Editor's note:  Gabriela Bernal is a Korean analyst and a PhD student at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, South Korea. The article reflects the author's opinions, and not necessarily the views of CGTN.

As we commemorate the signing of the Treaty of Peace and Friendship between Japan and China – signed on August 12, 1978 – it's worth taking a closer look at where bilateral relations stand today. Even though 42 years have passed since the signing of this seemingly progressive treaty, have Beijing and Tokyo become closer friends, or is the relationship still tense and complicated? 

It's no secret that China and Japan have had their very tense moments in history. In fact, many of these negative memories remain vividly fresh given the relative recency of the events. It is often difficult for the rest of the world (mainly the West) to understand why Japan's closest neighbors – Korea (DPRK and ROK) as well as China – are not also its closest friends.

Those who do not know the details might assume that due to the supposed cultural "similarities" and geographic proximity these three countries would get along rather well. But this hasn't usually been the case, especially not in the recent past. Why is this?

In order to properly begin understanding the relationship between China and Japan today, it is imperative to look back in time, particularly at the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945). During this period of time, the Japanese military committed all kinds of unspeakable atrocities against the Chinese people, including countless innocent civilians.

For example, hundreds of thousands were killed and tens of thousands of women and girls raped and mutilated during the infamous Nanjing Massacre of 1937. Besides this, Japan also took control of large swathes of Chinese land to further expand its empire and advance its war efforts in the rest of the region.

Many may ask why this is still such a sensitive issue given so many decades have passed. The answer is simple: inconsistency on the part of the Japanese. Unlike in Europe, where Germany has consistently and continuously accepted its responsibilities for wartime atrocities as well as regularly denouncing its actions during the war, things went a bit differently in Asia.

Although various Japanese politicians have apologized and expressed their regret over the actions committed by their country's military during the war, these statements often get overshadowed by actions that seem to be in blatant contradiction to such apologies.

Some examples include the distortion of history in school textbooks, downplaying war crimes committed by Japanese soldiers, refusing to call the Nanjing Massacre as such and instead calling it an "incident," and repeated visits by high-level politicians (including prime ministers) to the Yasukuni Shrine, the final resting place of many Japanese war criminals.

These actions have long prevented both countries from moving on from these historical issues and focus on the future of bilateral ties instead of the past. Because of such flip-flopping actions, Beijing is wary of trusting Tokyo too easily.

Although Japan has tried to mend its relationships with its neighbors through large amounts of financial aid and kind words, this simply hasn't been an effective strategy since the country's leadership continuously contradicts their words with disrespectful behavior.

The animosity between both countries has gone on for long enough and Japan must understand it is in its best long-term interest to be on China's good side and to not lean too much on the United States. With the U.S. already pulling out troops from Germany and threatening to continue this trend in the ROK and Japan, America clearly has other priorities. It would be unfortunate for Japan to continue putting all its eggs in the America basket without considering mending ties with its strongest neighbor first.

Japan must not make the mistake of disregarding a strong relationship with China. Instead, its politicians and leaders must wake up to the reality that China is only getting stronger and more influential on the global stage and that it's in Japan's best interest to adopt a more consistent and respectful approach when dealing with historical issues.

It's in neither country's best interest to increase tensions in the region. The situation must therefore be looked at from a strategic and objective perspective to prevent further deterioration of a potentially mutually beneficial alliance.

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