Recently, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi openly declared "a contingency in Taiwan could constitute a survival-threatening situation for Japan under which collective self-defense may be exercised," implicitly suggesting possible military involvement in the Taiwan Strait. This constitutes a crude interference in China's internal affairs, a betrayal of the one-China principle, and an open challenge to the post-World War II international order. It also poses a grave threat to regional and global peace and stability.
From the perspective of China-Japanese relations, Takaichi's remarks represented the first time since Japan’s defeat in 1945 that a sitting Japanese leader has formally advocated the notion that "any contingency for Taiwan is a contingency for Japan," thereby issuing a military threat against China. The Taiwan question concerns China's core interests and the political foundation of China-Japan relations. Without this foundation, the edifice of China-Japan relations would be shaken to its foundations. The gravity of Takaichi's remarks lies not only in her explicit undermining of the political foundation of bilateral ties but also in her refusal to repent or retract the erroneous statements after the incident.
Since the normalization of diplomatic ties in 1972, successive Japanese governments have upheld the principles outlined in the four China-Japan political documents, including recognizing the People's Republic of China as the sole legitimate government of China, acknowledging Taiwan as an inalienable part of China, adhering to Japan's Surrender Instrument that complies with Article 8 of the Potsdam Proclamation, and committing to the consensus that China and Japan are “mutual partners and do not pose a threat to each other.”
By distorting China’s legitimate actions to safeguard sovereignty as a "threat," Takaichi seeks to justify Japan's abandonment of its pacifist constitution and re-militarization. A weakened foundation will shake the earth; Takaichi is deliberately undermining the political bedrock of bilateral relations. Should hostility and enmity resurface between China and Japan, it could inevitably trigger a spiral of animosity and catastrophe.
From the standpoint of international security, Japan's attempt to leverage Taiwan to revive militarism and provoke bloc confrontations poses the foremost risk to Asia-Pacific and global stability.
Legally, Taiwan's return to China and Japan's post-war disarmament form the cornerstone of the UN Charter and the post-1945 security architecture. Japan, as a defeated nation, is bound by the UN Charter and Article 9 of its pacifist constitution, which renounce war as a means of resolving international disputes and prohibit maintaining war potential. This constitutes a core arrangement of the post-war East Asian order, and Japan likewise lacks the authority to unilaterally breach it. Therefore, The Chinese government unequivocally declared that Takaichi’s remarks and actions seriously violate international law and the fundamental norms of international relations, and severely undermine the post-war international order.
This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, a milestone in global peace and justice. Japan bears irrevocable responsibility regarding the Taiwan question. Takashi's blatant militarist and imperialist mindset – evidenced by her denial of the Murayama Statement on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the war's end, attempts to whitewash wartime atrocities, rejection of the "Three Non-Nuclear Principles," and efforts to incite "East-West bloc confrontations" as a pretext for global conflict – reveals a dangerous trajectory.
She is leading Japan down a reckless path of denying aggression, distorting history, subverting order and undermining peace – serving as a bridgehead for a "new Cold War, or even a hot war." The convergence of historical nihilism with the revival of militarism not only re-inflicts pain from Asia-Pacific victim nations but also risks making Japan once again the source of regional turmoil and even global war.
China and Japan are separated only by a narrow strip of water. Cooperation benefits both, while confrontation harms both. The Chinese people will never tolerate any extreme provocation against China's core interests and national security. If necessary, we will settle the historical accounts and deliver a decisive blow. Japan must not allow itself to be hijacked by a small group of extreme right-wingers, leading the entire nation toward self-destruction.
Author: Liu Kuangyu, Associate Research Fellow, Institute of Taiwan Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS)
（ This article appeared in CGTN on 19-Nov-2025)