Six Months of Tension, Beijing Still Demands PM Takaichi Retract Statement

Beijing (ANTARA) - China’s Foreign Ministry continues to demand that Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi withdraw her statement from six months ago that triggered tensions between China and Japan. “If Japan truly hopes to improve relations with China, it must abide by the four political documents between the two countries and the commitments it has made to China, retract its erroneous statements, and protect the political foundation of bilateral relations with concrete actions,” said spokesperson of the Japanese Foreign Ministry Lin Jian during a press conference in Beijing on Thursday (7/5). Relations between China and Japan have been tense since 7 November 2025, when Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi stated that China’s use of military force against Taiwan could “create a situation threatening Japan’s survival,” which continues to cause tensions in China-Japan relations. That statement is understood to mean that the Japanese government would allow the Self-Defence Forces to act in support of Taiwan if China imposes a maritime blockade on Taiwan or applies other forms of pressure. “The root cause of the serious difficulties in bilateral relations lies in Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s erroneous statement on Taiwan. The full responsibility lies with the Japanese side,” added Lin Jian. Lin Jian also stated that sincere dialogue is only possible if there is respect and consensus is honoured. “We urge the Japanese authorities to face the root of the problem, conduct self-reflection, correct their mistakes, and create the necessary conditions for normal relations between China and Japan,” Lin Jian said. Beijing also assesses that Japan’s right-wing groups are promoting neo-militarism in Japan, including by revising Japan’s arms export rules that remove restrictions on exporting Japanese defence equipment to five non-combat categories: rescue, transportation, warning, surveillance, and mine clearance. “We are aware of demonstrations in Japan voicing opposition to Prime Minister Takaichi’s government’s plans to revise the Constitution. This shows that the right-wing forces’ push in Japan to amend the Constitution and accelerate remilitarisation goes against public opinion,” said Lin Jian. According to Lin Jian, revising the Japanese Constitution would impact the post-war international order and Japan’s direction, and is always closely monitored by the international community and its Asian neighbours. “Preventing the resurgence of militarism is Japan’s obligation and also the strong will of the international community, including China,” Lin Jian emphasised. The tensions stemming from Prime Minister Takaichi’s statement have led China to take several retaliatory actions, including suspending imports of Japanese seafood products again, cutting off high-level government meetings, and advising its citizens not to travel or study in Japan. Additionally, two Chinese Navy J-15 fighter jets twice locked their radars alternately on a Japanese Air Self-Defence Force (ASDF) F-15 aircraft over the high seas southeast of Okinawa on 6 December 2025. That action also provoked protests from Japan.