Xinhua
19 Nov 2025, 08:15 GMT+10
TOKYO, Nov. 19 (Xinhua) -- Japanese media experts and scholars have continued to slam Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi over her erroneous remarks regarding China's Taiwan, calling her existence as prime minister the very crisis of Japan's survival.
During a parliamentary meeting on Nov. 7, Takaichi claimed that a Taiwan emergency could constitute a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan, allowing the country to exercise its right to collective self-defense.
Noriyuki Kawamura, emeritus professor at Nagoya University of Foreign Studies and vice president of the Japan-China Relations Society, wrote an article stating that Takaichi's remarks on Taiwan have broken with previous Japanese administrations, interfered in China's internal affairs, and trampled on the one-China principle.
"Takaichi's very existence as prime minister is a survival-threatening situation for Japan," a recent editorial published by the Japanese newspaper Shakai Shimpo stated.
The editorial pointed out that Takaichi's policy intentions have become increasingly clear: she disregards people's livelihoods, follows the footsteps of the United States blindly, and attempts to vigorously boost military expansion.
The editorial said that Takaichi's policy speech was filled with hawkish policies such as achieving the defense spending goal ahead of schedule, establishing a new national intelligence bureau,and relaxing arms export rules, which can only be seen as a deliberate attempt to escalate tensions.
Since Takaichi was elected prime minister, her political base has not been solid. The ruling coalition formed by her Liberal Democratic Party and the Japan Innovation Party holds less than half the seats in both houses of the Diet, Japan's parliament.
Takaichi should have chosen to "hide her sharp edge" and listen to the opinions of the opposition parties, but it is clear that she chose to consolidate her base by highlighting her right-wing stance, according to the Shakai Shimpo.
Professor Emeritus Atsushi Koketsu of Japan's Yamaguchi University believes that Takaichi's remarks fundamentally negate Japan's path of development as a peaceful nation in accordance with its pacifist Constitution, and should be strongly criticized.
There is clearly a political calculation at play, where Takaichi aims to consolidate her support base by consistently hyping the "China threat theory," Koketsu said, adding that making blatant remarks on the Taiwan question that constitute interference in China's internal affairs is an intolerable and egregious act.
Yoichi Jomaru, a former journalist with Asahi Shimbun, said that the Takaichi administration attempted to downplay the issue by claiming that her remarks were no different from the government's longstanding view, but her remarks on Taiwan were extremely rash. Making such a statement was itself a mistake and should be retracted as soon as possible.
"For Japan's security, diplomacy, and economy, establishing a mutually beneficial relationship with China should be the top priority," Koketsu said. He stressed that Japan should, based on the one-China principle agreed upon during the normalization of diplomatic relations between the two countries, strive to build a peaceful relationship with China.
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