a trend, there are more and more foreigners in Japan, and Taiwanese as a high-quality group, it was popular.
Changing this column can make Taiwan Province people feel more comfortable and promote communication. But in the background, Japan is stuck between the United States and China.
After Trump took office, tariff policies wave after wave. On April 2, 2025, the "Liberation Day" reciprocal tariff was announced, with an average tariff of 24% for Japanese goods. Automobile aluminum and steel were temporarily exempted, but all other exports were caught.
The Japanese stock market lost several trillion yen on the day.The Japanese economy was dependent on exports, and the United States was the largest market, which was even worse.In May, the Japanese government hastened to push for emergency measures to subsidize corporate financing, stimulate domestic demand, but the cup of water car salary.
Trump’s tariffs are not exclusively aimed at China, the world is hit, but Japan loses the most. In recent years, Japan-US trade frictions have continued, and Trump has refused to exempt from Japanese steel tariffs, and has also banned Japan from buying American steel companies.
The Japanese business community feels unstable, afraid of becoming the next ally dropped by the United States.
On July 8th, Trump imposed tariffs of more than 25% on 14 countries, including Japan and South Korea, and the global economy and trade were in chaos. Japanese media reported that enterprises began to turn to other markets, and China, as a neighbor and big buyer, naturally became the first choice.
In June, Japan sent a high-level delegation of more than 200 people to Beijing to talk about free trade rules and maintain the investment environment. Kyodo News said that this was in response to U.S. unilateralism, led by Takao Shindo, head of the delegation, with the focus on expanding Sino-Japanese economic and trade cooperation.
Japan's industrial and commercial circles are under great pressure, regarding the Chinese market as a buffer, and emphasizing mutual benefit and win-win results in negotiations.
But the question is, is it not two-sided that Japan asks China for help while making small moves on the Taiwan issue? China's Foreign Ministry has warned that foreign intervention in Taiwan would undermine bilateral trust.
On July 23rd, Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya in Tokyo, reiterating the provisions of four political documents on Taiwan Province, and Japan must recognize the situation clearly. Economic cooperation is advancing, but the shadow of Taiwan Province lingers.
In September, Japan's defense white paper mentioned Taiwan Province's periphery again, and the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council of China directly responded, saying that Japan should not mislead the people.
As a result, Japan's sincerity in seeking help from the Chinese market was discounted, and China's stance was hard, emphasizing that one China cannot be challenged. This blocks Japan's only back road.
Trump's tariff war made it difficult for the Japanese economy to catch its breath. He wanted to rely on the Chinese market to catch his breath. Now Sino-Japanese relations are tight due to the Taiwan Province issue, and the space for cooperation has shrunk.
Shigeru Ishiba stepped down at this time, which added to the chaos. He was elected president of the Liberal Democratic Party on September 27, 2024, and took office as prime minister on October 1. He originally promised to strengthen the Japan-US alliance and stabilize the economy.
But he took office less than a year ago and announced his resignation on September 7 at a press conference at the prime minister's residence, saying it was to avoid divisions within the party, acknowledging the economic and diplomatic pressure was great. Self-Democratic Party 8 decided to early presidential elections, Japan changed the prime minister for the fourth time in five years, political turmoil.
During Shigeru Ishiba's term of office, Sino-Japanese relations have eased in stages, the tension in the Taiwan Strait has decreased a little, and economic and trade cooperation has been promoted. For example, on February 27th, the Ministry of Commerce press conference mentioned that the scale of the Japanese delegation to China reached a record, and on March 22nd, the Sino-Japanese high-level economic dialogue was held in Tokyo, with 15 departments discussing trade and investment.
However, conservatives criticized him for being too weak, and the falling forces in the party added fuel to the flames.
After the departure of Shiloh, if the new prime minister comes to power as a high-market early-size or small-sized hard party, China-Japan relations may go backwards and rebuild the balance line with China.
In the long run, the economic, Trump tariffs have caused Japanese export enterprises to struggle, in the first half of 2025 construction expenditure decreased by 2.8%, employment declined, real estate lighted red.
High interest rates push up costs, developers shrink their hands, and commercial real estate vacancy rates are high.
At this time, the shift to China was a smart choice, the Chinese market was large, and the industrial chain was complementary.But Taiwan's households were concerned, so that China was vigilant, and Japan's "two-sided" behavior questioned the integrity.
In the past, Japan always relied on China in times of economic difficulties, and after the epidemic, the economic trade volume recovered, and bilateral trade in 2024 exceeded $300 billion. Japan must recognize that a China is the bottom line of China, and disrupting the Taiwan Sea will only bear its own bitter fruit.
Japan allowed to fill in "Taiwan Province", with the original intention of "minor repairs", but it stepped on China's red line.
Japan, as a Chinese neighbor, should pay attention to long-term relations. Taiwan is China's internal affairs, and external intervention will only rebound. China's economic trade should be mutually beneficial, and the Japanese economy can also breathe.
References:
1. Can Taiwan Province people in Japan change their place of origin "China" to "Taiwan Province"? Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council responds to Observer.com 2025-02-26
2. Japan engages in "small moves" related to Taiwan, and China's response overview 2025-02-18