According to the BBC, a war of words intensified between China and Japan this week after Takaichi suggested Japan might respond with its Self-Defense Forces if China attacked Taiwan.
Both foreign ministries made serious protests to each other. Chinese diplomats also made comments that some interpreted as threatening to behead Gaoichi.
The spat touches on historical animosity between China and Japan and long-standing “strategic ambiguity” over autonomous Taiwan’s sovereignty.
The current tensions began last Friday in Japan’s parliament when an opposition lawmaker asked Takaichi what kind of situation surrounding Taiwan constitutes an existential crisis for Japan.
“Situation endangering Japan’s existence” is a legal term based on Japan’s 2015 National Security Law, and refers to situations in which an armed attack against an ally poses an existential threat to Japan. In such a situation, Japan’s Self-Defense Forces may be activated to deal with the threat.
Gaoichi’s comments immediately drew the ire of the Chinese government, with the Chinese Foreign Ministry calling them “terrible”.
On Saturday, Xue Jian, the Chinese consul general in Osaka, reshared a news article about Takaichi’s parliamentary remarks on X, but also added his own comment: “The dirty head that sticks out must be cut off.”
Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara told reporters on Monday that while Mr. Seo’s intentions in his comments “may not be clear,” they were “extremely inappropriate.”
The Japanese government protested to China over Mr. Xue’s comments, and the Chinese government also protested to Japan over Mr. Takaichi’s comments.
Xue’s post has since been deleted, but the dust from the barbed wire exchange has yet to settle.
Takaichi on Tuesday refused to retract his statement, saying it was “consistent with the government’s previous position.” However, he said he would be cautious in commenting on specific scenarios going forward.
And on Thursday, China’s Foreign Ministry posted on its X account in Japanese and English warning Japan to “stop playing with fire,” adding that it would be an “act of aggression” if Japan “dared to intervene in the cross-strait situation.”
On the same day, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong also summoned the Japanese ambassador to China and expressed his regret.
According to state news agency Xinhua, Son called Gaoichi’s remarks “extremely wrong and dangerous” and demanded that Japan retract them. He also warned that “otherwise, Japan will have to bear all the consequences.”
Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara told reporters on Friday that the Japanese ambassador refuted Beijing’s statements, explaining that Japan’s position on Taiwan “has not changed.”
MNA