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Source: People's Republic of China in Russian – People's Republic of China in Russian –
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Source: People's Republic of China – State Council News
TOKYO, Nov. 19 (Xinhua) — Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's recent erroneous remarks about China's Taiwan are "extremely harmful," bringing no security benefits to Japan or its people, and posing a serious threat to Japan-China relations, Japanese expert Yuki Izumikawa warned in a recent interview with Xinhua.
During a parliamentary hearing earlier this month, Takaichi mentioned the so-called "survival threat" clause in the country's deeply divisive security legislation and linked it to the Taiwan issue, hinting that Tokyo might view the Taiwan issue as grounds for military intervention.
Yu Izumikawa, a special research fellow at Okinawa University, called the comments, made in Japan's parliament, "extremely serious."
"Japan and China are important neighbors with deep economic and cultural ties. If Takaichi's comments damage bilateral relations or hinder exchanges, that would be a serious problem," he said.
S. Takaichi later stated that her comments were consistent with the government's long-standing position. Yuri Izumikawa called this "absurd," noting that previous governments never stated that the Taiwan Strait could trigger Japan's right to collective self-defense.
"Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe once said that 'Taiwan's emergency is Japan's emergency,' but he said that in an online speech after leaving office, not at a formal Diet meeting," he noted.
An expert criticized S. Takaichi for stoking fears of a "Taiwan emergency," calling it inappropriate and dangerous.
He also highlighted Taiwan's painful history under Japanese colonial rule after the unequal Treaty of Shimonoseki, which makes Japan's statements about Taiwan particularly sensitive to the Chinese people.
Yuri Izumikawa recalled that the 1972 joint statement between Japan and China stated that the Japanese government fully understands and respects the position of the Chinese government that Taiwan is an inalienable part of Chinese territory.
The expert emphasized that the Taiwan issue is China's internal affair. If Japan uses force under the pretext of a "crisis of survival," it would be tantamount to an act of aggression for China.
He warned that any military conflict would seriously impact the domestic situation in Japan, especially on islands such as Okinawa, where the Self-Defense Forces and the US military are increasing joint deployments and exercises.
"If a conflict breaks out, these areas will become battlefields. It's not like they're being drawn into a war—Japan itself will actively enter the war. This is extremely dangerous," he warned.
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