November 8 & 11, 2025
Japanese Communist Party Secretariat Head Koike Akira, at a press conference in the Diet building on November 10, criticized Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae for implying that a “Taiwan contingency” would threaten Japan’s survival and thus allow Japan’s Self-Defense Forces to participate in a U.S.-led war against China. He called the remarks “extremely dangerous.”
PM Takaichi, in response to a question from a Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan lawmaker at a meeting of the House of Representatives Budget Committee on November 7, stated that a Taiwan contingency would constitute a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan.
This is a grave statement, as the SDF’s participation in that event would inevitably provoke Chinese retaliation, potentially turning Japanese territory, particularly the Nansei (southwest) Islands located near Taiwan, into a battlefield.
Koike pointed out that PM Takaishi in her response to the CDPJ Dietmember merely expressed that she “hopes for a peaceful resolution through dialogue,” and that she completely omitted any mention of a diplomatic solution. Koike noted, “She focused solely on military countermeasures.”
Koike stated that she is the first prime minister to cite a specific case regarding Japan facing a crisis of “survival-threatening situation” that would justify the country’s use of the collective self-defense right. Koike criticized the remarks as “dangerous and reckless.”
PM Takaichi later stated that she “reflected” on her Diet response and “will refrain from explicitly naming specific cases,” but stated that she will not retract her controversial remarks. Koike said, “If she won’t retract them, then it’s not reflection.”
PM Takaichi, in response to a question from a Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan lawmaker at a meeting of the House of Representatives Budget Committee on November 7, stated that a Taiwan contingency would constitute a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan.
This is a grave statement, as the SDF’s participation in that event would inevitably provoke Chinese retaliation, potentially turning Japanese territory, particularly the Nansei (southwest) Islands located near Taiwan, into a battlefield.
Koike pointed out that PM Takaishi in her response to the CDPJ Dietmember merely expressed that she “hopes for a peaceful resolution through dialogue,” and that she completely omitted any mention of a diplomatic solution. Koike noted, “She focused solely on military countermeasures.”
Koike stated that she is the first prime minister to cite a specific case regarding Japan facing a crisis of “survival-threatening situation” that would justify the country’s use of the collective self-defense right. Koike criticized the remarks as “dangerous and reckless.”
PM Takaichi later stated that she “reflected” on her Diet response and “will refrain from explicitly naming specific cases,” but stated that she will not retract her controversial remarks. Koike said, “If she won’t retract them, then it’s not reflection.”
