Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi stated on Wednesday that Japan will seek to build constructive and stable relations with China through dialogue amid recent escalations in bilateral tensions. At a press conference following the end of an extraordinary parliamentary session, she described China as an 'important neighbor' and emphasized that her stance remains unchanged since taking office.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who became Japan's first female prime minister on October 21 and is known for her hawkish security views, made her remarks at a press conference after an extraordinary parliamentary session. Her November 7 suggestion that an attack on Taiwan could pose an existential threat to Japan, potentially justifying a response from the Self-Defense Forces, prompted China to issue a travel advisory against visiting Japan and resume the suspension of Japanese seafood imports.
China regards the self-ruled democratic island of Taiwan as a renegade province that must be reunified with the mainland, by force if necessary, and considers the issue an internal affair. China has also intensified military activities; earlier this month, Chinese fighter jets intermittently locked radar on Japanese Air Self-Defense Force aircraft in the Pacific southeast of Okinawa's main island, according to Japan's Defense Ministry.
Takaichi stated, 'My remarks regarding the survival-threatening situation do not alter the stance held by the past governments,' adding that Japan will 'persistently' explain this to China and the international community at various levels. Her predecessors had avoided discussing specific scenarios in response to such questions.
Meanwhile, Takaichi expressed hope to hold her second in-person summit with U.S. President Donald Trump 'as early as possible,' while pledging to promote ties with South Korea through reciprocal visits. In late October, she met Trump in Tokyo and held separate talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on the sidelines of a regional gathering in South Korea.
Domestically, Takaichi's administration faces challenges in parliamentary management, as the coalition of her Liberal Democratic Party and junior partner Japan Innovation Party holds a minority in the House of Councillors and only a slim majority in the House of Representatives. Media polls show high approval ratings for her cabinet since its launch, but she said she has 'no time to consider' dissolving the lower house, ruling out a snap election soon, and affirmed maintaining ties with the JIP, known as Nippon Ishin. The two parties signed a coalition deal on October 20, aiding her victory in the Diet vote for prime minister the next day.
'My stance of building constructive and stable relations remains unchanged since I took office.'
Japan always keeps the door open for dialogue, as the two nations have issues to resolve, Takaichi said.
