Protests break out in Japan against Takaichi's Taiwan remarks
發佈日期: 2025-11-20 22:32
TVB News
Rallies erupted in Japanese cities like Tokyo and Kyoto against Sanae Takaichi's off-the-cuff remarks on Taiwan.
It is reported that the prime minister privately admitted her words went a bit too far.
More than a hundred demonstrators took to Kyoto streets on Wednesday amid the Takaichi remark firestorm.
Many were hanging banners stating Taiwan should not be used as the excuse to provoke a war.
They expressed concern about her attempt to expand defence in a bid to fuel the economy, and argued the move would heighten the risk of regional wars.
In a fiery rebuke, one of the protestors squarely condemned Takaichi's suggestion of a hypothetical armed Japanese intervention in the strait, demanding the new PM to retract what he framed as "extremely dangerous" comments.
Meanwhile in Tokyo, a group of Japanese protesters voiced strong opposition to the remarks by Takaichi, with one saying "to truly maintain peace, Japan must stop its arms expansion."
Another protestor told reporters, "The Taiwan question is part of China's internal affairs in which Japan and the U.S. should not interfere."
The Japanese government's push for the construction of the U.S. military base in Okinawa was under fire at the rally, as protestors said they were deeply worried about the security environment around the southwestern islands.
Japan's public broadcaster NHK reported a decline in hotel business in the wake of a massive number of ticket cancellations from Chinese tourist groups.
A hotel in Sapporo of Hokkaido Prefecture said the cancellations began last Friday and amounted to about 20 nights as of Wednesday.
It feared a heavier toll on the industry if the ongoing downturn in Chinese outbound travel to Japan persists during the high season from December to February.
Kyodo News reported that Beijing has informed Tokyo to suspend imports of Japanese aquatic products again.
On this, a commerce ministry spokesperson noted she currently "has no information to provide," but she stressed Takaichi's erroneous remarks have drawn strong public outrage in China and urged Japan to correct its wrongdoings.
In another development, Asashi Shimbun detailed in a report that Takaichi privately told close aides she had "gone a bit too far" and "quite reckless" regarding Taiwan after her first budget committee session as prime minister.
Citing a Japanese scholar, The Global Times said Takaichi's remark has touched on China's core interests which Beijing cannot turn a blind eye to.
The scholar says Takaichi should retract her words, offer apologies, and even step down from the top job, or else Japan would face a sharp decline in the number of Chinese tourists and students, and a possible export curb on critical resources like rare earths.
