Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said Friday that Japan will work to build constructive ties with China, speaking one year after her remarks on Taiwan sent bilateral relations into a sharp downturn. “We will promote dialogue to protect our national interests and build a constructive and stable relationship,” Takaichi told reporters at her office in Tokyo.
Saturday marks one year since Takaichi told a budget committee session of the House of Representatives — on Nov. 7 last year — that a Chinese naval blockade of Taiwan involving the use of force could constitute a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan. Such a designation is the only legal condition under which Japan’s Self-Defense Forces can invoke the right of collective self-defense.
A Year of Economic and Diplomatic Pressure
Japan has faced political and economic pressure from China since the parliamentary remarks, including export restrictions on rare earths needed to manufacture high-tech products. Beijing tightened export controls in January this year on military dual-use items bound for Japan. In May, two Japanese employees of Fuji Electric Group were detained in Dalian, and China issued a series of measures discouraging travel to Japan and canceling screenings of Japanese animation and concerts in China — steps known as an informal ban.
Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said Japan intends to “accelerate efforts to secure alternative sources of supply” in response to the critical mineral export restrictions, to build resilient supply chains “at an early stage.” Cooperation on economic security has become a regular feature of Japan’s diplomatic efforts with other countries as it seeks to counter China’s measures.
Beijing Demands a Retraction
China has criticized Japan’s defense buildup under Takaichi, known as a security hawk, as reflecting rising “neo-militarism,” and has called on her to retract the remarks. At a Friday press conference, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara declined to say whether the remarks would be withdrawn, but said the government’s position on Taiwan “remains unchanged” from that outlined in the 1972 Joint Communique, under which Japan switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing.
Summit Prospects Uncertain Ahead of APEC
The anniversary comes ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Shenzhen, China, set for two days from Nov. 18. A meeting on its sidelines between Takaichi and Chinese President Xi Jinping is considered a difficult prospect. The two have not held talks since their meeting at the previous APEC summit in South Korea in October 2025.
Takaichi has leaned on diplomatic support from the United States, but that avenue has reached its limits as President Donald Trump seeks a deal directly with Beijing, bypassing Tokyo, according to a report by Japan’s Nikkei, which also criticized her for skipping recent NATO and Group of Seven summits.
