The Issue of Japanese Emperor's Visit to China in Sino-Japanese Relations : Focus on the analysis of the Chinese movement before the previous night of the visit

This paper, focus on the analysis of the Chinese movement around the implementation of the Japanese Emperor's visit to China before the previous night of this visit, to explore the relationship between the process of Japanese Emperor’s visit and the changes in Sino-Japanese relations. On the occasion of his visit to Japan in 1978, Deng Xiaoping first proposed the Japanese Emperor's visit to China. Taking this as an opportunity, the issue of Japanese Emperor’s visit to China was officially put on the agenda of Sino-Japanese diplomacy. Since then, after 14 years of negotiations between China and Japan, the visit was finally realized in 1992. Japanese Emperor’s visit to China is closely related to historical issues, which are a matter of principle in dealing with Sino-Japanese relations. In addition, the implementation of Japanese Emperor's visit to China is also a process of Japan and China making adjustments and negotiating about their own strategic interests. Exploring the solution to the long-standing unsettled case between China and Japan can provide an important clue for understanding the inside information of changes in Sino-Japanese relations after 1972. Based on the above points, this paper will examine the implementation of Japanese Emperor's visit to China based on the connection of the issue of Japanese Emperor's visit to China with other diplomatic issues between Japan and China (Historical issues, ODA issues, etc.) and China's domestic politics. The analysis will be conducted in three periods: The first period is from 1970s to late 1980s, which focuses on China's attitude toward the Emperor Showa's overseas visits, the background of China's invitation for Emperor Showa, and the whole plan of the Crown Prince’s visit to China. The second period is from the death of Emperor Showa in January 1989 to the former Chinese Premier Li Peng’s visit in Japan in April. This part mainly deals with the impact of Japanese Emperor’s substitution on the issue of Japanese Emperor's visit to china. The third period is from the outbreak of the Tiananmen Incident in June 1989 to the enthronement ceremony of Emperor Akihito in November 1990, in which the impact of these two events is analyzed on the Japanese Emperor's visit to China. To conclude, the paper aims achieve three goals. First, the implementation process of Japanese Emperor's visit to China is reproduced. Second, the main obstacles are made clear during the negotiation of the Emperor's visit to China, especially the significance of the Emperor's war responsibility. Third, the turning point is confirmed in the realization of the Japanese Emperor's visit to China.