CGTN: Reckless words, real consequences: Takaichi crosses the line
BEIJING, Nov. 17, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Just days after the conclusion of the 2025 APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi triggered controversy with her remarks during a parliament hearing on November 7. She stated that a Taiwan emergency involving the use of military vessels and military force from the Chinese mainland could constitute a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan. Under current law, such a designation could allow Japan's Self-Defense Forces to exercise the right of collective self-defense – a step considered equivalent to wartime mobilization.
Despite criticism, Takaichi doubled down on November 10, claiming her remarks aligned with long-standing government policy and that she had no intention of withdrawing them.
China immediately lodged stern protests. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian condemned Takaichi's remarks as "provocative," implying "the possibility of armed intervention in the Taiwan Straits." Despite formal demarches, Takaichi refused to reverse her stance.
Criticism also emerged domestically in Japan and from China's Taiwan region. Former Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said on TBS radio that Takaichi's language came "very close to claiming that a Taiwan contingency is a Japan contingency," noting that previous administrations deliberately avoided making definitive commitments on such hypothetical scenarios.
Opposition lawmakers demanded a retraction. Hiroshi Ogushi of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan warned that declaring a "survival-threatening situation" could lead directly to defense mobilization – "a judgment equivalent to entering a war." Ichiro Ozawa similarly cautioned on social media that such rhetoric imposed unnecessary risks on Japanese citizens, stressing the need for calm diplomacy.
Kazuo Shii of the Japanese Communist Party reiterated calls for Takaichi to retract her remarks, warning they were escalating tensions and undermining constructive Japan-China relations. Former Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama also responded, stating plainly that Japan should not interfere in China's internal affairs.
Voices from Taiwan echoed similar concerns. Former Taiwan regional leader Ma Ying-jeou wrote that China's Taiwan question must not be outsourced to foreign intervention and should be resolved peacefully by the people on both sides of the Straits. Former Kuomintang chair Hung Hsiu-chu questioned Japan's right to play any role in the matter, stressing that Taiwan is no longer a Japanese colony and should not be used as a pawn in geopolitical maneuvering. She argued that Japan has yet to confront its wartime past fully and therefore lacks legitimacy to act as an arbiter on the Taiwan question. Taiwan political commentator Lai Yueh-chien put it more bluntly: "It's none of your business."
Takaichi's remarks go beyond diplomatic posturing. They reflect a worrying trend of historical revisionism and strategic amnesia among Japan's right-wing politicians, fueling mistrust, inviting miscalculation and amplifying the risk of unintended escalation in one of the most sensitive flashpoints in the region.
Words from a sitting prime minister carry weight. When those words imply military intervention, they can shift strategic assumptions, trigger response planning and accelerate a dangerous security spiral.
The backlash from Japan and China reflects a simple truth: Leaders who casually invoke conflict are not protecting peace. Instead, they are jeopardizing it. At a time when stability in the region demands restraint, diplomacy and clarity, Takaichi's approach does the very opposite. Reckless language can harden positions, undermine dialogue and push the region closer to confrontation. The consequences of such recklessness would not be political. They would be real, destructive and borne by the people she claims to defend.
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