Takaichi's dangerous rhetoric revives Japan's militaristic past

The Chinese government has lodged a stern protest against the recent provocative remarks on Taiwan by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, which constitute a severe violation of the fundamental norms governing international relations and a dangerous gambit that threatens regional stability.

On Thursday, Vice-Foreign Minister Sun Weidong summoned Japanese Ambassador to China Kenji Kanasugi, delivering an unequivocal message: any interference in China's internal affairs, particularly on the Taiwan question, is a red line that must not be crossed. Chinese officials in charge of defense and Taiwan affairs also gave strong responses to Takaichi's remarks.

During a Diet session, Takaichi indicated potential military involvement by Japan in cross-Strait affairs, claiming that it would be a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan. She refused to retract this statement despite China's strong protests. Her words are not only factually wrong and legally groundless but also constitute a breach of the one-China principle and the spirit of the four political documents between China and Japan.

The timing of Takaichi's provocative remarks makes them particularly egregious as this year marks the 80th anniversary of victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45) and the World Anti-Fascist War, and the 80th anniversary of Taiwan's restoration to its motherland.

This is far from a mere diplomatic spat. Her remarks raise fundamental questions concerning Japan's strategic direction. The term "survival-threatening situation" is particularly alarming and irresponsible, as Japanese imperialists used the same term as a pretext for Japan's aggression, including the brazen provocation of the September 18 Incident, which plunged China and the wider region into the abyss of war. To resurrect such rhetoric in the context of Taiwan raises serious questions about Japan's intentions under Takaichi's leadership.

Taiwan has been an inalienable part of Chinese territory since ancient times. The Cairo Declaration, the Potsdam Proclamation, and the Japanese Instrument of Surrender — documents that laid the foundation for the post-World War II international order — unequivocally confirmed China's sovereignty over Taiwan.

Japan, as a defeated nation in WWII, is legally bound by the postwar international order, which obligates it to uphold the arrangements for regional peace.

The Chinese government has made it clear that should Japan dare to intervene militarily in Taiwan affairs, such an act would constitute aggression, and China will resolutely exercise its right to self-defense under the United Nations Charter and international law. The consequences would be severe, and the responsibility would lie entirely with Tokyo.

It is disingenuous for some Western media outlets and Japanese officials to criticize China's response while downplaying the incendiary nature of the original provocation. This attempt to shift the blame represents a complete inversion of moral responsibility — the provocateur feigns victimhood while the actual injured party is framed as the aggressor.

Japan's current trajectory under Takaichi's leadership reveals a disturbing and dangerous pattern of historical revisionism and escalating provocations. Her frequent visits to the Yasukuni Shrine, which honors convicted war criminals among others, her denial of the Nanjing Massacre during which 300,000 Chinese people were brutally killed, and her vigorous promotion of the "China threat" theory collectively demonstrate a persistent attempt to whitewash Japan's history of aggression and revive militaristic ambitions. These actions represent not merely political posturing but a systematic campaign to undermine the postwar international order.

That explains why sober-minded politicians in Japan and elsewhere have criticized or expressed their concern at Takaichi's remarks, which she has obstinately refused to withdraw, despite claiming on Monday that her remarks were "hypothetical" and promising she would refrain from making similar comments in Parliament.

The unease reflects growing public concern in Japan that Takaichi, a hardline nationalist who also publicized her meeting with personnel of the authorities in the Taiwan region on the sidelines of APEC meetings, lacks political nous and that if she continues to act waywardly Japan might be dragged into a dire situation of her making.

History shows that the right-wing politicians of Japan have a tradition of plunging the nation into trouble through their narrow-mindedness and unwillingness to self-correct. The deeply disturbed political circle in Tokyo clearly fears that the new Japanese prime minister is reenacting that old curse.

The wheels of history roll inexorably forward toward China's national rejuvenation and complete reunification. No external force can change this reality. Japan must immediately retract the erroneous remarks, engage in sincere reflection on its historical crimes and cease all actions that undermine Sino-Japanese relations and regional peace.