China and Japan have been experiencing a diplomatic crisis in recent days involving comments about Taiwan by the Japanese government. The situation deteriorated after a Chinese diplomat called for the “beheading” of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.
In this increasingly tense context, both countries summoned ambassadors for consultations in a tone of protest this Friday (14).
The confusion began with statements by the Japanese Prime Minister in Parliament this week. On the occasion, the leader defended collective defense action in the event of a crisis in the Taiwan Strait, to avoid threats to the country due to the island’s proximity to southwestern Japanese territories.
The prime minister, who had already been criticized by Beijing after exchanging greetings with former Taiwanese deputy prime minister Lin Hsin-i during her recent participation in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in South Korea, is a key figure of Japanese conservatism and her tone towards Taiwan is firmer than that of previous governments.
A later episode further escalated the diplomatic crisis between Asian countries, when a Chinese consul in Osaka, Xue Jian, published comments on the social network X, which he later deleted, calling for Takaichi’s head to be “cut off” because of what had happened, which provoked a formal protest from Japan.
The country summoned the Chinese ambassador in Tokyo this Friday to explain the request for the beheading of the Beijing diplomat. In a statement, Japan’s Foreign Ministry said it confirmed the request for consultations with Ambassador Wu Jianghao with a “strong protest against the extremely inappropriate statements.”
On Thursday, the Chinese regime had already made clear its irritation with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s speeches, calling for a retraction from Tokyo, under threat of “serious consequences”.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian called Takaichi’s comments on Taiwan “provocative” and “gross interference” in China’s internal affairs at a press conference.
Beijing filed a formal complaint with the Japanese ambassador and Tokyo refused to retract its statement, while China emphasized that the self-ruled island of Taiwan is “a red line.”
