China has called on its citizens not to travel to Japan and has summoned the Japanese ambassador to Beijing because of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s statements about Taiwan, reports the BBC. China and Japan have been in an escalating war of words all week, sparked by Takaichi’s statement that
Japan could deploy its own self-defense forces if China attacked Taiwan.
The foreign ministries of both countries lodged an official protest with the other party. A Chinese diplomat also made a comment that some interpreted as a threat against Takaichi. The paper said the dispute highlights the historic animosity between China and Japan and long-standing “strategic ambiguity” over the sovereignty of the independently-governed Taiwan.
The current tensions were triggered by a question addressed to Takaichi during the Japanese parliamentary session last Friday. An opposition member asked what conditions in Taiwan would be considered a life-threatening situation for Japan.
“If warships are present and force is used, no matter how much we think about it, it can mean a life-threatening situation,” answered Takaicsi. “Existential threat” is a legal term under Japan’s 2015 Security Law, which refers to cases where an armed attack against an ally poses an existential threat to Japan. In such a situation, Japan’s self-defense forces can be deployed to counter the threat.
Far reaching enemy roots
The long-standing hostility between the two countries has its roots in armed conflict in the 1800s and Japan’s brutal military campaign during World War II.
This was also indicated by the statement of China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday, according to which “if Japan does not learn from history and dares to take decisive risks, even to the point of military intervention in the Taiwan Strait, it will inevitably suffer heavy losses and pay a bitter price against the iron wall of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army.”
Japan’s conservative leader is building closer ties with the United States and has promised to increase the country’s defense spending, raising concerns in Beijing. Takaichi is known to take a hard line against China and is a long-time supporter of Taiwan. He previously stated that a blockade of the island could threaten Japan and that Japan could mobilize troops to stop a Chinese invasion.
China is particularly sensitive to Taiwan, the self-governing island that Beijing claims as its own territory. China has not ruled out the use of force to seize Taiwan, an attitude that is causing unease in Taipei as well as its allies in the region.
(Cover image: Thank you Szanae Japanese Prime Minister and Chinese President Xi Jinping on October 31, 2025. Photo: Kyodo/Reuters)