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Japan Moves to Defuse Escalating Tensions With China Over Taiwan Remarks
Japan is working to calm a diplomatic dispute with China after comments by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi sparked a sharp reaction from Beijing. As both sides engage in high-level dialogue, concerns grow over regional stability, tourism, and economic fallout.
Japan on Monday sought to ease rising tensions with China over Taiwan, after Beijing urged its citizens to avoid traveling to its East Asian neighbor.
The dispute intensified earlier this month when Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told Japanese lawmakers that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could threaten Japan’s very survival and may require a military response. Previous governments avoided making such comments publicly to prevent provoking Beijing, which claims the self-ruled island as its own.
Japanese media reported that Masaki Kanai, Director-General of the Foreign Ministry’s Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, will visit Beijing this week to meet his Chinese counterpart, Liu Jinsong. Kanai is expected to clarify that Takaichi’s remarks do not signal any change in Japan’s security policy, and will urge China to avoid actions that could further damage bilateral relations.
Taiwan lies roughly 110 kilometers (68 miles) from Japan’s westernmost islands and sits close to vital sea routes essential for Japan’s energy imports. Japan also hosts the largest concentration of U.S. military power outside the United States.
Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary, when asked about Kanai’s reported trip, said at a regular briefing:
“Various communication channels remain open.”
He added that China’s travel warning was inconsistent with efforts to build “a strategic and mutually beneficial relationship,” and that Tokyo had strongly urged Beijing to take appropriate steps.
Takaichi and Chinese Premier Li Qiang may have an opportunity to speak directly later this week, as both are expected to attend the G-20 Summit in South Africa from Friday.
Speaking in New Taipei on Monday, Taiwan President Lai Ching-te said China was carrying out a “multi-front attack” on Japan.
“I call on the international community to monitor this closely,” he said. “I also urge China to exercise restraint and act like a responsible major power that contributes to regional peace and stability, rather than provoking crises.”
Tensions escalate
The dispute erupted after Takaichi’s November 7 remarks—just a week after she met President Xi Jinping and agreed to maintain stable relations.
The next day, Xu Jian, China’s Consul General in Osaka, posted on X (in a now-deleted message), “Those who stick their dirty necks in will have them cut off.” Japan summoned China’s ambassador to protest the “highly inappropriate” remarks, and several lawmakers demanded Xu’s expulsion.
China deepened the diplomatic rift on Thursday by summoning Japan’s ambassador for the first time in more than two years, expressing strong opposition to Takaichi’s comments.
On Friday, Beijing warned Japan that it would face a “crushing” military defeat if it intervened in Taiwan and voiced “grave concerns” over Japan’s security direction, including lingering ambiguity around its post-war non-nuclear principles. A Reuters investigation in August found rising political and public support in Japan for softening this long-held stance.
Chinese coast guard vessels also entered waters near the disputed islands in the East China Sea on Sunday—territory administered by Japan as the Senkaku Islands and claimed by China as the Diaoyu. Japan’s coast guard said it drove the Chinese ships away.
Even the U.S. ambassador to Japan, Rahm Emanuel, weighed in, criticizing Xu’s comments on X. “Halloween is over,” he wrote, saying it was time to move on after Xu reportedly called Takaichi an “evil witch.”
Chinese state-affiliated media continued their criticism of Takaichi on Monday. The Communist Party’s People’s Daily wrote that her remarks were “not only strategically reckless but deliberately provocative.”
Economic concerns rise
Economists warn the dispute could have major economic consequences if it drags on.
Takahide Kiuchi of the Nomura Research Institute said Chinese tourist numbers could drop sharply—possibly matching the roughly 25% plunge seen during the 2012 island dispute.
“A decline of this scale would have more than half a percentage point negative impact on Japan’s annual economic growth,” Kiuchi noted.
Tourism-linked stocks fell on fears of such a downturn. Shares of department store operator Isetan Mitsukoshi dropped more than 10% in early trade, while Japan Airlines fell over 4.4%.
