Japan's NSS Director Takeo Akiba at a meeting in Beijing, China, in 2018. (Pool Photo)
Regional security around Japan is on edge. Xi Jinping and Kim Jong Un are both calling upon their troops to develop fighting mindsets. On their orders, more than three million active service personnel in the region around Japan have been told to be ready for conflict.
Rhetoric has been matched by action.
North Korea's army tested an intercontinental ballistic missile on October 31st. It splashed down in the ocean between Japan and Russia, about 200 kilometers west of Okushiri Island. Analysts believe the rocket has the capacity to strike Japan and could even pose a threat to the mainland of the United States of America.
Kim Jong Un likes to give the impression that tests of this type are steps towards giving North Korean generals the ability to launch nuclear strikes upon his command. "I affirm that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea will never change its line of bolstering up its nuclear forces," he said in a statement.
Meanwhile, China's military, the PLA, put its battle capabilities to the test in October when it carried out a simulated blockade of Taiwan.
Soldiers were cheered on from China's shore by Xi Jinping himself. Xi later gave a speech, urging his forces to modernize and stamp out corruption.
Coordinated Response
Japan's response to these disturbing developments is being coordinated by Takeo Akiba, who heads the national security secretariat.
He has remained active throughout the current turbulent political period in Tokyo, despite the ambiguous outcome of the general election.
Mr Akiba traveled to Washington on October 25. He was received at the White House by the US National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan.
Both men expressed the view that provocative acts by North Korea must be met with a coordinated response.
An example of how this works in action was evident on Sunday, November 3. That day, the US scrambled a B-1B bomber to fly close to the Korean Peninsula.
The mission was supported militarily by America's two crucial East Asian partners: Japan and South Korea.
China Meeting
Not long after that display, security advisor Akiba held an important meeting in Beijing with China's top diplomat. Akiba and Wang Yi met on November 4.
Their wide-ranging talks ― which lasted around four and half hours ― included a discussion about whether Japan's next prime minister would be prepared to meet Xi Jinping later this year. In theory, it was agreed that a summit would be possible. However, it will depend on how the political situation in Japan develops over the next few weeks.
Mr Akiba assured Wang Yi that Japan seeks a "constructive and stable relationship" with China. However, he did not shy away from raising issues of concern.
These include this year's knife attacks on Japanese nationals living in China. Such attacks have led to injuries and death in Suzhou and Shenzhen.
Mr Akiba also pressed the Chinese side for help in dealing with problems caused by North Korea.
Beijing's official response to the intercontinental missile test was a rather gentle condemnation. "(China) has always believed that peace and stability, and promoting a political solution to the peninsula issue is in accordance with the common interests of all sides," said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian.
Wang Yi will inevitably have stuck to that position during his talks with his Japanese visitor.
Quiet Misgivings
Mr Akiba also told Wang Yi of his concern at signs that North Korea has dispatched a battalion of its "elite forces" to Russia, to aid its war against Ukraine.
China's leaders may be more concerned about this maneuver than they publicly acknowledge, according to Helena Legarda. She is an expert on Chinese foreign policy and military strategy at the Merics think tank in Berlin.
On the surface, China has not condemned the move and it is publicly endorsing the Russian leader, Vladimir Putin. Indeed, Chinese propaganda has claimed that China-Russia relations have reached an all-time high.
But Ms Legarda says: "The new ― and closer ― relationship between Russia and North Korea is probably a cause for concern among China's leaders. China could lose leverage over a difficult but important partner, which also happens to be its only treaty ally."
In Ms Legarda's view, there may also be a perception that North Korea is interfering with China's national interests.
"North Korea's decision to dispatch troops to Russia might also increase instability in Ukraine and further worsen China's relations with Europe and the US. Pyongyang's support may lead in return to more Russian tech transfers to North Korea, which might support and accelerate its nuclear and space programs. An emboldened Kim Jong Un may well revert to more aggressive and provocative behavior, forcing Beijing to respond," she says.
Business Leverage
Japan and China remain far apart politically. However, their business and economic connections stretch back many decades and thrive in some sectors.
For that reason, the national security team was accompanied on the trip to China by a large business delegation.
It was led by the boss of Suntory Foods, Takeshi Niinami, whose company has many Chinese customers.
Mr Niinami is also the chairperson of a business group known as the Keizai Doyukai. He also takes a high-profile role in Japanese public life, commenting on political matters, as well as business issues.
Niinami used his speech in Beijing to hail China's economic progress. He said that business from Japan plays a role as a bridge between the countries, further deepening mutually beneficial cooperation.
Chinese Vice President Han Zheng gave Mr Niinami and the other Japanese business leaders a warm welcome. In addition, he assured them that mutual cooperation can achieve "win-win" outcomes.
Fish Back On the Menu
Foreign Minister Wang Yi was also mindful of the need to try to create a safe atmosphere for business. He described Japan and China as "cooperative partners" that "do not pose a threat" to each other.
The Japanese business delegation can point to a tangible, positive outcome from recent engagement with China. A ban on seafood imports from Japan which was imposed in 2023 has now been lifted.
However, critics say that it was never necessary in the first place. There was no evidence that sea creatures caught near Japan have ever been contaminated with treated radioactive material, or that they pose any risk to human health.
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Author: Duncan Bartlett, Diplomatic Correspondent
Mr Bartlett is the Diplomatic Correspondent for JAPAN Forward and a Research Associate at the SOAS China Institute. Read his other articles and essays.
