By Bao Chuan
History's boomerang will ultimately strike back. Recently, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi blatantly linked the Taiwan question, which is purely China's internal affair, to Japan's so-called survival-threatening situation, hinting at the possibility of military involvement in the cross-Straits situation. Such arrogant remarks are logically absurd, brazen in attitude, and malign in impact. They have not only drawn strong opposition and firm countermeasures from China, but also triggered high vigilance in the international community.
If there is any emergency related to Taiwan, it is often one caused by Japanese militarism. In 1874, Japan launched an armed invasion of Taiwan under the pretext of the "Mudanshe Incident," massacring large numbers of indigenous people on the island. In 1895, Japan forcibly seized Taiwan through the Treaty of Shimonoseki and imposed nearly fifty years of brutal colonial rule, during which 650,000 Taiwan compatriots suffered untold atrocities. After the end of WWII, Taiwan returned to the embrace of the motherland. Yet the specter of Japanese militarism lingers on, and certain forces in Japan have never abandoned their attempts to covet Taiwan. Japan, which bears historical responsibility and committed numerous crimes against the Chinese people on the Taiwan question, is in no position whatsoever to make irresponsible remarks about the so-called Taiwan emergency. Sanae Takaichi, as Japan's Prime Minister, has shown no reflection or remorse for these historical responsibilities. Instead, she made extremely erroneous, highly dangerous, and provocative remarks regarding Taiwan. Such moves, which challenge China's core interests, will inevitably meet firm countermeasures from China.
How to resolve the Taiwan question is entirely a matter for the Chinese people and has nothing to do with Japan. The recovery of Taiwan is a major outcome of the victory of WWII and an integral part of the post-war international order. International legal instruments, including the Cairo Declaration and the Potsdam Proclamation, have all affirmed China's sovereignty over Taiwan. The Taiwan question is purely an internal affair of China, and the one-China principle is a common understanding of the international community. As for the means by which the Taiwan question is to be resolved and China's complete reunification achieved, this is entirely a matter for the Chinese people. No party has the right to make irresponsible remarks. Japan, bearing undeniable historical culpability, should exercise even greater prudence.
The past and reality have proven that the evil influence of militarism is the real cause of a "Japanese emergency". From launching the war of aggression against China, which resulted in more than 35 million Chinese military and civilian casualties, to attacking Pearl Harbor and plunging the Asia-Pacific into flames, Japanese militarism not only inflicted immense suffering on the peoples of the world but also dragged Japan itself into the abyss of war, making it the only country ever subjected to atomic bombings. The history of Japan's militarist expansion is, in essence, a history in which the boomerang of aggression repeatedly struck back at itself. Today, certain right-wing politicians in Japan are acting against the tide of the times. They are not only regressing on historical issues, but also recklessly stirring up trouble over Taiwan despite international opposition. Meanwhile, Japan is drastically increasing its defense budget, developing long-range strike capabilities, and even attempting to revise its Three Non-Nuclear Principles. Such moves reveal a dangerous resurgence of militarist tendencies. The international community must remain highly vigilant toward such developments.
The Chinese people and the Chinese military do not believe in fallacies, but we are not afraid of them; we do not make trouble, but we are not afraid of it. If Sanae Takaichi and other Japanese politicians persist on this erroneous path, neither China nor the broader international community will sit idly by. All consequences arising therefrom shall be borne solely by the Japanese side.