Hundreds of Japanese citizens rallied in front of the Prime Minister's Office of Japan in Tokyo on November 15 to protest against the prime minister's erroneous remarks about China's Taiwan region during a hearing in the Diet.

Protesters shouted slogans such as "Retract your remarks and apologize now," "Takaichi must step down," and "A person without diplomatic skills should not be prime minister," calling for Sanae Takaichi's resignation.

At a Diet meeting last week, Takaichi claimed that the Japanese Self-Defense Force could exercise the right of collective self-defense if the Chinese mainland "uses military forces against Taiwan." Despite China's serious démarches and protests, she refused to retract her remarks that imply the possibility of armed intervention in the Taiwan Straits.

Takaichi's remarks have drawn heavy criticism from senior political figures and the media at home. Many members of parliament have also demanded that she retract her words.

During a radio appearance on TBS on Thursday, former Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba called Takaichi's comments "very close to claiming that a Taiwan contingency is a Japan contingency," adding that previous governments had consistently avoided making definitive declarations on how the government would respond to specific scenarios regarding the Taiwan question.

(With input from Xinhua)