Japan spent the week trying to cool things down with China after weeks of rising tension over the Taiwan Strait. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi stepped in to reassure both Beijing and worried lawmakers at home, stressing that Japan’s long-standing position on Taiwan hasn’t changed since the two countries signed the 1972 Japan-China Joint Communique.
Speaking in a packed parliamentary session, Takaichi faced pointed questions about comments she made in November — remarks suggesting that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could create a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan. Beijing seized on that phrasing, calling it inflammatory and demanding clarification.
Takaichi tried to put the issue to rest. “The Japanese government’s basic position regarding Taiwan remains as stated in the 1972 Japan-China Joint Communique,” she told lawmakers, echoing Japan’s decades-old acknowledgement that China views Taiwan as an inalienable part of its territory. The message was clear: Tokyo hasn’t rewritten its playbook.
Even so, her explanation was doing double duty — offering China a sign of steadiness while soothing domestic critics who feared her earlier comments hinted at a more hard-edged security strategy.
One of the lawmakers pressing her the hardest was Shinji Takeuchi of the Komeito Party. He warned that Takaichi’s November remarks were already hurting Japan’s tourism sector and adding unnecessary strain to an already tense region. Though she reaffirmed Japan’s official position, Takaichi didn’t walk back her original warning about a Taiwan crisis.
Across the East China Sea, the response was cool. Chinese analysts remained sceptical, with Lian Degui of Shanghai International Studies University dismissing the prime minister’s clarification as “a play of words.” From Beijing’s perspective, Japan’s tone on security has been noticeably shifting — and not in China’s favour.
The diplomatic pushback soon climbed up the ladder. During a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi accused what he called Japan’s “far-right forces” of undermining peace in the region. He urged tighter China-Russia coordination to counter moves he believes signal Japan’s drift toward remilitarization.
Beijing kept up the pressure during its regular press briefing as well. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian blasted Takaichi’s earlier comments as challenging the post-World War II order. He also criticised Tokyo for, in China’s view, dodging questions about whether Japan’s Taiwan policy is truly as “consistent” as it claims.
Despite Tokyo’s attempt to offer reassurance, the week’s events showed just how delicate — and volatile — the Taiwan issue remains in Japan-China relations. Rather than settling the matter, Takaichi’s reaffirmation may have simply exposed how wide the trust gap has become.
