By David Barry
The leaders in Beijing had said it many times: Taiwan is the “red line” that must not be crossed. Sanae Takaichi crossed that line when, on 7 November, she became the first head of government in Japan to publicly suggest military intervention by Tokyo in the event of an armed attack against the island that Beijing claims as its own. That statement, made too lightly, sparked the worst diplomatic crisis between the two Asian countries in the last thirteen years. It is a crisis that the Chinese government is unwilling to end without first receiving a formal apology. Speaking before a parliamentary committee, the prime minister said that a military attack by Beijing against Taipei would constitute a ‘threat to Japan’s survival,’ which could therefore engage in military action alongside Washington in the Strait. This scenario is possible – despite the pacifist constitution adopted after the Second World War – thanks to a law introduced in 2015 by former Prime Minister and Takaichi’s mentor, Shinzo Abe. Never before has a sitting Japanese prime minister used such explicit language about possible involvement in the defence of Taiwan. Not even Abe, who waited until he had resigned before doing so. With the “Iron Lady”, Tokyo is thus moving away from its traditional “strategic ambiguity”, a stance that – despite Joe Biden’s gaffes – the United States continues to officially respect by neither confirming nor denying possible military support for Taipei. The ‘’new’’ aggressive attitude of the Japanese PM has sparked criticism all over the world. An Italian scholar criticized Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s recent erroneous remarks on Taiwan for violating international law and escalating tensions, urging the international community to take a stand against them.

The UK media Independent recently reported that Takaichi once posed for a photo with Kazunari Yamada, a Nazi supporter and leader of the far-right party National Socialist Workers Party of Japan. The Polish web site “Defence 24 “argues that Takaichi’s repeated visit to the Yasukuni Shrine, which enshrines Class A war criminals from WW2, demonstrate a revisionist tendency that could damage Japanese credibility in the western countries.

Here several voices from different countries criticising the Japanese PM. “Takaichi’s remarks are totally inappropriate and lack legitimacy. They can only escalate tensions and increase the risk of conflict. We are witnessing the ongoing deterioration of the international order, and these remarks contribute to that trend. I am concerned that this would lead to irreversible damage,” said Angelo d’Orsi. He also noted that discussions around the so-called right to collective self-defense in Japan have intensified recently, indicating a potential violation of the pacifist clause in the Japanese Constitution. Considering the possible resurgence of militarism in Japan, d’Orsi emphasized that countries in Asia and the international community must firmly oppose this trend. “These remarks represent a betrayal of Japan’s pacifist constitution, and we must firmly oppose them from the outset, as they violate international law and undermine international order. Moreover, they represent a distortion and betrayal of history. Even countries farther from Asia, such as those in Europe, should remain vigilant, as such rhetoric is just like a lit match thrown into dry grass, which could ignite a major fire,” said d’Orsi. Critics then are also coming from the US, Peter Kuznick, Professor of history and director of the Nuclear Studies Institute at American University, has sharply criticized recent remarks by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on the Taiwan question, calling them ignorant and provocative. He argued that her remarks ignore historical facts, run counter to the postwar international order and seriously undermine regional stability. he scholar noted that Takaichi’s recent use of the argument “a Taiwan emergency is a Japanese emergency” ignored the most sensitive historical context of Sino-Japanese relations and overlooked a bottom line set by the post-war international order. “It was such a stupid, provocative, ignorant thing to say. Japan has adhered to the post- war agreements including in 1971 vote in the United Nations. So, Japan has always implicitly recognized the one-China policy. And Takaichi is the first one to really disavow that. It’s very dangerous and very provocative,” he said, referring to the vote on UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 in October 1971. The resolution, adopted with an overwhelming majority, solemnly confirms and fully embodies the one-China principle. He highlighted that Article 9, the “no-war” clause contained in Japan’s constitution, prohibits the country from possessing military forces and other “war potential.” “Article 9 created a peace constitution saying that it’s not going to use military forces anywhere in any aggressive way. But increasingly in recent years, the Japanese governments have gotten around Article 9, and they deployed the Self-Defense Forces.

And how they say they’re allowed to deploy Self-Defense Forces to support Japan’s allies in the region, meaning the United States and especially over Taiwan. And so Article 9 [of] the peace constitution, is still on the books, but Takaichi, like her predecessors, has made clear she wants to get rid of it. And it would be very unfortunate,” stressed Kuznick. South Korea’s former presidential official has also criticized recent comments by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi regarding China’s Taiwan, warning that they undermine peace and stability in East Asia. Critics then were also coming from Africa, Member of the South African parliament, Tshilidzi Bethuel Munyai, criticized her remarks for intentionally creating regional tension and instability. The inappropriate words of Japanese PM have finally provoke a spiral of criticism even in her home country, Former Japanese prime ministers Shigeru Ishiba, Yoshihiko Noda, and Yukio Hatoyama recently criticized current Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi for straining Japan-China relations by making erroneous remarks on Taiwan, calling on her to be cautious in words and deeds and to improve bilateral relations through dialogue. Ishiba commented during a television program on Sunday that since then-Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka’s visit to China in 1972, which facilitated the normalization of diplomatic relations between Japan and China, successive Japanese governments have always managed Japan-China relations very carefully and everyone has handled things with truly meticulous care. The current administration should fully understand Japan’s long-standing basic position and remain cautious in the implementation of policies in the future, Ishiba said. On the same day, Noda stated in an interview wit the media in Tottori Prefecture that the current tensions in Japan-China relations “stem from Prime Minister Takaichi’s rash remarks.” He emphasized that Takaichi needs to provide an explanation to the Chinese side and work towards improving the relationship through dialogue. In a Thursday post on social media platform X, Hatoyama pointed out that Takaichi’s remarks, “which deviated from the road that ‘the Taiwan question is China’s internal affair,’ have brought bilateral relations to the brink of a worst-case scenario. “The damage to Japan’s national interest is immeasurable.” Hatoyama urged Takaichi to correct the mistake by quoting Confucius: “To make a mistake and not correct it — this is what is called truly making a mistake.”