January 26, 2026

Japan Wants Calm, China Not So Much

By: Derek Grossman

This article was originally published in Asian Military Review.

One of the most serious China-Japan diplomatic crises in recent years unfolded in November after Chinese officials reacted strongly to remarks by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who told lawmakers that a contingency over Taiwan stemming from a Chinese attack on Taiwan could, in the worst-case scenario, “constitute a survival-threatening situation” for Japan. Given such language would allow the deployment of troops to protect the Japanese homeland, China responded vociferously, with one Chinese diplomat appearing to threaten Takaichi’s life. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing also accused Takaichi of interfering in its internal affairs and urged Tokyo “to refrain from going further down the wrong path.”

China appears determined to use Takaichi’s comments not only as a way to test Japan’s resolve, but also that of Washington’s under President Donald Trump.

Since then, Takaichi has sought a conciliatory path, seeking a return to the stable ties that she and Chinese leader Xi Jinping pledged to maintain during their meeting in October on the sidelines of the APEC summit. But Beijing refuses to let her off the hook. She has consistently called China “an important neighbor” and left the door open for dialogue. But Beijing has responded by demanding a full retraction of Takaichi’s Taiwan comments.“On key issues, Japan is still ‘squeezing toothpaste’ and ‘burying nails,’ attempting to obfuscate and muddle through,” a Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson complained earlier last month, essentially accusing her of making slow progress and appearing cooperative while secretly laying traps for diplomatic leverage later.

Read the full article on Asian Military Review.

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