TOKYO, Nov. 24– Former Japanese prime ministers Shigeru Ishiba, Yoshihiko Noda, and Yukio Hatoyama recently criticized current Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi for straining Japan-China relations by making erroneous remarks on Taiwan, calling on her to be cautious in words and deeds and to improve bilateral relations through dialogue.
Ishiba commented during a television program on Sunday that since then-Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka’s visit to China in 1972, which facilitated the normalization of diplomatic relations between Japan and China, successive Japanese governments have always managed Japan-China relations very carefully and everyone has handled things with truly meticulous care.
The current administration should fully understand Japan’s long-standing basic position and remain cautious in the implementation of policies in the future, Ishiba said.
On the same day, Noda stated in an interview with the media in Tottori Prefecture that the current tensions in Japan-China relations “stem from Prime Minister Takaichi’s rash remarks.”
He emphasized that Takaichi needs to provide an explanation to the Chinese side and work towards improving the relationship through dialogue.
In a Thursday post on social media platform X, Hatoyama pointed out that Takaichi’s remarks, “which deviated from the road that ‘the Taiwan question is China’s internal affair,’ have brought bilateral relations to the brink of a worst-case scenario.
“The damage to Japan’s national interest is immeasurable.” Hatoyama urged Takaichi to correct the mistake by quoting Confucius: “To make a mistake and not correct it — this is what is called truly making a mistake.”
Takaichi claimed at a Diet meeting on Nov. 7 that the Chinese mainland’s “use of force on Taiwan” could constitute a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan, which has drawn strong criticism from legal scholars, anti-war groups and opposition parties at home.
Japanese public opinion pointed out that her statement violated the commitment made by the Japanese government in the 1972 Japan-China Joint Statement and clearly contradicted Japan’s long-standing foreign policy towards China, which was bound to cause unnecessary tension in the region. (Namibia Daily News/Xinhua)
