Iwaya's “the cause is ours” remark: checking China's quote in the original
After visiting China, former Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya said that “the cause has been created on our side,” and a spokesperson for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs praised this as showing “the reason and conscience of Japanese people of insight” and used it to criticize Japan. We checked when, where and about what he said it, and whether anything was left out of China's quotation, against a summary of his press conference and the Chinese foreign ministry's original record, and set out the views of those who see the remark as careless and those who see it as a call for dialogue.
Verdict: are the viral claims true?
- True“Iwaya said Japan caused the Japan-China rift”In an emailed reply to Reuters on October 1 he said, “Since we are the ones who created the cause, we should take the initiative to act,” and at a press conference in Beppu on October 2 he said, “Frankly speaking, the cause has been created on our side.” At the press conference he explained that “what gave rise to distrust” was that Prime Minister Takaichi's answer on a Taiwan contingency “sounded as if it referred to a specific, concrete case.”
- True“China's government cited his remark to criticize Japan”At the Chinese foreign ministry's regular press conference on October 12, a Global Times reporter raised Iwaya's remark, and spokesperson Mao Ning praised it as showing “the reason and conscience of people of insight in Japan” before saying that “the responsibility lies entirely with the Japanese side.” The exchange is recorded on the ministry's website.
- Misleading“Iwaya said Japan alone is to blame”At the press conference, Iwaya said that when he called on the government to act he meant “of course, both governments,” and also said, “I want China, too, to open its channels and engage in dialogue.” In his reply to Reuters he also wrote, “although China has also closed its channels for dialogue.” These parts do not appear in the exchange at the Chinese foreign ministry's press conference.
- True“Iwaya got unusually warm treatment in China”He met two Communist Party Politburo members on consecutive days, Foreign Minister Wang Yi (September 28) and Vice Premier He Lifeng (September 29). Kyodo News reported that it was the first time since November last year that China's leadership had met a Japanese lawmaker, called the back-to-back meetings “unusual,” and saw them as “warm treatment” intended to pressure the Takaichi government to change its stance.
- Unverified“Japan's government protested or rebutted his remark”On September 29, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said of the meeting, “It is an activity of a private economic organization. I will refrain from commenting on each one.” We found no reports of the government protesting or rebutting the Chinese foreign ministry's October 12 remarks. We also found no reports of Iwaya retracting or correcting his remark.
Translated and adapted from our Japanese original. Facts are as of the original publication date unless noted.
How did China use former Foreign Minister Iwaya's “the cause is on our side” remark?
- Remarks (email to Reuters / Beppu press conference)
- October 1 and 2
- Raised at Chinese foreign ministry briefing
- October 12
- Politburo members met during the visit
- 2
A careless remark
Saying “the cause is Japan” hands China propaganda material. It was careless for a former foreign minister.
A call for dialogue
He asked the Japanese government to ease the distrust caused by the answer in parliament, and asked China for dialogue too. It was taken out of context.
- Both sides agree
- Japan-China relations have stayed cold since Prime Minister Takaichi's answer in parliament.
- What to watch next
- Whether government-to-government dialogue between Japan and China resumes, and moves ahead of the APEC summit in November.
Key points
- Former Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya visited China from September 27 as chairman of the Japan Association for the Promotion of International Trade, and met Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Vice Premier He Lifeng on two consecutive days.
- After returning, he wrote in an emailed reply to Reuters on October 1 that “since we are the ones who created the cause, we should take the initiative to act,” and said at a press conference in his home city of Beppu on October 2 that “frankly speaking, the cause has been created on our side.”
- At the press conference, Iwaya explained that what “gave rise to distrust” in China was that Prime Minister Takaichi's answer in parliament on a Taiwan contingency sounded as if it referred to a specific case, and he also called on China to open its channels for dialogue.
- On October 12, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning praised the remark at a press conference as showing “the reason and conscience of people of insight in Japan” and said that “the responsibility lies entirely with the Japanese side.” She did not mention the part where he also called on China to engage in dialogue.
1. What is happening
Sorting out the viral claims
| Viral claim | What we confirmed |
|---|---|
| Iwaya said “Japan created the cause” | True. He said so in substance in an emailed reply to Reuters on October 1 and at a press conference in Beppu on October 2. |
| The Chinese government used the remark | True. At the Chinese foreign ministry’s October 12 press conference, the spokesperson praised it as “the reason and conscience of people of insight” and said “the responsibility lies entirely with the Japanese side.” |
| Iwaya said “only Japan is to blame” | Misleading. He called on “both governments” to act and asked China, too, to open its channels for dialogue. |
| He received “unusually warm treatment” in China | True. Two Communist Party Politburo members met him on consecutive days, which Kyodo News called “unusual.” |
| The Japanese government rebutted the remark | Could not be confirmed. The chief cabinet secretary said of the meeting that he would “refrain from commenting on each one.” |
How the remark came about
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| November 2025 | Prime Minister Takaichi tells parliament that a Taiwan contingency could become a survival-threatening situation. Japan-China relations cool. |
| September 27, 2026 | Iwaya leads a delegation of about 50 people to Beijing as chairman of the Japan Association for the Promotion of International Trade. |
| September 28 and 29 | He meets Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Vice Premier He Lifeng in turn. China calls for the prime minister’s answer to be “corrected.” |
| October 1 | In an emailed reply to Reuters: “Since we are the ones who created the cause, we should take the initiative to act.” |
| October 2 | At a press conference in Beppu: “Frankly speaking, the cause has been created on our side.” |
| October 12 | At the Chinese foreign ministry’s press conference, a Global Times reporter raises the remark and the spokesperson praises it. |
| October 22 | Shueisha Online comments that the remark was “neatly exploited by the Chinese government.” |
What Iwaya actually said at the press conference
According to the summary of the press conference published by the Oita Godo Shimbun, when a reporter asked whether “I want the government to work hard on this” referred to the Japanese or the Chinese government, Iwaya answered as follows.
- “Of course, both governments.”
- “Frankly speaking, the cause is being created by the Japanese side, so I want the Japanese government to work hard toward improving relations.”
- “I want the Japanese government to make efforts to resolve the distrust that has arisen, and I want China, too, to open its channels and engage in dialogue.”
On what the “cause” was, he explained that Prime Minister Takaichi’s answer “sounded as if it referred to a specific, concrete case, and that is what gave rise to distrust.”
What was said at the Chinese foreign ministry’s press conference
A summary of the record of the October 12 regular press conference (in Chinese) is as follows.
- Global Times reporter: After visiting China, Iwaya said the cause of the deterioration in China-Japan relations lies with the Japanese side, and that the Japanese government should work to improve them. What is China’s assessment?
- Spokesperson Mao Ning: This shows the reason and conscience of people of insight in Japan, and we view it positively. The root and essence of the problem lie in the views of history and of China held by those in power in Japan. The responsibility lies entirely with the Japanese side, and the ball for bringing relations back to normal is also in Japan’s court.
The part where Iwaya asked China, too, to open its channels for dialogue appears in neither the question nor the answer.
Sources (mostly in Japanese)
2. What each side says
We summarize each side's main arguments in our own words, based on the original statements and reporting.
A careless remark
Kenichi Ogura, writing for Shueisha Online, criticized Iwaya's claim that Japan is responsible as “material that helps China's logic.” He argued it could be used to support the claim that the dispute drags on because Japan will not give ground.
In fact, at its October 12 press conference the Chinese foreign ministry, answering a question from a Global Times reporter, took up the remarks of Iwaya and others, said that, as “they” say, the root and essence of the problem lie in the views of history and of China held by those in power in Japan, and stated that “the responsibility lies entirely with the Japanese side.”
Kyodo News analyzed that Xi Jinping's leadership gives warm treatment to politicians and business leaders who value Japan-China relations, aiming to pressure the Takaichi government to change its stance. Ogura said that despite the warm treatment, channels for government-to-government dialogue have not opened and no results can be seen.
A call for dialogue
At the press conference, Iwaya explained that when he called on the government to act, he meant “of course, both governments.” He went on to say, “I want the Japanese government to make efforts to resolve the distrust that has arisen, and I want China, too, to open its channels and engage in dialogue.”
On what the “cause” was, Iwaya explained that the government had never spoken about specific cases of a survival-threatening situation, but that Prime Minister Takaichi's answer “sounded as if it referred to a specific, concrete case, and that is what gave rise to distrust.” He said he had explained to the Chinese side how the prime minister later made clear, in subsequent answers and elsewhere, that the government's position had not changed.
On the backlash at home, he said, “I do not think things will improve if nobody meets anyone,” and called his meetings with two Politburo members “a step forward” given that dialogue had been cut off. He also revealed that he had asked Foreign Minister Wang Yi to refrain from the term “new-type militarism,” which China uses to criticize Japan.
Japanese government
On September 29, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said of Iwaya's meeting with Foreign Minister Wang Yi, “It is an activity of a private economic organization. I will refrain from commenting on each one,” and limited himself to saying that “precisely because there are pending issues and differences of opinion, it is important to have multilayered communication in a wide range of fields.”
Videos
Reading between the lines
This section is our editors' interpretation (speculation). It is not confirmed, but the facts it is based on are sourced.
The Chinese government
Why raise Iwaya's remark at a foreign ministry press conference 10 days later?
SpeculationThe question came from a reporter for the Global Times, which is affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party, and the spokesperson, with what looked like a prepared answer, urged the Japanese government to listen to the “voices of justice within Japan.” By using the words of a former Japanese foreign minister, China appears to have wanted to give its claim that “the responsibility lies with Japan” the appearance of being shared within Japan. Chinese media also presented the remark as criticism aimed by name at Prime Minister Takaichi's answer in parliament.
Facts this is based on
- • At the October 12 press conference, a Global Times reporter cited Iwaya's remark and the spokesperson praised it as showing “reason and conscience.”Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (regular press conference by spokesperson Mao Ning, October 12, 2026, Chinese)(Oct 12)
- • Jimu News reported Iwaya's remark as criticism naming Prime Minister Takaichi's remarks on a Taiwan contingency.Jimu News (news outlet in Hubei province, Chinese)(Oct 8)
Iwaya
Why use such strong wording as “the cause is on our side”?
SpeculationIwaya appears to take the view that Prime Minister Takaichi's answer caused China's distrust, and to want the Japanese government to move first so that government-to-government dialogue can resume. However, his explanation at the press conference was that “the answer invited misunderstanding,” and the wording, when clipped short, was easy to take as “Japan is to blame.”
Facts this is based on
- • Iwaya explained that distrust arose because the answer sounded as if it referred to a specific, concrete case.Oita Godo Shimbun (summary of former Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya's exchange with reporters, Japanese)(Oct 2)
- • In his reply to Reuters he said, “We should take the initiative to act. I want to ask the government for even greater efforts.”Newsweek Japan / Reuters (Iwaya says China takes an “extremely tough stance” toward Prime Minister Takaichi, Japanese)(Oct 2)
What people are saying
We searched Japanese posts on X (formerly Twitter) for terms such as “Iwaya the cause is on our side,” “Iwaya Mao Ning” and “Iwaya China visit dialogue” from September 27 to October 23, 2026. Most posts criticized the remark; only a few defended Iwaya.
A careless remark
- “Saying “the cause is on our side” in his home district looks to me like he's simply speaking for China's position.”
- “Being praised by China's foreign ministry as “a voice of sensible Japanese” is no laughing matter. As a former foreign minister, I think he should have considered how the other country would use his words.”
- “I think the warm treatment of Iwaya is a dig at the Takaichi government, aimed at dividing public opinion in Japan.”
A call for dialogue
- “The visit seemed to be reopening dialogue, so I think that momentum should be valued.”
- “I can understand the view that precisely because there are problems, we should keep talking with China, our big neighbor.”
Posts are paraphrased, not quoted, and individual accounts are not named.
3. Where things stand
Where they agree
- Government-to-government dialogue between Japan and China has been cut off since Prime Minister Takaichi's answer in parliament.
- Iwaya said “the cause has been created on our side,” and the Chinese foreign ministry used it to criticize Japan.
Where they disagree
- Whether publicly saying the “cause” of the deterioration in Japan-China relations lies with Japan harms the national interest.
- Whether accepting China's “warm treatment” and meeting senior officials opens a path to better relations or simply lets China use you.
What to watch
- Whether government-to-government dialogue between Japan and China resumes.
- Japanese and Chinese moves ahead of the APEC summit in Guangdong province, China, in November.
It is true that on October 1 and 2 Iwaya made remarks to the effect that “the cause has been created on our side,” and that the Chinese foreign ministry praised them at its October 12 press conference and said “the responsibility lies entirely with the Japanese side.” However, Iwaya used the words to mean that Prime Minister Takaichi's answer had caused distrust, and he also called on China to open its channels for dialogue. The Chinese foreign ministry's press conference did not mention this part. Those who see the remark as careless take issue with a former foreign minister's words being used for Chinese propaganda. Those who see it as a call for dialogue believe that, taken as a whole, the remark asked both Japan and China to move toward each other.