As the Japanese government struggles to address long-standing economic problems, the ''China threat'' has become a convenient way to deflect domestic frustration, according to a former Japanese official.
In recent years, Japan's economy has struggled with a weak yen, rising import costs, and higher living expenses.
In an interview with China Media Group (CMG) on Thursday, Ukeru Magosaki, a former official at Japan's Foreign Ministry, said that the root cause of the prevailing antagonism toward China is public dissatisfaction with the country's economic status quo.
"Japan's economic situation is far from optimistic. Conditions for low-income groups are worsening. Directing public dissatisfaction toward external issues is the simplest way to manage it," he said.
Magosaki noted that Japan's rising hostility toward China is not simply a product of political rhetoric, but also a reflection of how economic anxieties are being manipulated.
"This is not only driven by certain right-wing forces. Many people's economic frustrations are being artificially tied to a supposed 'China threat.' That is the key point. This way, domestic discontent is redirected and absorbed. A mechanism like this has taken shape," he said.
Former Japanese official says politicians use “China threat” to distract from domestic problems
China's latest high-speed train model has reached 450 kilometers per hour in test runs, pushing the frontier of the country's high-end manufacturing and further underpinning its strategy of promoting industrial upgrading through technological innovation.
The CR450 high-speed train, China's newest-generation high-speed train, has completed half of its road tests, marking a milestone for the country's railway industry and reflecting closer integration between manufacturing and research, according to a leading railway scientist.
"Extensive work has been carried out on the CR450 project since 2025, and significant progress has been made. So far, the train has completed about 300,000 kilometers of testing, with more than half of the evaluation process already finished," said Zhao Hongwei, a chief researcher at the China Academy of Railway Sciences.
Developed entirely with independent intellectual property rights, the CR450 also demonstrates stronger resilience in China's industrial supply chains. The project is boosting related sectors such as machinery, metallurgy, electronics and chemicals, as key components are now produced domestically.
"A high-speed train is a highly complex piece of engineering equipment. We estimate it contains more than 40,000 components, along with multiple control systems. These parts come from many different sectors, supported by an entire industrial ecosystem. So projects like this naturally drive the development of the broader industrial chain," said Zhao.
The train also offers a glimpse of the direction China's manufacturing sector is heading for, as the government has pledged during this year's" two sessions" to promote the full integration between technological and industrial innovation.
Speaking at the Ministers' Corridor during the annual meetings, Li Lecheng, China's Minister of Industry and Information Technology, emphasized the need to translate scientific breakthroughs into tangible industrial progress.
"We will follow the principle that industry sets the questions and technology provides the answers. A new round of initiatives will upgrade key manufacturing supply chains, drive breakthroughs across the entire chain, and speed up their conversion into new quality productive forces," said Li.
China’s new high-speed train unveils ambition to bridge technology, manufacturing
