Japan Protests against China Social Media Post on Takaichi Remark

Beijing, Nov. 18 (Jiji Press)–A visiting senior Japanese official strongly protested to a Chinese Foreign Ministry executive Tuesday over a controversial social media post by a Chinese diplomat regarding Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s recent remark related to a potential Taiwan contingency. Masaaki Kanai, director-general of the Japanese Foreign Ministry’s Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, made the protest at a meeting in Beijing with Liu Jinsong, director-general of the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s Department of Asian Affairs. The Japanese diplomat urged China to take an appropriate response soon as the post by Xue Jian, China’s consul-general in the western Japan city of Osaka, suggested that Takaichi should be beheaded. The post prompted lawmakers in the Japanese ruling camp and others to demand that Xue be deported. During parliamentary deliberations on Nov. 7, Takaichi said that China’s potential use of force against Taiwan would create a critical situation for Japan’s existence, allowing the country to exercise its right to collective self-defense. In response, the Chinese government called on citizens to refrain from visiting Japan due to the security situation in the neighboring country. Kanai rebutted by saying that Japan’s security situation has not deteriorated, and demanded that the advisory be withdrawn. He also urged Beijing to ensure the safety of Japanese citizens in China. Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara told a news conference in Tokyo on Tuesday that Takaichi’s remark will not be withdrawn, saying that it “aligns with the Japanese government’s existing position.” According to a spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Liu made a strong complaint to Kanai, saying that the remark destroys the postwar international order and conflicts with Beijing’s “One China” principle. The spokesperson added that the remark fundamentally undermines the political foundation of China-Japan relations and was therefore very inappropriate, reiterating that it must be withdrawn. The Kanai-Liu meeting is believed to have lasted several hours. The administration of Chinese President Xi Jinping considers the Taiwan issue to be at the heart of China’s core interests and strongly opposes Takaichi’s remark. After the remark, China urged its citizens to avoid travel to Japan and to carefully consider plans for studying there. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]