By Yu Ruitong

Sanae Takaichi Photo: VCG

On November 7, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi claimed in a Diet debate that if warships were used or other armed actions are involved in the Taiwan Straits, such developments could constitute a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan. In such a case the Self-Defense Forces might be allowed to exercise the right of "collective self-defense." Her remarks sent shockwaves across Japan. Xiang Haoyu, a distinguished research fellow at the Department for Asia-Pacific Studies of the China Institute of International Studies, noted that attempting to bring the Taiwan question under Japan's national security legal framework - thus binding China's Taiwan region and Japan's so-called security interests together from a legal perspective -represents a serious regression in the Japanese government's position on the Taiwan question.

Xiang said that Takaichi's remarks overstepped legal boundaries on three fronts. First, they violate Japan's domestic law. Under Japan's legislation for peace and security passed in 2015, a "survival-threatening situation" can be declared only when "a foreign country that is in a close relationship with Japan" comes under armed attack in a manner that "threatens Japan's survival." The island of Taiwan is part of China, and Takaichi's attempt to link a Taiwan Straits crisis with Japan's survival is a deliberate distortion of the concept. Second, her remarks run counter to the principles and spirit of the four China-Japan political documents including the China-Japan Joint Statement, openly betraying the one-China principle and breaching the political consensus that the two countries should be "partners, not threats." Third, they violate international law and fundamental norms governing international relations, constituting a blatant trampling on the principle of respect for national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Xiang argued that if Japan were to take the initiative to militarily intervene in a conflict in the Taiwan Straits, it would only end up getting itself burned for playing with fire. In recent years, Japan has actively pursued a strategy of "using the Taiwan region to contain China," hyping the notion that "a Taiwan contingency is a contingency for Japan" to signal its intent to join the US in intervening in a conflict in the Taiwan Straits - at times appearing even more radical and reckless than the US. However, since US President Donald Trump returned to office, a mind-set of "abandoning Taiwan" has emerged in the US. Against this backdrop, Japan is still striving to act as the pillar behind the "Taiwan independence" separatist forces. This reflects the strategic anxiety and political gambling mentality of Japan's right-wing forces.

Takaichi's remarks on Taiwan have sparked strong backlash within Japan, with multiple Japanese political figures and media outlets warning that her comments are extremely dangerous. Xiang noted that for Japan, the only path to safeguarding its national security lies in returning to the principle of "exclusively defense-oriented policy," rather than actively provoking geopolitical confrontation. Otherwise, Japan will eventually pay a heavy price for its misguided decisions, and historical tragedies may well repeat themselves.