Critics abroad and in Japan hit out at Takaichi's Taiwan comments
發佈日期: 2025-11-17 01:21
TVB News
Reaction to Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's recent remarks on Taiwan is heating up.
On November 7th, Takaichi said in parliament that a hypothetical attack on Taiwan by Beijing constitutes a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan that may require a military response.
It marks the first time since Japan's surrender in 1945 that a Japanese leader has openly linked a Taiwan scenario to the exercise of self-defence, drawing strong condemnation from China.
The National Defence Ministry said the remarks challenge the postwar international order and send wrong signals to separatist forces in Taiwan.
Liu Kuangyu, an associate research fellow at the Institute of Taiwan Studies under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said her statement serves several purposes.
"Takaichi's remarks at this juncture serve three primary objectives," said Liu. "First, demonstrating an extreme hardline stance of pro-Taiwan and anti-China, continuing to court and incite Japan's right-wing populists, amplifying domestic anti-China sentiment."
"Second, exploiting the hype surrounding intervention in the Taiwan Strait to advance the lifting of restrictions and expansion of Japan's collective self-defence rights, as well as the long-term political ambition to breach the Peace Constitution and revive Japanese militarism."
Even some Japanese media outlets criticised the prime minister. Japan's Asahi Shimbun posted an article saying Takaichi's remarks were "deviating from her predecessors' remarks".
South Korea's KyungHyang Shinmun published a commentary saying Takaichi is provoking neighbouring countries. It added that the international community has been wary of her rise.
The China Coast Guard said one of its ship formations conducted a patrol within the Diaoyu Islands claimed by both countries, saying it was a lawful operation to uphold its rights and interests.
The Education Ministry issued an overseas study alert for Japan, urging Chinese nationals to carefully consider plans to study in the country because of the growing security risks.
Earlier, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and its offices in Japan urged Chinese citizens to avoid travelling to the country, citing recent rising attacks on Chinese nationals.
Even Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning, on her personal social media account, pointed out that Japan in 1972 officially recognised the Government of the People's Republic of China as the sole legal Government of China.
