Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's latest "softened" remarks on China represent a calculated attempt at rhetorical maneuvering. If Takaichi genuinely seeks dialogue with Beijing, she must start from retracting her erroneous and dangerous remarks on the Taiwan question. Otherwise, she is merely misleading the Japanese public and the international community to deflect growing criticism.
日本首相高市早苗近期对华释放的一系列所谓缓和言论，不过是精心算计的话术博弈。倘若她真心希望同中方开展对话，首要之举便是收回其在台湾问题上发表的错误且危险言论。如若不然，她只是在蒙蔽日本民众与国际社会，借此转嫁外界日益增多的批评之声。
During the question-and-answer session at a news conference in Tokyo on Monday, Takaichi said her government had "consistently promoted a strategic mutually beneficial relationship with China and built a constructive and stable relationship". She also claimed that she looked forward to the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Economic Leaders' Meeting to be held in China later this year as an opportunity for dialogue.
周一，高市早苗在东京记者会问答环节称，日本政府“始终致力于推进中日战略互惠关系，构建富有建设性、稳定的双边关系”。她还表示，期待今年下半年在中国举办的亚太经合组织领导人非正式会议能够成为中日对话契机。
Such statements ring hollow when she continues to evade the reasons why relations have soured and seeks to shift the blame onto others.
然而日方始终回避中日关系恶化的根源、一味推诿责任，这番说辞听来空洞乏味、毫无诚意。
During Monday's news conference, when a TBS reporter claimed in his question that Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi "had held talks" with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Manila, Takaichi responded that "Japan was engaging with China at various levels", including through Motegi, and would continue communicating with the Chinese side.
周一记者会上，日本TBS电视台一名记者提问时称，日本外务大臣茂木敏充在马尼拉举行的东盟外长会期间同中国外长王毅举行了会谈。对此高市早苗回应称，日本正通过茂木敏充等渠道同中方开展各层级沟通，后续还将持续与中方交流。
However, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian had twice made it clear, the latest being on Monday, that no contact had taken place between the two foreign ministers in Manila.
但中国外交部发言人林剑已两次明确表态（周一刚刚再度重申），两国外长并未在马尼拉进行任何会面接触。
It is absurd for the Japanese side to continue playing word games and pretend that communication between the two sides remains normal.
日方一味玩弄文字游戏、谎称双边沟通一切如常，这种做法十分荒唐。
While dialogue between China and Japan is indeed necessary, the preconditions for that are clearly defined.
中日之间固然需要对话，但对话有着明确的前提条件。
Takaichi's remarks on the Taiwan question in November last year crossed China's red line and triggered the downward spiral in bilateral relations. Not to mention that the series of China-targeted moves her government has taken in various fields ever since have further hurt bilateral ties.
去年11月，高市早苗在台湾问题上的表态触碰中方红线，致使中日关系持续走低。此后，其内阁在诸多领域接连出台针对中国的举措，更是让双边关系雪上加霜。
While claiming to be advancing a mutually beneficial relationship and seeking a stable relationship with China, Tokyo simultaneously accelerates the revision of its national security strategy, expands military preparations targeting China, establishes quasi-alliance networks internationally against China, and tries to instigate proxy conflicts. Such moves will only further damage its credit and China-Japan relations.
日本一边嘴上宣称要推进中日互惠合作、谋求双边关系稳定，一边加紧修订国家安全战略、扩充针对中国的军备建设、在国际上搭建反华准同盟体系，还蓄意煽动代理人冲突。这类行径只会不断透支自身信誉，持续破坏中日关系。
Takaichi's relentless pursuit of a neo-militarist agenda, such as lifting the ban on the export of lethal weapons, has also contributed to her declining approval ratings, amid her failure to address the cost-of-living issues that are most concerning to ordinary Japanese people.
高市早苗执意推行新军国主义议程（例如解除杀伤性武器出口禁令），加之无力解决日本民众最为关切的生活成本难题，其民众支持率持续下滑。
Takaichi's exacerbation of both domestic and international challenges for Japan means it is only natural she should be losing public support, especially after more and more Japanese people see through her dangerous policy.
高市早苗不断让日本深陷国内外双重困境，失去民众支持实属必然；如今越来越多日本民众已然看透其危险施政方针。
Even as Takaichi claims to be repairing ties with China, Japanese media have revealed that right-wing forces in Japan are using paid recruits and large-scale AI-generated content to mass-produce disinformation, in a deliberate attempt to distort the history of Japan's aggression against China.
即便高市早苗口口声声说要修复中日关系，日本媒体却披露：日本右翼势力雇佣写手、借助人工智能大规模编造虚假信息，蓄意歪曲日本侵华历史。
To put China-Japan relations back on a stable track, the Takaichi government must abandon its neo-militarist trajectory, adopt a correct view of history and approach China's development with reason and restraint. To that end, it needs to move beyond rhetorical maneuvers. Such duplicity — saying one thing while doing another — will only continue to drain the credibility of the Takaichi government.
想要让中日关系重回稳定发展轨道，高市内阁必须摒弃新军国主义发展路线，树立正确历史观，理性克制地看待中国发展。日方不能只停留在话术层面，言行不一的两面派做法只会持续消耗本届内阁的公信力。
Tokyo has to demonstrate, through genuine action, a sincere commitment to regional peace and stability. Only then can it begin to rebuild the trust of its neighbors and the broader international community.
日本唯有拿出实实在在的行动，展现维护地区和平稳定的诚意，才有可能重新赢得周边邻国以及国际社会的信任。
rhetorical maneuvering /rɪˈtɒrɪkl məˈnuːvərɪŋ/话术博弈；言辞算计
deflect /dɪˈflekt/转移（批评、指责）；转嫁
ring hollow听上去空洞无物、缺乏诚意
neo-militarist /ˌniːəʊ ˈmɪlɪtərɪst/新军国主义的
duplicity /djuːˈplɪsəti/两面派；言行不一；口是心非
exacerbation /ɪɡˌzæsəˈbeɪʃn/加剧；恶化
