Takaichi's Taiwan remarks spark domestic protests, global criticism

Hundreds of Japanese citizens gathered outside the prime minister's office on Tuesday evening, calling on the incumbent, Sanae Takaichi, to retract her remarks on Taiwan.

Protesters held banners reading "Takaichi, withdraw your statement," "Takaichi administration unacceptable" and "Retract the remarks, resign now."

Takaichi has recently hinted at possible military involvement in the Taiwan Strait. Her remarks have stirred growing discontent in Japan and drawn widespread criticism internationally.

Hiroji Yamashiro, the Permanent Secretary of the Social Democratic Party's National Union condemned Takaichi's remarks in a recent interview with China Media Group (CMG), saying the remarks violate international law and Japan's political commitments made to China and pose a threat to regional peace.

Yamashiro noted that when Japan normalized diplomatic ties with China in 1972, it recognized the government of the People's Republic of China as the sole legitimate government of China and stated it understands and respects that Taiwan is an integral part of China. Takaichi's latest remarks, he said, are "incomprehensible" and "infuriating."

He stressed that the Taiwan question is China's internal affair and that any military involvement by Japan would amount to aggression. "Such an act would invite counterattack," he said. "Dragging Japan into an unnecessary war is absolutely unacceptable for a country with a pacifist constitution."

Yamashiro added that as a nation that once waged war, Japan must face up to history, reflect on its wartime past, and guard against repeating it through inflammatory political rhetoric.

Robert Barwick, the research director of the Australian Citizens Party told CMG that the world widely recognizes the one-China principle and that Takaichi's remarks are "highly provocative" toward both China and that principle.

He also warned of a growing trend of right-wing historical revisionism in Japanese politics, which he said is unacceptable to countries that suffered from Japan's wartime aggression. He added that Japan has been downplaying its pacifist constitution and seeking excuses to remilitarize. "These actions will heighten tensions in the region," said Barwick.

Jenny Clegg, a UK-based scholar specializing in China and Asia-Pacific affairs, said the Cairo Declaration and related documents form a crucial foundation of the post-war international order, and UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 clearly recognizes the government of the People's Republic of China as the sole legitimate representative of China. Ignoring these historical facts, she said, undermines international efforts to maintain global peace.

Clegg added that Takaichi's statements are not accidental. She pointed to Takaichi's long-standing visits to the Yasukuni Shrine and her push for Japan's military buildup. Rather than reflect on its wartime crimes against humanity, Japan, she argued, continues to deny them to this day.