Japan blasted over remarks on Taiwan

The Chinese mainland is demanding that Japan adhere to the one-China principle and has strongly criticized remarks made by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi regarding Taiwan.

Chen Binhua, spokesman for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, expressed "strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition" to Takaichi's statements during a regular news conference on Wednesday. He described her comments in the Diet as "malicious" and a "blatant interference in China's internal affairs", asserting they "seriously violate the one-China principle".

Takaichi had claimed in the Japanese parliament that if the mainland were to deploy warships and use force against Taiwan, it could create a "survival-threatening situation "for Japan. This implied that the Japanese Self-Defense Forces could then exercise collective self-defense.