Overview
- Tokyo lodged a strong protest over Osaka Consul General Xue Jian’s now‑deleted X post, calling it extremely inappropriate for a senior diplomat and demanding its removal.
- Beijing characterized Xue’s message as a personal post and issued its own protest over Takaichi’s comments, accusing Japan of interference in China’s internal affairs.
- A ruling Liberal Democratic Party panel urged declaring Xue persona non grata unless Beijing resolves the dispute, though the government has announced no expulsions.
- U.S. Ambassador to Japan George Glass publicized the deleted post and said the diplomat had threatened Takaichi and the Japanese people.
- Takaichi defended her remarks as hypothetical and in line with policy, noting that Chinese use of force around Taiwan could meet the 2015 legal threshold for a survival‑threatening situation.