The current tensions were sparked at a parliamentary meeting in Japan last Friday, when an opposition lawmaker asked Takaichi what circumstances surrounding Taiwan would count as a survival-threatening situation for Japan.
“If there are battleships and the use of force, no matter how you think about it, it could constitute a survival-threatening situation,” Takaichi responded.
A “survival-threatening situation” is a legal term under Japan’s 2015 security law, referring to when an armed attack on its allies poses an existential threat to Japan. In such a situation, Japan’s self-defence forces can be activated to respond to the threat.
Takaichi’s remarks drew ire from Beijing, with China’s foreign ministry describing them as “egregious”.
On Saturday, Xue Jian, China’s consul general in the Japanese city of Osaka, reshared a news article about Takaichi’s parliamentary remarks on X. But he also added his own comment that “the dirty head that sticks itself in must be cut off”.
While the intent of Xue’s remarks “may not be clear”, they were “highly inappropriate”, Japan’s chief cabinet secretary Minoru Kihara told reporters on Monday.
Tokyo has lodged protests with China over Xue’s remarks, while Beijing has lodged its own with Japan over Takaichi’s.
Xue’s post has since been taken down – but the dust from the barbed exchanges hasn’t settled yet.
On Tuesday, Takaichi declined to retract her remarks, which she defended as “consistent with the government’s traditional position”. She did note, however, that she would be careful commenting on specific scenarios from now on.
