Tokyo: The Japanese government has officially lodged a protest with Beijing following social media posts by the Chinese consul-general in Osaka, which criticized Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi for her recent remarks regarding Taiwan. Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara addressed the issue at a news conference, highlighting the inappropriateness of the comments coming from a senior Chinese diplomatic official. Kihara emphasized the need for a clear explanation from the Chinese side.

According to Philippines News Agency, the controversy began when Prime Minister Takaichi, during a parliamentary committee meeting, suggested that a potential Taiwan contingency might pose a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan, thereby justifying Japan’s exercise of its right to collective self-defense. In response, Consul-General Xue Jian took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to criticize Takaichi’s stance, describing it as “a path of death that only some stupid politicians in Japan would choose,” and further escalating tensions with aggressive language.

At a separate news conference, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian expressed China’s dissatisfaction with Takaichi’s comments, arguing that they interfered with China’s internal affairs and violated the One China principle. Lin mentioned that Takaichi had met with a Taiwanese representative at a recent APEC meeting, suggesting that Japan’s recent actions and statements have been negative regarding the Taiwan issue.

The Chinese spokesman urged Japan to refrain from provoking China or sending misleading signals to Taiwan independence forces. Lin defended Consul-General Xue’s online remarks as a reaction to what he termed dangerous speech and called for Japan to investigate and respond to radical and threatening posts aimed at Xue on social media.