Washington, DC [US], November 11 (ANI): Japan has sharply rebuked China after a senior Chinese diplomat made “violent and threatening” remarks aimed at Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, following her comments linking Taiwan’s security to Japan’s survival.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said Japan’s Foreign Ministry and its embassy in China had issued a formal and strong protest, urging an immediate retraction of the statement by Xue Jian, China’s consul general in Osaka. Kihara condemned the remarks as “extremely inappropriate,” stressing that Tokyo demanded “a clear and satisfactory explanation” from China, as reported by The Epoch Times.
The post, which referenced media reports on Takaichi’s remarks about Taiwan, was deleted within a day. While Xue did not name the prime minister directly, his comments clearly responded to her parliamentary statement that a Chinese attack on Taiwan would pose a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan. Under Japan’s security laws, such a scenario would authorize the use of its Self-Defense Forces to assist an ally, a point seen as potentially redefining Tokyo’s defense posture.
Takaichi, who took office in October, became the first Japanese leader to make such a bold declaration publicly. Defending her statement, she told Parliament that her remarks were “a worst-case assumption” consistent with existing national policy.
The incident also drew a strong reaction from the United States. US Ambassador George Glass condemned Xue’s language, calling it a direct threat to Japan’s leadership. “The mask slips again,” he wrote on X, urging China to “start behaving like the ‘good neighbor’ it pretends to be,” as cited by The Epoch Times.
Taiwan’s Presidential Office also condemned the threat, calling it a violation of diplomatic protocol and a reflection of China’s habitual intimidation toward democratic neighbors. China, however, doubled down, with its Foreign Ministry defending Xue and accusing Japan of “provoking instability,” according to The Epoch Times. (ANI)
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