China blasts Takaichi for highlighting illegal 'San Francisco Peace Treaty'

The Chinese Foreign Ministry on Thursday denounced Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi for emphasizing the illegal and invalid "San Francisco Peace Treaty" while deliberately ignoring documents that define Japan's postwar obligations.

Takaichi chose to sidestep the Cairo Declaration and Potsdam Proclamation – both recognized as having full force under international law and reaffirmed in bilateral documents including the 1972 Sino-Japanese Joint Statement and the China-Japan Treaty of Peace and Friendship – while singling out the illegal and invalid "San Francisco Peace Treaty," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said at a press conference.

This shows that Takaichi still refuses to repent, continues to undermine the political foundation of China-Japan relations established by the four bilateral political documents, disregards UN authority, and openly challenges the postwar international order and basic norms of international law. 

He added that her remarks even attempted to stoke the "theory of undetermined Taiwan status."

Calling the approach a mistake on top of a mistake, Guo said China firmly opposes it and urged the international community to remain alert. 

China again called on Japan to reflect and rectify, retract the erroneous comments, and demonstrate its commitments to China and its obligations as a UN member through concrete actions, the spokesperson said.

(Cover: Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun during a press conference in Beijing, October 24, 2025. /VCG)