Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's erroneous remarks on Taiwan have not only provoked strong indignation among the Chinese people but also drawn increasing opposition and criticism from objective and rational people in Japan, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Thursday.

When asked about Takaichi's claim that, because there are "various pending issues" between the two countries, Japan should adhere to a policy of reducing problems and enhancing mutual understanding and cooperation and that Tokyo remains open to dialogue with Beijing at all levels, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said the essence of the matter had already been made clear.

Guo noted recent comments by Atsushi Okamoto, former editor-in-chief of Sekai Magazine, who said that Takaichi has repeatedly mentioned having "dialogues" with China, but meaningful dialogue must be based on mutual respect, equality and efforts to understand the other side. Okamoto also said, "Takaichi's current attitude does not meet the conditions for genuine dialogue."

"This reveals the crux of the issue," Guo said.