The Japanese government plans to keep encouraging China to engage in dialogue to maintain stable relations, while standing firm against Beijing’s request that Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi withdraw her recent Diet comment referring to a possible “survival-threatening” situation for Japan.
Responding to the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s advisory urging Chinese citizens to avoid travel to Japan, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said Tokyo will monitor developments carefully and take appropriate action. He stressed that “multi-layered communications are important precisely because our stances differ,” indicating that Japan will continue talking with China.
To help ease tensions, the government is considering sending Keiichi Ichikawa, the Cabinet Secretariat’s national security secretary general, to China in the near future.
During a visit to Akita Prefecture, Liberal Democratic Party Policy Research Council Chair Takayuki Kobayashi called for calm, saying Japan should keep working toward steady dialogue and a constructive, stable relationship. Opposition parties shared similar views: Constitutional Democratic Party leader Yoshihiko Noda said China’s reaction was excessive, while Democratic Party for the People leader Yuichiro Tamaki emphasized the need for both sides to maintain communication to prevent the situation from worsening.
Takaichi, who has strong conservative support, is seen as unwilling to retract her comment, with aides noting that doing so could alienate her base and potentially prompt China to make additional demands.
Japan hopes to find a path forward that both sides can accept, without offering easy concessions. At the same time, the government is taking a firm position on a separate matter involving Xue Jian, the Chinese Consul General in Osaka, who posted on X that there would be “no choice but to cut off that filthy head.” Tokyo intends to handle this issue separately from the discussion surrounding Takaichi’s remark.
Some officials have suggested designating the consul general a persona non grata, though there are concerns this could push China toward a tougher approach and affect bilateral ties. A source in the Prime Minister’s Office said the government is aiming for a “soft landing” that avoids further complications while continuing to urge China to respond appropriately.
