Japan's relationship with China has been marked by deep-seated antipathy since antiquity, with both nations historically viewing each other as barbarian. Throughout history, conflicts over the Korean Peninsula, Japanese piracy along China's coast, and two modern wars in 1894 and 1937, alongside Japanese atrocities during World War II, have left lasting scars. Post-war, Japan's economy surged while China struggled, but by the end of the Cold War, China's economic rise under Deng Xiaoping contrasted with Japan's two-decade decline, positioning China as the second-largest economy and Japan as third. This shift casts China's growing economic, demographic, and military power as an existential threat to Japan. Recent challenges, including the 2011 Tohoku earthquake damaging the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant and political shifts within Japan, have begun to stir the nation from stagnation, fostering a return to nationalism that once alarmed its neighbors. This emerging nationalistic sentiment could either drive significant change by challenging postwar taboos or falter under Japan's myriad issues like low birthrates, a strained social security system, a stagnant economy, and a stressed power grid. Economic ties bind the two nations, with 23,000 Japanese companies employing ten million Chinese workers in China, seen as vital for Japan's domestic revival. Yet, distrust prompts Japan to diversify investments into Southeast Asia, potentially heightening conflict risks with China due to overlapping interests and possible maritime clashes. Japan's naval strength, despite recent pacifism, remains superior, potentially curbing China's maritime ambitions in the Asia-Pacific and balancing power in the East China Sea without direct U.S. involvement, though this could strain American influence over Japan. Tensions are evident in public sentiment, with only 5% of Japanese viewing China favorably, and in diplomatic spats, such as China's extended Air Defense Identification Zone over the East China Sea and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's controversial visit to Yasukuni Shrine. These actions, alongside frequent Japanese jet scrambles against perceived Chinese incursions, risk escalation due to the lack of diplomatic channels to prevent misunderstandings. Both nations recognize that war is not in their interest, yet sustain tensions for domestic political gain, with Abe viewing a strong China as a threat to Japan's regional status, likely ensuring a continued tit-for-tat dynamic. While military conflict remains unlikely in the near term, prolonged tensions could shift public opinion, pushing Abe to challenge or amend Japan's restrictions on using force internationally, signaling an imminent change in Japan's military posture.