He expressed his strong protest today after a Chinese diplomat threatened to behead the Japanese Prime Minister for her statements regarding the .
In a post made on Saturday on X by the consul general in Osaka, Sue Jian – a post that was later deleted – he threatened to “cut off this wretched head without the slightest hesitation”.
“Are you ready for this?” the Chinese diplomat wrote, without mentioning Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi by name, but accompanying his post with an article about a speech by Takaichi to parliament on Friday.
The Japanese Prime Minister spoke about collective self-defense in Taiwan
Japan’s prime minister said armed attacks on Taiwan could justify sending Japanese military forces – under “collective self-defense” provided for by a law passed in 2015 – to defend the island, which is claimed by Beijing and is under increased Chinese military and diplomatic pressure.
If an emergency in Taiwan involves “the deployment of warships and the use of force, it could pose a threat to Japan’s survival no matter how you look at it,” Japan’s conservative prime minister, who took office on Oct. 21, told parliament on Friday.
The situation involving Taiwan “has become so serious that we have to consider the worst-case scenario,” added Takaichi, a long-time fierce critic of China.
Tension over Sue Jian’s post
The posting of the Chinese diplomat on X was “absolutely inappropriate,” Minoru Kihara, a spokesman for the Japanese government, said today.
“We strongly protested and demanded the immediate deletion” of the post, he said, adding that he was “aware of many other inappropriate comments” made by this person.
For her part, Takaichi told parliament today that she had no intention of retracting her remarks and insisted they were in line with Tokyo’s previous position. He emphasized, however, that he will now refrain from explicitly referring to specific scenarios.
When asked about the consul’s statement, the Chinese Foreign Ministry responded that Taiwan is “an integral part of Chinese territory.”
“China strongly urges Japan to reflect on its historical responsibility on the Taiwan issue (…) and stop sending wrong messages to Taiwan’s separatist forces,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said at a regular press briefing.
“Collective self-defense” is provided for by an unpopular 2015 law that, in theory, allows Japanese soldiers to support an ally in danger in an overseas conflict, provided there is a clear threat to its survival.
Japan’s post-war Constitution prohibits the use of weapons in an aggressive manner to resolve international disputes.
