On November 15, hundreds of protesters gathered in front of the Prime Ministers Office in Tokyo, demanding Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi step down after her controversial remarks about the Taiwan region at a recent Diet hearing. 🗣️✊
With chants of "Retract your remarks and apologize now," "Takaichi must step down," and "A person without diplomatic skills should not be prime minister," the crowd made its message clear: Takaichis comments crossed a line.
At last weeks Diet meeting, Takaichi said Japans Self-Defense Forces could exercise the right of collective self-defense if the Chinese mainland used military forces against the Taiwan region. Despite the Chinese mainlands serious démarches and protests, she stood by her words, suggesting Japan might intervene in a Taiwan Straits scenario.
Her statement drew heavy backlash from senior political figures and the media in Japan. Many members of parliament have joined calls for her to retract the remarks, arguing that past governments avoided specific commitments on how Japan would respond to a crisis in the Taiwan region.
Former Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, speaking on TBS radio, warned that Takaichis position was "very close to claiming that a Taiwan contingency is a Japan contingency." He noted that Japan has traditionally kept its defense policy vague to avoid escalating tensions.
As the debate heats up, all eyes are on Takaichi. Will she apologize and retract her statement, or hold her ground? Let us know your thoughts! 🤔💬
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
