Relations between China and Japan entered a state of crisis in November 2025, after Japanese prime minister Sanae Takaichi said in the Japanese parliament that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could potentially constitute an "existential crisis for Japan" under the Legislation for Peace and Security, allowing Japan to take military action in collective self-defence. Following these remarks, the Chinese consul general in Osaka, Xue Jian, made threatening comments against Takaichi on X, triggering a diplomatic row between the countries.
Both sides protested the other's remarks. In response to questions from Japanese parliamentarians, Takaichi refused to withdraw her remarks, arguing that they were consistent with the Japanese government's existing position on the issue. Japan requested that China take "appropriate measures" against Xue. China refused, demanded Takaichi retract her statements, and accused Japan of "neo-militarism", issued numerous retaliatory measures against Japan, including issuing a travel advisory, restricting travel and cultural exchanges, and cutting off seafood imports from the country. In 2026, the dispute further escalated with China restricting the export of dual-use items and rare earth materials to Japan.
Background
From 1895 to 1945, the island of Taiwan along with the Penghu islands was under Japanese colonial rule by the terms of the Treaty of Shimonoseki in the aftermath of the First Sino-Japanese War. Following the surrender of Japan in the conclusion of World War II, Taiwan was handed over to the Republic of China (ROC) in 1945, but the ROC soon lost its mainland territory due to its defeat in the Chinese Civil War and retreated its government to Taiwan in 1949. Japan formally "renounced all right, title, and claim" to Taiwan in 1952, without naming the specific receiver of Taiwan's sovereignty, which began a long-standing geopolitical dispute. Since 1947, under the auspices of the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers, the Japanese constitution has maintained a clause of Article 9, which prohibits the use of force to resolve international disputes. From the 1980s the Japanese government has taken the stance that protection of the sea lane between Japan and the Bashi Channel south of Taiwan is permissible as self-defence, and that it would not constitute collective self-defence. In 2015, Shinzo Abe's government passed legislation that allowed Japan to engage in collective self-defence in specific cases, such as if an ally like the United States came under attack. In 2021, after his resignation, Abe said that a Chinese attack on Taiwan, or what he referred to as a "Taiwan emergency", would be an emergency for Japan and the US–Japan alliance.
Sanae Takaichi, who was elected as the Prime Minister of Japan in October 2025, has been generally seen as pro-Taiwanese and hawkish on China. In April 2025, she visited Taiwan and met with President Lai Ching-te. She has repeated Abe's statement that a "Taiwan emergency is a Japan emergency." Her election as Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) leader also led Komeito, which maintains friendly ties with China, to break its coalition with the LDP. Chinese leader Xi Jinping made an unusual move by not sending a congratulatory telegram on the day Takaichi assumed the post of prime minister, but a Japan–China summit meeting between Xi and Takaichi took place on 31 October at the APEC South Korea 2025. However, after Takaichi held talks with Taiwan's former Vice Premier Lin Hsin-i on 1 November, China lodged a protest with Japan, and Japan counter-argued, leading to the deterioration of the relationship.
Dispute
During deliberations in the National Diet on 7 November, Japanese prime minister Sanae Takaichi said that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could constitute "an existential crisis for Japan" under the Legislation for Peace and Security formulated in 2015, allowing it to take military action in self-defence. Under the conditions of Legislation, a survival-threatening situation refers to an attack on a country with close ties to Japan that threatens Japan's survival and poses a clear danger to the lives of its people as a legal prerequisite for Japan exercising its right to collective self-defense, even if Japan itself is not directly attacked.
Japanese: それが戦艦を使って、そして武力の行使も伴うものであれば、これはどう考えても存立危機事態になり得るケースであると私は考えます。
[If it were to involve the use of warships and the exercise of force, then by any measure, it could constitute a situation threatening Japan’s survival.]
— Sanae Takaichi
Takaichi made this remark in response to a question from opposition parliamentarian Katsuya Okada about a hypothetical naval blockade of the Bashi Channel between the Philippines and Taiwan. In response to the comments, the Chinese consul-general in Osaka, Xue Jian, wrote on the social network X that "we have no choice but to cut off that dirty neck that has lunged at us without a moment's hesitation. Are you ready?", although the post was later deleted after a protest by the Japanese government.
This exchange of words led to a diplomatic row between Japan and China. Chinese officials condemned Takaichi's remarks as they cast doubt on Japan's stance regarding the one China principle and constitutes interference in China's internal affairs, while Japanese officials and the US ambassador to Japan criticized Xue's comment. The Taiwanese government attempted to keep a low profile regarding the conflict, with the opposition parties displaying mixed attitudes. During further discussion in Parliament on 12 November, Takaichi said that her remarks were in accord with the government's longstanding position and would not be withdrawn. She also said that she would refrain from making statements about specific cases in the future.
Follow-up exchanges
On 13 November, Chinese deputy foreign minister Sun Weidong summoned the Japanese ambassador to China, Kenji Kanasugi, to protest Sanae Takaichi's remarks. Kanasugi rejected the Chinese argument, explained the Japanese position, and protested Consul General Xue Jian's remarks. On 14 November, Japanese Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Takehiro Funakoshi summoned the Chinese ambassador to Japan, Wu Jianghao, to protest Xue Jian's remarks. According to press releases by the Japanese and Chinese Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Wu said Takaichi's remarks were "complete misjudgment of the situation and an overestimation of Japan's capabilities" while "Funakoshi countered these statements based on the Japanese government's consistent and long-standing position."
On 17 November, Masaaki Kanai, Director-general of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau of Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, arrived in China and met with Liu Jinsong, Director-general of the Department of Asian Affairs of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 18 November. During the meeting, Liu protested Takaichi's remarks and requested that they be retracted. Kanai responded by saying Japan's security policy did not change and protested Consul General Xue Jian's remarks and criticized China's moves to limit the movement of people between the two countries. After the meeting, the Chinese side took the unusual step of allowing reporters into the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building to take pictures. Chinese media published pictures of Liu, who was wearing a Chinese tunic suit in the style of the May Fourth Movement and had the national emblem pinned to his chest, speaking, while Kanai listened with his head down, a move considered by Nippon Television to be China trying to manipulate public opinion. Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said that the Chinese side had unilaterally permitted photography without agreement from Japan.
On 18 November, at the plenary session of the United Nations General Assembly on Security Council reform, Fu Cong, China's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, said Japan was "totally unqualified to demand a permanent seat on the Security Council". A Japanese representative described Fu's accusations as groundless and said Tokyo had contributed to maintaining peace and prosperity in the world. On 22 November, Fu delivered a letter to the UN Secretary-General António Guterres to be distributed to all UN member states which said if Japan were to intervene militarily in the event of a war between China and Taiwan, it would constitute an act of aggression and that China would exercise its right of self-defense under the UN Charter and international law. In an emailed statement to Reuters, Japan's Foreign Ministry said it was aware of Fu's letter for the claim of military intervention which is "entirely unacceptable" and reiterated the country's commitment to peace.
On 24 November, Japanese Ambassador to the UN Kazuyuki Yamazaki wrote a letter to Secretary-General Guterres, stating China's assertions were "erroneous" and that Japan's defense policy is exclusively defense-oriented, while also criticizing China's military build-up. He also stated Japan's position on Taiwan had not changed. On 1 December, Fu sent a second letter to Secretary-General Guterres as a reply to Yamazaki's letter, in which he wrote that Takaichi's statement was the "greatest challenge" which damaged relations between the two countries, and said Japan should "clearly reaffirm the one-China principle, immediately retract the erroneous remarks and take practical steps to honor its commitments to China". He also called on the international community to "remain highly vigilant against Japan's ambitions to expand its military capabilities and revive militarism". In response, Chief Cabinet Secretary Kihara called China's allegations "not true at all" and "totally unacceptable", saying Japan has "consistently contributed to the peace and prosperity" since the end of World War II. On 4 December, Japanese ambassador Yamazaki again issued a rebuttal, calling China's assertions "inconsistent with the facts, unsubstantiated, and are categorically unacceptable".
On 15 December, at an open debate of the UN Security Council regarding leadership for peace, Fu urged Takaichi to withdraw her remarks, saying they had "gone against the trend", and said Japan had launched aggression 80 years ago "in the name of self-defense, bringing profound catastrophes" to China and Asia, saying that the world "must never allow the resurgence of militarism and fascism". Yamazaki replied by saying Japan had consistently pursued the path of a peace-loving nation since the end of World War II and that China's comments were not appropriate for the Security Council's agenda. On 26 January 2026, Fu addressed a UN Security Council meeting on international rule of law by stating Takaichi's remarks constitute a "brazen intervention in China's internal affairs" and are an open breach of Japan's obligations as a country defeated in World War II, to which Japanese representative Kazuyuki responded by saying it was "regrettable" that the Chinese delegation made groundless statements against Japan. On 18 February, Fu said that Japan was "attempting to intervene militarily in the Taiwan issue under the guise of collective self-defence", which he said "would constitute an aggression against China".
On 18 May 2026, members of the Japan–China Friendship Parliamentarians' Union, including Chairman Yu Moriyama, dined with Ambassador Wu Jianghao at the Chinese Embassy in Japan. On 22 June, after attending the China International Supply Chain Promotion Expo, Gaku Hashimoto, acting chairman of the Japan International Trade Promotion Association and member of the House of Representatives, held a meeting with Hua Chunying, vice minister of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, for about an hour. He was the first member of the Japanese National Diet to meet with a high-ranking Chinese government official since the beginning of the diplomatic crisis. The next day, when meeting with reporters, Gaku Hashimoto said, "We have found a way to communicate, which is a great achievement." Guo Jiakun, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that during the meeting, Hua Chunying expressed her condolences for the death of Yōhei Kōno and stated her position on issues such as Sino–Japanese relations. She hoped that the Japanese business community would make positive efforts to promote the Japanese government to improve Sino–Japanese relations. Hua Chunying also welcomed the Japanese trade promotion delegation to visit China again. In the same month, Kubota Masakazu, vice chairman of the Japan Business Federation, exchanged views with local business groups when attending the Summer Davos Forum in Dalian and said that "the conditions for restarting the delegation's visit to China have been met."