Overview
- China’s Defense Ministry said Japan would “pay a tragic price” if it intervened militarily in a Taiwan contingency.
- The Foreign Ministry advised Chinese nationals to refrain from traveling to Japan, citing a sharp deterioration in people-to-people exchanges and “serious” safety risks, and urged those in Japan to heighten vigilance.
- Beijing summoned Japan’s ambassador and demanded that Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi retract her Diet remarks that went beyond prior government posture on Taiwan.
- Japan has not walked back the comments, and ruling-party policy chief Takanori Kobayashi called for a calm response and sustained dialogue to keep relations constructive and stable.
- Separately, Takaichi reiterated willingness to meet North Korea’s Kim Jong Un to pursue progress on the abduction issue, saying she wants to open a breakthrough during her tenure.