This produces what can be called a “memory security dilemma”: a condition in which historical memory systematically amplifies strategic mistrust, leading states to perceive hostile intent beyond what is intended. The traditional security dilemma builds on this logic: defensive actions are interpreted as offensive preparations, producing spirals of mistrust. The memory security dilemma is about uncertainty over meaning. The memory security dilemma is most visible in Sino-Japanese relations because the two countries do not remember the same past in the same way. The danger of the memory security dilemma in Sin0-Japanese relations is its self-reinforcing structure.