Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi provoked Beijing by stating that a Chinese military action against Taiwan could justify a Japanese response, exceeding the cautious positions of prior administrations. On November 7, during a parliamentary session, she indicated that a naval blockade or comparable measure might constitute an existential threat, thereby engaging Japan’s collective self-defense framework. This position reflects her established advocacy for Taiwan, her assessment of China as an escalating risk, and her directive to expedite increases in Japan’s defense expenditure.

China responded with strong condemnation, summoning Japan’s ambassador in Beijing and issuing advisories against travel to Japan, affecting the influx of 7.5 million Chinese tourists recorded in the first nine months of 2025. Official statements from the foreign ministry, defense authorities, Taiwan Affairs Office, and state media denounced the comments as interference in an internal matter. A subsequently removed social media statement by China’s consul general in Osaka, which alluded to severing an “intruding dirty neck,” intensified the dispute, prompting Japan to deem it unacceptable and summon China’s ambassador in Tokyo.

Beijing deployed coast guard vessels to patrol the contested Senkaku/Diaoyu islands, while the potential restriction of rare-earth exports emerged as a concern for Japan’s automotive, electronics, and defense industries. Although no immediate measures were enacted, precedents such as the 2010 export suspension underscore the vulnerability. Japan’s foreign minister urged measured actions to safeguard bilateral relations.

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Takaichi, a successor to former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe—who in 2015 broadened the Self-Defense Force’s authority to support allies facing existential threats—declined to withdraw her statement three days later, committing only to refrain from further specific scenarios. Retraction could constrain Japan’s options in a future contingency and undermine her substantial public approval as a firm proponent of security against China. The U.S.-Japan alliance remains a critical factor, with Taiwan’s stability regarded as integral to Japan’s defense.

Japan now seeks to de-escalate tensions without conceding its position, as the controversy threatens wider regional implications despite the absence of heightened friction prior to Takaichi’s remarks.

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