On April 16, 2024 the Foreign Ministry of Japan released its Diplomatic Bluebook for the year 2024. The book gives a roundup of Japan’s diplomatic profile in the past year and it also puts forth the Japanese perspective regarding the international developments and its own policy direction. The Bluebook describes the international situation as being “a major turning point in the history” particularly in the context of war in Gaza and the Russia-Ukraine conflict.[1] Additionally, through the book, Tokyo focuses on the notions like “human dignity” , “rule of law”, and efforts for promoting a “Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP).[2] Although the policy document covers a lot of areas like the Japan-U.S. alliance, the security environment in the region, and special initiatives for human development by Japan, one of the major highlights of this document is Japan’s willingness and acceptance of the need for cooperation with China. For the first time in five years, while referring to China, it has used the phrase “mutually beneficial relationship based on common strategic interests” which indicates that the two states are making efforts to break the ice. [3]
