Japan and China Summon Ambassadors as Beijing Threatens 'Crushing Defeat' Over Taiwan

Overview

• On Friday, Tokyo called in Chinese Ambassador Wu Jianghao to protest Osaka Consul-General Xue Jian’s since-deleted post urging the decapitation of Prime Minister Takaichi.
• Beijing also summoned Japan’s envoy over Takaichi’s parliamentary remarks, demanding a retraction and warning that Japan would “bear all consequences.”
• China’s Ministry of National Defense warned Japan would suffer a “crushing defeat” if it used force to intervene in a Taiwan contingency.
• Senior Japanese lawmakers called for Xue’s expulsion, while the government urged Beijing to take “appropriate measures” regarding the consul’s conduct.
• Taiwan labeled China’s statements threatening, and the U.S. ambassador in Tokyo publicly condemned the consul’s comments.