By Jun Sheng

In 1931, the brutal Japanese invaders claimed that Japan's "survival" hinged on whether it could seize Manchuria, and brazenly launched the September 18th Incident, leading to its occupation of Northeast China. In 1941, Japan's militarist forces again portrayed the decision to attack Pearl Harbor as a matter of "national survival," igniting the flames of the Pacific War. These are moments the peace-loving people of the world will never forget.

Since modern times, Japanese militarism, driven by swelling ambitions, has engaged in frenzied aggression and expansion, committing heinous crimes too numerous to record. The so-called "survival-threatening situation" has been their habitual pretext. Even today, Japan has yet to engage in deep reflection over its wartime atrocities or fully purge the influence of militarism. Its right-wing forces continue trying to whitewash aggression and break away from the postwar system.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi recently linked a so-called "Taiwan contingency" to a "survival-threatening situation," implying the possibility of military intervention in the Taiwan Strait. Such an overt provocation fully exposes the unresolved evil influence of Japanese militarism. On the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, Takaichi's reckless Taiwan-related remarks cannot but provoke the indignation and condemnation of the Chinese people, nor can they fail to raise the alarm for the international community. The international community must resolutely oppose any attempt to revive militarism, safeguard the postwar international order, and jointly uphold global peace.

Taiwan is China's Taiwan. Its status was conclusively resolved in 1945 with the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. The means by which the Taiwan question is to be resolved and China's complete reunification achieved is entirely a matter for the Chinese people. Japan has no right to point fingers at this. Takaichi's attempt to link the Taiwan question with a so-called "survival-threatening situation" for Japan is utterly absurd.

In fact, her inflammatory rhetoric on Taiwan is not a momentary slip of the tongue, but a reflection of the persistent and resurging specter of militarism in Japan. Long before taking office, Takaichi maintained close ties with Japan's far-right forces. Her positions on historical issues, constitutional revision, and military expansion, as well as her stance on Taiwan, have made her the favored choice of those nostalgic for the defunct imperial era and eager for historical revisionism. After taking office, Takaichi has repeatedly pushed radical proposals such as accelerating the increase in defense spending, establishing the national intelligence bureau, relaxing restrictions on arms exports, revising Japan's three national security documents, and even discussing alterations to the country's long-standing Three Non-Nuclear Principles. These moves fully reveal the reckless and dangerous nature of Japan's right-wing politicians as they rush headlong down the path of military expansion, a path that risks repeating the evil trajectory of militarism.

Takaichi's inflammatory remarks and ambitions for military buildup ignore both legal principles and historical facts. They fundamentally repudiate Japan's postwar commitment to the Pacifist Constitution and its development as a peace-loving country, exposing the ugly face of a war-seeking state. By deliberately hyping a so-called "survival-threatening situation," she is willing to tie the Japanese public to a war chariot that harms neighboring countries. Once the monster of militarism is unleashed, it will inevitably drag Japan into irreversible disaster. As a recent editorial in Japan's Shakai Shimpo aptly pointed out, "Takaichi's very existence as prime minister is a survival-threatening situation for Japan."

Those who forget war will be in danger and those who crave for war will eventually perish. Eighty years ago, the Chinese people, including Taiwan compatriots, stood shoulder to shoulder, fought with unyielding resolve, and ultimately defeated the Japanese aggressors. Today, China will never tolerate any resurgence or revival of Japanese militarism in any form. If Japan chooses to disregard warnings, act recklessly, and attempt military intervention in the Taiwan Strait, it will surly suffer a crushing defeat against the Chinese People's Liberation Army. And Japan is bound to suffer a more thorough defeat than it did 80 years ago.