Masayoshi Ohira’s China Perceptions And Policies Toward China

Masayoshi Ohira was a crucial politician in Japan’s politics after WWⅡ. He contributed a lot to the improvement of the Sino-Japanese relations after WW Ⅱ. By this study, it is able to analyze some factors that had effects on his policies toward China, which are Ohira’s China perception, the international and domestic environment of Japan.This essay aims to analyze the influencing factors of Ohira’s policy toward China by two diplomatic cases. One is the changing course of Ohira’s attitudes toward Chinese representation in the UN. The other is how did Ohira catch the right time to start the Sino-Japanese rapprochement.The second chapter will define the formations and contents of Ohira’s China perception. And the third chapter will follow the trail of Ohira’s attitudes toward Chinese representation in the UN during 1962 and 1971 and analyze its influencing factors. Ohira’s attitudes toward Chinese representation in the UN changed from agreeing with the "Appointed Case of Important Question" and "Taiwan’s Representation in the UN" at first to opposing Japan’s proposal of "Appointed Case of Dual-Presentation" and the "Appointed Case of Athwart Important Question" in the 26th UNGA at last. The last chapter will analyze the factors contribute to Ohira’s decision invoking the Sino-Japanese rapprochement and study the course during which the Sino-Japanese rapprochement becoming the policy of the Japanese government.The study shows that Ohira’s China perception consists of his appreciation of Chinese classical culture, his war guilt and objective cognition of the importance of China to Japan. In addition, his China perception dose affect some of his policies toward China. However, in the case of the changing course of Ohira’s attitudes toward Chinese representation in the UN and how did Ohira catch the right time to start the Sino- Japanese rapprochement, his China perception has little influence. The international environment contributes most to the change of his attitudes toward Chinese representation in the UN. International environment, together with domestic environment of japan, especially his political campaign contribute most to his decision of the Sino-Japanese rapprochement. All of above, simply regarding the China perception of the Japanese leaders as their policies toward China is not wise. And it is inappropriate to take their China perception as the only influencing factor of their policies toward China.