Overview
- Chinese Consul in Osaka Xue Jian posted on X that he would “cut the dirty throat” of Japan’s prime minister before deleting the message.
- The post linked to coverage of Sanae Takaichi’s remarks that a Taiwan conflict could endanger Japan and might warrant action under collective self-defense.
- Japanese government spokesman Minoru Kihara condemned the language as “extremely inappropriate,” filed a protest with Beijing, and pressed for the post’s removal.
- China’s Foreign Ministry, asked about the incident, reiterated that Taiwan is an inseparable part of Chinese territory.
- Xue later urged an end to what he called speculation about his words and framed Japanese politicians’ Taiwan statements as a threat to China, as some in Japan demanded an apology or his expulsion.