TOKYO – A senior Foreign Ministry official will visit China on Monday to discuss recent remarks by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Japan’s potential response to a contingency in Taiwan, government sources close to the matter said.
The meeting is expected to be held on Tuesday, according to the sources.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry said Friday it had summoned the Japanese ambassador in Beijing and demanded that Takaichi retract her remarks, while Japan’s Foreign Ministry said the same day it lodged a similar protest over a recent social media post by a Chinese diplomat linked to the remarks.
Earlier this month, Takaichi said a Taiwan emergency involving the use of military force could constitute a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan.
In response, Chinese Consul General in Osaka Xue Jian threatened in his post on X to “cut a dirty neck without a moment of hesitation,” in an apparent threat to Takaichi over her remark.
