China’s Criticism of Takaichi: Japan Must Not Fall Behind in Battle for Public Opinion

Editorial

14:00 JST, November 29, 2025

China is intensifying its propaganda campaign against Japan over Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remark regarding a survival-threatening situation in connection with a Taiwan contingency.

Beijing’s aim appears to be spreading its assertion — not only within Japan but internationally — that the prime minister is attempting to disrupt the international order and peace established after World War II in order to isolate her and force her to retract her remark.

China’s personal attacks against Takaichi are intolerable. The English-language account of state-run Xinhua News Agency has posted a series of satirical images on its X account, including one showing the prime minister looking at a mirror with her reflection wearing military attire and another depicting her shaking hands with a ghost labeled “militarism.”

Such posts must be seen as malicious propaganda designed to create the impression that Takaichi bears responsibility for the deteriorating Japan-China relations.

There are several objectives behind China’s intensifying criticism of Takaichi and its attempts to force the prime minister to retract her remark.

During a recent phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump, Chinese President Xi Jinping reportedly asserted that the United States and China fought together against “militarism” in World War II and should cooperate to safeguard the “victory of WWII.”

The intent to drive a wedge between Tokyo and its ally Washington is obvious.

Telephone talks between Takaichi and Trump were held the day after the U.S.-China talks. Moreover, the Japan-U.S. leaders’ call was initiated at the United States’ request. The prime minister should have directly explained the true meaning of her words to Trump before the U.S.-China talks. Japan must not fall behind China in the battle for public opinion.

During a recent House of Representatives Budget Committee session, the prime minister said that if China were to impose a maritime blockade on Taiwan and use force against the U.S. military arriving to support the island, it “could constitute” a survival-threatening situation for Japan. This means the country could exercise its right to collective self-defense in a limited manner to support the United States.

China has demanded Takaichi retract the remark made in the Diet. However, the waters around Taiwan are a shipping route used by Japanese tankers and other vessels. For Japan, the waters around Taiwan are vitally important for procuring oil and other resources.

A blockade of these waters would likely meet the definition of a survival-threatening situation under the security-related legislation, which is “a situation in which an armed attack against a foreign country that has a close relationship with Japan occurs, and as a result, threatens Japan’s survival and poses a clear danger of fundamentally overturning people’s right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness.”

While Takaichi’s recognition itself is not incorrect, it was problematic for her to reveal her hand.

However, if the prime minister retracts her remark, it could make it difficult to declare a survival-threatening situation or exercise limited collective self-defense even if a Taiwan contingency emerges, potentially rendering the security-related legislation meaningless.

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Nov. 29, 2025)