Overview
- China’s Defense Ministry warned that Japan would pay a “tragic price” if it intervenes with force over Taiwan, issuing the statement through a spokesperson in Beijing.
- The Chinese Foreign Ministry urged people to postpone travel to Japan and told Chinese residents there to heighten personal security, citing a sharply worsened climate for exchanges.
- Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s expanded Diet remarks on a Taiwan contingency triggered the escalation, with both countries summoning each other’s ambassadors and Beijing demanding a retraction.
- Liberal Democratic Party policy chief Takanobu Kobayashi said the government should respond calmly and keep talks going to build a constructive and stable relationship.
- In parallel with the diplomatic strain, Tokyo police arrested a senior officer over alleged leaks to a major scouting group with about ¥9 million seized, and Hokkaido authorities reported a ¥20 million special-fraud case while bank staff thwarted another attempted loss.