AdvertisementAdvertisementEast AsiaThe flags of China and Japan are flown during the handover ceremony from China to Japan as the next host of the Asian Games at the closing ceremony of the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, on Oct 8, 2023. (File photo: AP/Eugene Hoshiko)10 Apr 2026 05:31PM Bookmark Bookmark WhatsApp Telegram Facebook Twitter Email LinkedInAdd CNA as a trusted source to help Google better understand and surface our content in search results.Read a summary of this article on FAST.Get bite-sized news via a newcards interface. Give it a try.Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FASTFAST TOKYO: Japan downgraded its assessment of China on Friday (Apr 10) for the first time in a decade, marking a new blow to relations between the Asian superpowers.Japan's ties with Beijing have soured in recent months after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi hinted in November that Tokyo could intervene militarily in any attack on self-ruled Taiwan.China views the island as its territory and has not ruled out taking it by force.The Japanese foreign ministry's bluebook - which details Tokyo's official views on diplomacy and the international climate - had described China as "one of Japan's most important" partners since 2016.Show MoreShow LessBut this year's edition simply calls China "an important neighbour".The report accused Beijing of "strengthening its unilateral criticism of and intimidating measures against Japan".As the diplomatic spat deepened between the world's second and fourth-largest economies, Beijing urged its citizens against travelling to Japan and tightened trade restrictions on some Japanese firms.Chinese visitors to the archipelago plunged 45.2 per cent in February from a year earlier, official data showed last month.Beyond China, Japan's diplomatic bluebook painted a bleak picture of the international landscape as a whole."It can be said that the comparatively peaceful era once known as the 'post-Cold War period' has already ended," it said.How China-Japan relations took a sharp downturn after a single remark by PM TakaichiJapan deploys long-range missiles near ChinaSource: AFP/coNewsletterWeek in ReviewSubscribe to our Chief Editor’s Week in ReviewOur chief editor shares analysis and picks of the week's biggest news every Saturday.NewsletterMorning BriefSubscribe to CNA’s Morning BriefAn automated curation of our top stories to start your day.Sign up for our newslettersGet our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inboxSubscribe hereGet the CNA appStay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best storiesDownload hereGet WhatsApp alertsJoin our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat appJoin hereAlso worth readingContent is loading...Expand to read the full storyGet bite-sized news via a newcards interface. Give it a try.Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FASTFAST