Provocative remarks by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on the Taiwan question continue to draw fierce criticism and condemnation from the international community. A global survey conducted by CGTN shows that respondents generally believe this move constitutes gross interference in China's internal affairs, and there is an urgent need to be highly vigilant against the growing ambition of Japanese right-wing forces to subvert the post-WWII international order.

In the latter part of World War Two, a series of internationally legally binding documents, including the Cairo Declaration and the Potsdam Proclamation, affirmed China's sovereignty over the Taiwan region. This is an important outcome of the victory in WWII. A total of 91.1 percent of respondents stated that Japan should thoroughly reflect on its historical crimes with concrete actions and fully respect China's sovereignty and territorial integrity; 88.5 percent of respondents criticized Japan's blatant provocation against the post-WWII international order. 

In 1971, the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 2758, which recognizes the Government of the People's Republic of China as the sole legal government representing the whole of China, including the Taiwan region. On this, 86.6 percent of respondents pointed out that Japan should respect the authority of the resolution and stop sending wrong signals to Taiwan secessionists.

Notably, Takaichi's remarks mark the first time since Japan's defeat in 1945 that a Japanese leader in office has put forward the notion that "a Taiwan emergency is a Japanese emergency" on an official occasion and linked it to the exercise of collective self-defense rights. It is also the first time that a Japanese leader has expressed ambitions to intervene militarily on the Taiwan question and issued a military threat against China. In the survey, 86.1 percent of respondents criticized Takaichi's remarks for seriously violating the clear provisions on the Taiwan question in the four political documents between China and Japan, and for having severely damaged the foundation of Sino-Japanese relations; 88.9 percent of respondents condemned the Japanese Prime Minister's remarks for attempting to interfere in the Taiwan question and issuing military threats against China, stating that such remarks will seriously threaten regional peace and stability.

In fact, behind Takaichi's remarks on the Taiwan question lies the sinister intention and dangerous attempt of Japanese right-wing forces to constantly breach the constraints of the pacifist constitution in pursuit of a "military power" status. Takaichi drawing a link between a "Taiwan emergency" to collective self-defense rights aims to fabricate the grounds for Japan's military expansion, 88.3 percent of the survey's respondents pointed out; while 87.2 percent stated that signs of a resurgence in Japanese militarism warrant high vigilance from the international community.

The survey was released on CGTN's English, Spanish, French, Arabic and Russian platforms, with 6,643 netizens participating and expressing their opinions within 24 hours.