Overview
- Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said Japan seeks constructive, stable relations with China and keeps the door open to dialogue, while insisting her Taiwan remarks do not change Japan’s longstanding position.
- China’s foreign ministry condemned Tokyo’s explanation, urged a retraction of Takaichi’s comments, and warned of a perceived revival of militarism, while pressing its case through UN démarches and outreach to regional embassies.
- Beijing has maintained punitive measures that include a travel advisory against visiting Japan and a renewed ban on Japanese seafood, alongside cancellations and postponements affecting cultural exchanges and tourism flows.
- Regional frictions have intensified, with reports of a tense encounter near the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands and Japanese complaints that Chinese fighter jets used fire-control radars near Okinawa.
- Tokyo is advancing defensive preparations tied to potential Taiwan scenarios, including deploying a Type-03 Chu-SAM to Yonaguni and upgrading JMSDF destroyers with Tomahawk cruise missiles.