By Zhong Sheng, People’s Daily
Recently, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi publicly asserted in the Diet that a so-called “Taiwan contingency” could constitute a “survival-threatening situation,” implying that might invoke its right to collective self-defense and militarily intervene in the Taiwan question.
This constitutes a blatant interference in China’s internal affairs, a serious breach of the one-China principle, and a flagrant challenge to the post-World War II international order.
Insightful figures from both China and Japan have pointed out in clear terms that this is the first time since Japan’s defeat in 1945 that a Japanese leader has officially linked the fallacy that “any contingency for Taiwan is a contingency for Japan” with collective self-defense rights, the first time a Japanese leader has explicitly expressed ambitions for armed involvement in the Taiwan question, and the first time Japan has issued an overt military threat toward China on this matter.
The malicious intent is extremely pernicious, the nature exceedingly egregious, and the consequences gravely severe. The Chinese government and the Chinese people express strong indignation and resolutely oppose these remarks.
Since modern times, Japanese militarism carried out frenzied aggression and expansion abroad, committing countless atrocities in China. In 1895, Japan forcibly seized Taiwan through the Treaty of Shimonoseki and imposed 50 years of colonial rule, brutally suppressing resistance from the people in Taiwan, plundering resources, and causing grave damage to Taiwan’s economy, culture, and people’s livelihoods.
In 1945, following 14 years of arduous and heroic struggle, China won the great victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. Japan signed the Instrument of Surrender and accepted the Cairo Declaration, the Potsdam Proclamation, and other international legal documents stipulating that Taiwan be restored to China. China resumed the exercise of sovereignty over Taiwan, a glorious chapter in the Chinese nation’s pursuit of national reunification and an integral part of the post-war international order.
This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, as well as the 80th anniversary of the restoration of Taiwan. The one-China principle has long been a consensus widely accepted in the international community.
As a defeated country, Japan should reflect deeply on its historical responsibilities, honor the commitments it has made to China and the international community, and genuinely act to fully reflect on its wrongdoing and respect China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Yet Takaichi is attempting to bind China’s Taiwan region to Japan’s so-called “security interests,” seeking to fabricate excuses for Japanese military interference in the Taiwan question and exposing Japan’s designs and ambitions to intervene militarily in the Taiwan Strait. This sends gravely wrong signals to “Taiwan independence” separatist forces, seriously violates the core tenet of the one-China principle affirmed in the 1972 China-Japan Joint Statement, and runs counter to the common understanding in the fourth political document between the two countries signed in 2008 that the two countries are cooperative partners that do not pose a threat to each other. It severely undermines the political foundation of China-Japan relations.
Takaichi’s fallacies on Taiwan are by no means isolated political rhetoric. Behind them lies the obsession and arrogance of Japan’s right-wing forces in seeking to break free from the constraints of the Pacifist Constitution and pursue the status of a “military power.”
In recent years, Japan has raced down the path of military buildup, hollowing out its Pacifist Constitution, completely abandoning its “exclusively defense-oriented” policy, and even attempting to overturn its Three Non-Nuclear Principles.
Against this backdrop, linking a so-called “Taiwan contingency” to the exercise of Japan’s right to collective self-defense raises concerns. This linkage appears designed to justify Japan’s military expansion and carries the dangerous signal of a potential resurgence of militaristic tendencies in Japanese policy.
From her repeated visits to the Yasukuni Shrine, to the denial of the historical reality of the Nanjing Massacre, and the promotion of the “China threat” narrative, mirrors the troubling path of Japan’s past militarism. These actions constitute an effort to whitewash Japan’s history of aggression and honor militarist figures.
Historically, Japanese militarism frequently invoked the so-called “survival-threatening situation” to justify foreign aggression. This pattern included the brazen fabrication of the September 18th Incident under the guise of “exercising the right of self-defense,” which triggered Japan’s full-scale invasion of China. The revival of such rhetoric today prompts a deeply concerning question: is Japan risking a repetition of its past mistakes?
The great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and national reunification are historical trends that no force can stop. The resolve of the Chinese government and people to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity is rock-solid. The Taiwan question is at the very core of China’s core interests. Anyone who dares to touch this red line will face the resolute opposition of more than 1.4 billion Chinese people and the entire Chinese nation.
We again sternly warn the Japanese side: If Japan dares to attempt an armed intervention in the cross-Strait situation, it would be an act of aggression and definitely meet a firm response from China. The Japanese side must correct its wrongdoing at once and retract the unjustified remarks. Otherwise, all the consequences arising therefrom must be borne by the Japanese side.
Eighty years ago, the Chinese people defeated Japanese militarist aggression. Today, the Chinese nation has the firm will, full confidence, and sufficient capability to thwart any attempt at “Taiwan independence” and any external interference. Those who play with fire will surely perish by it. Any forces attempting to obstruct China’s complete reunification are engaging in futile resistance against an unstoppable tide — they will face resolute countermeasures and meet with utter failure.
