• Military

• WMD Menu                           

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs official to visit China to discuss Takaichi's Taiwan-related wrong remarks: Japanese media report

Global Times

By Global Times Published: Nov 17, 2025 11:44 AM

According to Japanese government sources, Masaaki Kanai, director-general of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau at the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, will visit China on Monday and will hold discussions with the Chinese side regarding Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's parliamentary remarks on Taiwan. The discussions are expected to take place on Tuesday, according to Kyodo News.

According to NHK, it is expected that the talks will be held with Director-General of the Department of Asian Affairs of the Foreign Ministry Liu Jinsong, and others.

During the talks, Kanai will explain that recent remarks by Takaichi regarding Taiwan do not alter Japan's consistent stance, while also conveying the position that "even if there are differences in positions between the two sides, efforts should be made to avoid impacting personnel exchanges," per NHK.

Takaichi claimed at a Diet meeting on November 7 that the Chinese mainland's "use of force on Taiwan" could constitute a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan. She refused to retract her remarks which imply the possibility of armed intervention in the Taiwan Straits.

Multiple Chinese ministries and government agencies have condemned the Japanese side's related moves and remarks, warning that Japan would face a resolute response if it dared to meddle in the Taiwan question, amid ongoing backlash at home and abroad triggered by the erroneous and provocative remarks of Takaichi.

The Japanese side claims that it wishes to explain that recent remarks by Takaichi regarding Taiwan do not alter Japan's consistent stance. However, I believe that the more appropriate approach should be to directly retract the improper remarks at the Diet, Wang Guangtao, an associate research fellow with the Center for Japanese Studies at the Shanghai-based Fudan University, told the Global Times. As Japan's national legislature, all statements made in the Diet are officially recorded. If the remarks are not retracted, the erroneous statements will be permanently preserved, the gravity of which should not be overlooked, the expert emphasized.

According to Wang, Kanai's visit apparently attempts to cool down the friction with China. As for Japan's claim of "avoiding impacting personnel exchanges," Wang believed it is completely untenable. What has hindered China-Japan personnel exchanges recently are not only Takaichi's wrong remarks concerning the Taiwan question, but also a series of policies promoted by the Japanese government, including the proposed increase in visa fees, exclusionary tendencies in handling issues related to foreigners in Japan, and discriminatory policies against Chinese students. It is the Japanese side that is truly creating artificial obstacles for personal exchanges, Wang noted.