By Peng Tao
Japan's new prime minister Sanae Takaichi recently remarked that a Taiwan emergency involving the use of military vessels and military force from the Chinese mainland could constitute a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan, implying the possible involvement of Japan's Self-Defense Forces in the Taiwan Strait. Her remarks represented a gross interference in China's internal affairs, a blatant trample upon the principles of international law, and a downright violation of the commitment made by Japan when establishing diplomatic ties with China. In addition to the glaring fallacies contained, the statement also exposed the dangerous ambition of Japanese right-wing forces to use the Taiwan question as a pretext to break free from military constraints.
Confusing right and wrong on the legal level: seriously distorting and violating the "One China" principle
Sanae Takaichi's remarks originated in the ambiguous concept of a "situation threatening Japan's survival" introduced in the new security legislation passed in 2015 during the Abe administration. According to the legislation, a so-called "situation threatening Japan's survival" referred to a scenario "when an armed attack against a foreign country that is in a close relationship with Japan occurs and as a result threatens Japan's survival." However, there were no objective criteria for key elements in this statement. For example, what counts as a foreign country that is in a close relationship with Japan? And what counts as a threat to Japan's survival? The answers were given by Japan based on its own subjective interpretations. It must be emphasized, once again, that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China and it is by no means a sovereign state—this is an internationally acknowledged fact.
By linking China's internal affairs with the situation of "another country being attacked," Takaichi's statement constituted a serious trample upon and distortion of international law and the principle of national sovereignty. Sanae Takaichi was deliberately blurring the line between domestic and international affairs, gravely undermining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. Her remarks are bound to meet with strong condemnation from all peace-loving people around the world and will set the international community on high alert against Japan's tendency to fall back on the dangerous path of militarism.
A deliberate move: fueling the ambition of military expansion in a crisis context
Sanae Takaichi's claim that the situation in the Taiwan Strait threatens Japan's survival is utterly unfounded. The Taiwan question is an internal affair of China that has nothing to do whatsoever with Japan's survival. It is known to all that the Japanese Constitution explicitly upholds pacifism and prohibits the exercise of the right of collective self-defense. Even though Japan has sought to loosen restrictions on its Self-Defense Forces by amending relevant laws, the JSDF's actions must still conform to international law and be confined to the framework of maintaining regional peace and stability. Moreover, Article 51 of the United Nations Charter stipulates that the exercise of the right of collective self-defense must be premised on the occurrence of an actual armed attack. Takaichi's deliberate and far-fetched linking of China's internal affairs to Japan's alleged "survival crisis" was essentially an attempt to break through the constraints imposed by Japan's pacifist Constitution, in order to create a pretext for Japan to exercise its right of collective self-defense.
What is particularly unsettling is that since the enactment of the new security legislation, Japan has lowered the threshold for deploying JSDF from "a direct attack on Japan" to "an attack on another country that threatens Japan's survival." This has practically broken through the exclusively defense-oriented policy. Takaichi's remarks, which distorted China's legitimate actions to resolve internal matters as a "threat to Japan's survival," were nothing more than an attempt to justify Japan's potential military involvement in the Taiwan Strait. They exposed the Japanese right-wing forces' ambition to revive militarism and pursue military expansion.
A historical breach of faith: betraying the Japanese government's commitments regarding Taiwan
There is only one China in the world; the government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China, and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory. This principle has been recognized by the United Nations and the overwhelming majority of countries, and constitutes an important consensus reached between China and Japan since the normalization of their diplomatic relations.
In the 1972 China-Japan Joint Statement, the Japanese side explicitly pledged to adhere to the position of Article 8 of the Potsdam Proclamation, acknowledging that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory. It also committed to respecting China's sovereignty and territorial integrity and not interfering in its internal affairs. The 1978 Treaty of Peace and Friendship Between the People's Republic of China and Japan further reaffirmed the legally binding force of this principle. These historical developments and legal documents together constitute the political foundation of China-Japan relations. Takaichi's remarks clearly run counter to the commitments historically made by the Japanese government.
The Taiwan question is at the very core of China's core interests. It is part of the post-WWII international order and a touchstone for Japan's political integrity. Japan should learn the lessons of history, abide by its pacifist Constitution, and refrain from hyping up the so-called "survival-threatening situation" and stirring up regional tensions. History has proven that any attempt to exploit China's internal affairs, be it political manipulation or deliberate provocation, will only backfire and burn those playing with fire. If Sanae Takaichi tries to tie Japan to the chariot of splitting China, she will inevitably be crushed by the wheels of history.
(The author is a researcher at the Center for Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macao and East Asian Studies at Central China Normal University.)
Editor's note: Originally published on china.com.cn, this article is translated from Chinese into English and edited by the China Military Online. The information and opinions in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of eng.chinamil.com.cn.