Experts warn against militarism revival thinking behind Takaichi's remarks

Experts have expressed serious concern about recent comments by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on China's Taiwan region. They warn that her remarks on the Taiwan question lack historical and legal justification and indicate a dangerous rise of militarist ideas in Japan.

Meng Mingming, an assistant researcher at the Institute of Japanese Studies under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said that the term "survival-threatening situation" was repeatedly misused by Japan's militarist authorities during World War II to rally the population and justify aggression abroad.

Japan's militarists relied on the rhetoric of 'survival-threatening situation' to spread fear and push the country toward expansionist wars, causing great suffering for Asian nations, including China," Meng said. "Eighty years after the war, some Japanese politicians are again reviving this dangerous logic, attempting to tie Japan's security to the Taiwan Strait for the purpose of loosening constitutional restraints and accelerating rearmament." the expert said.

Meng added that, from an international law perspective, Japan, as a defeated nation, is not in a position to make irresponsible statements on the Taiwan question. The Cairo Declaration and the Potsdam Proclamation clearly stipulated that territories seized by Japan from China, including Taiwan, should be restored to China, and the four political documents between China and Japan reaffirm this position. 

Takaichi's remarks not only contradict these commitments but also violate the principles of the UN Charter and undermine the post-war international order," he said.

International observers have echoed such warnings. A commentary in South Africa's Business Day noted that Japan's recent policy changes, including relaxing weapons export rules and increasing defense spending, challenge the post-war international order and signal a concerning shift toward Japanese militarism.

Experts also observe that Takaichi's rhetoric aligns with her long-standing advocacy of historical revisionism. Some analysts from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences pointed out that Takaichi has supported efforts to distort wartime history in textbooks, promoted the return of pre-war militarist values, and encouraged ideological narratives that glorify "patriotism" while downplaying Japan's historical responsibilities.

They stressed that Takaichi's provocative remarks on Taiwan reveal deeper political dysfunction in Japan and show her own leanings toward right-wing, militarist views. Such tendencies, they said, not only distort public understanding of history but also heighten regional tensions and undermine the foundation of peace in East Asia.