Beijing signals tougher measures after Takaichi’s Taiwan remarks

Sanae Takaichi (2nd R, front) attends the extraordinary session of the House of Representatives in Tokyo, last month

Beijing has issued a cascade of warnings following Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s recent comments on Taiwan, a sign that China is prepared to escalate countermeasures unless Tokyo retracts what it calls dangerous and provocative assertions. Analysts quoted by China Daily said Japan must bear full responsibility for any further deterioration in ties.

The backlash began after Takaichi told a Diet session on Nov 7 that any mainland “use of force on Taiwan” could constitute a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan — language that, for the first time in parliament, linked Taiwan to the potential exercise of collective self-defense by the Self-Defense Forces.

Chinese ministries swiftly responded. The Foreign Ministry and China’s missions in Japan urged citizens to avoid travel due to heightened risks, prompting major airlines — Air China, China Eastern and China Southern — to offer free changes or refunds for Japan-bound passengers through Dec 31. The Ministry of Education issued a study-abroad alert, while the Ministry of Culture and Tourism similarly advised against travel.

According to China Daily, senior officials overseeing diplomacy, defense and Taiwan affairs warned Tokyo it would “pay a heavy price” for any attempt to interfere militarily in the Taiwan Strait. Takaichi has refused to withdraw her remarks.

Experts told Chinese state media that Beijing views the statements as a substantive threat to its sovereignty. Ding Nuozhou of Nankai University said the coordinated response shows the dispute has moved far beyond routine diplomacy. China, he added, has “given Japan ample room” to correct course.

The controversy also follows a bilateral meeting late last month in Gyeongju, where Takaichi reaffirmed Japan’s adherence to the 1972 Joint Statement. Yet shortly afterward, she highlighted a meeting with a Taiwan official at APEC, and then delivered her latest comments — moves that, analysts said, further eroded Beijing’s trust.

Voices in Taiwan’s opposition Kuomintang also criticized Takaichi, stressing that cross-Strait issues should be resolved by the two sides without foreign interference.

Commentaries in People’s Daily and the PLA Daily warned that linking a “Taiwan contingency” to collective self-defense suggests Japan’s right-wing forces aim to break free of constitutional pacifism and expand military power, raising concerns of reviving pre-war militaristic tendencies.

Lyu Yaodong of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences said such ambitions jeopardize regional stability and must be met with vigilance from Asia and the broader international community. Times Reporter