Japan's ex-PM Hatoyama slams Takaichi, calls China's response 'natural'

Former Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama on Monday slammed Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi for interfering in China's domestic affairs, saying China's response to Takaichi's erroneous remarks on the Taiwan region was "natural."

In a post on the social media platform X, Hatoyama cited the late Japanese historian Kazutoshi Hando, who argued that the media helped drive Japan's aggression before and during the Second World War, and urged Japanese media to "do more criticizing work" to avoid repeating the same mistake.

Former Japanese Prime Ministers Shigeru Ishiba and Yoshihiko Noda also voiced concern that Takaichi's comments have strained Japan-China relations. Both called on her to exercise caution and to improve bilateral ties through dialogue.

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