Table of Content

25 October 2026, Volume 40 Issue 5

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Analysis of the Reverse Trade Impact Effects of Japan's Export Controls on China: From the Perspective of Semiconductor Manufacturing Equipment

LIU Hong, ZHU Weili, LI Yanshan

2026, 40(5):  1-14.  DOI: 10.14156/j.cnki.rbwtyj.2026.05.001

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Japan has long relied on the Coordinating Committee for Multilateral Export Controls and the Wassenaar Arrangement to impose export controls on China. In recent years, with the steady rise of China's comprehensive national strength, and particularly under the spillover effects of the U.S. semiconductor control policies toward China, Japan has begun to tighten its export restrictions on China, with semiconductor manufacturing equipment as a primary target. Using data from 2007 to 2025, this paper empirically examines the backlash effects of Japan's export controls on China on its own semiconductor equipment exports. The empirical results show that Japan's restrictions on China not only significantly suppress its semiconductor equipment exports to China, but also reduce its exports of similar equipment to other global markets. These findings remain robust after a series of robustness checks and hold true even when considering the heterogeneity between critical and non-critical semiconductor manufacturing equipment. Based on this, it is recommended that China closely monitor Japan's regulatory trends, improve risk information early warning and corporate compliance system construction; strengthen the new national system, and advance core technology research in semiconductor manufacturing equipment; integrate the dual advantages of key minerals and markets to build a multi-level economic and trade response and coordination mechanism with Japan; and deepen diversified international cooperation to disperse the risks of technology introduction.

Japan's Experience in Addressing the Aging of Agricultural Labor Force Through “Expanding Sources” and “Reducing Expenditure”

CHEN Qifei

2026, 40(5):  15-25.  DOI: 10.14156/j.cnki.rbwtyj.2026.05.002

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To address the shortage of agricultural labor caused by low birth rates and an aging population, Japan has adopted a dual strategy of “expanding sources” and “reducing expenditure”. The former focuses on increasing the labor force, while the latter aims to substitute labor through smart agriculture to reduce labor costs. Research shows that Japan's “expanding sources” policies have yielded limited results and face significant constraints in scalability; although the “reducing expenditure” approach is crucial, it encounters structural challenges under smallholder farming systems, including high implementation costs, inadequate technology adaptation, and lagging digital literacy among older workers. For international promotion of this dual strategy, prerequisites include large-scale land operations, coordinated legal and policy frameworks, mature social conditions, and cultural acceptance in target countries. The value of this dual approach for other countries lies not in mechanical replication, but in identifying and avoiding potential limitations when transferring policies.

Japan Reshaping the Asian Development Bank Regional Development Intervention Regime

LI Ruiyang

2026, 40(5):  26-37.  DOI: 10.14156/j.cnki.rbwtyj.2026.05.003

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The rise of emerging multilateral development banks,has challenged the Japan-U.S.dominated Asian development finance system.To maintain national interests, Japan has sought to reshape the regional development intervention regime of Asian Development Bank, which is concretely manifested in, the ideologizing of economic concepts, and the emphasis on Quality Infrastructure Investment to strengthen competitiveness. Japan also adopted a “selective intervention” approach under the Regional Cooperation and Integration(RCI)framework: maintaining deep intervention in the GMS, offering targeted assistance to a specific country in the SASEC, and making CAREC into a “new battleground” for critical minerals.These reshaping ways had weakened the Asian Development Bank's role as a provider of public goods, while making it into geopolitical instruments in certain areas, which aim to serve Japan's regional economic diplomacy strategy.Meanwhile, identity fragmentation put Asian Development Bank into an efficiency paradox and exposed the risk of marginalization.To avoid the risk, Asian Development Bank must shift away from a confrontational mind and promote cooperation among development financial institutions.

Research on Japan's Strategic Diplomacy towards Africa under the “Indo-Pacific Strategy”

GUAN Hao

2026, 40(5):  38-49.  DOI: 10.14156/j.cnki.rbwtyj.2026.05.004

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As the core of Japan's international strategic system in recent years, the “Indo-Pacific Strategy” serves not only to counterbalance China's rise but also as a crucial tool for Japan to enhance its regional influence, pursue a dominant role in shaping international order and rules, and construct a global diplomatic network. As the western flank of Japan's “Indo-Pacific Strategy”, Africa is not only integral to the comprehensive improvement and advancement of Japan's “Indo-Pacific Strategy” framework but also a key area for Japan to curb China's international influence and seek strategic autonomy. Guided by the “Indo-Pacific Strategy”,Japan has continuously deepened the strategic nature of its diplomacy with Africa. By fostering political mutual trust and integrating the “Indo-Pacific Strategy” into its aid programs to promote African countries' understanding of its strategy, Japan has further advanced its diplomatic engagement with Africa. It has intensified investment and cooperation with Africa, competing with China in trade, investment, and rule-setting while shaping its own institutional and rule-based advantages. Japan has also emphasized security cooperation with Africa, contributing to peace and stability on the continent while using Africa as a testing ground for its “military externalization” to enhance its strategic autonomy in military and security affairs. The development of Japan's African diplomacy is conducive to Japan's enhancement of the discourse on Africa-related issues and the dominant position in the framework of the “Indo-Pacific Strategy”, exposing Japan's determination and ambition to seek great power diplomacy and status.

Trend Analysis of Malaysia-Japan Economic Relations during Mahathir's First Premiership

ZHAO Xinlei

2026, 40(5):  50-66.  DOI: 10.14156/j.cnki.rbwtyj.2026.05.005

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During Mahathir's tenure, Japan became one of the key partners in Malaysia's foreign relations. The proposal and implementation of the “Look East Policy” served as a crucial platform and vital medium for promoting economic cooperation and development between Japan and Malaysia. Drawing on the fieldwork and in-depth interviews conducted in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor, as well as primary sources from Malaysian newspapers such as Sin Chew Daily and Nanyang Siang Pau, this study provides a systematic analysis of the evolution of Malaysia-Japan economic relations during Mahathir's first premiership. The findings suggest that the implementation of the Look East Policy not only directly facilitated the rapid expansion of bilateral economic cooperation, enabling Japan to become one of Malaysia's most important economic partners, but also, to some extent, reinforced Malaysia's economic dependence on Japan. Although Japan has provided significant financial and technical support for Malaysia's economic development, certain structural issues remain evident in bilateral relations. The economic ties between Malaysia and Japan exhibit pronounced asymmetry, with Japan not viewing Malaysia as a fully equal partner but rather as a key strategic anchor in advancing its Southeast Asia agenda.

Structural Crisis and Governance Lessons of Japan's “Dankai Junior Generation”

BAO Fengming, KE Zhujia

2026, 40(5):  67-80.  DOI: 10.14156/j.cnki.rbwtyj.2026.05.006

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Under the dual shocks of the collapse of Japan's bubble economy and the “Employment Ice Age”, the Dankai Junior Generation, born between the early 1970s and the early 1980s, experienced a series of social challenges, including the devaluation of educational credentials and persistent difficulties in securing stable employment. The widespread expansion of non-regular employment significantly weakened this generation's capacity to withstand social risks, leading to increasingly cautious attitudes toward marriage and family formation, as well as the emergence of a victim mentality and an extreme form of individualism. The roots of this crisis lie in the failure of the industrial-era production model, the collapse of the bubble economy, and the increasing frequency of major social incidents. Although the Japanese government has sought to mitigate these problems through measures such as strengthening the social security system, promoting employment support, expanding childcare assistance, and developing a diversified long-term care system, the overall effectiveness of these interventions has remained limited. Japan's experience offers valuable lessons for China in addressing similar structural social challenges, highlighting the importance of forward-looking and systematic institutional reforms based on top-level policy design.