Name: How one Taiwan comment reignited a fiery China-Japan feud - Asia Specific podcast, BBC World Service
Uploaded: 2025-11-27T03:49:49.000Z
Duration: 20 min 38 s
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Almost a quarter of Japan's tourists are Chinese.

So there has been some reaction on Twitter, for example, putting China's advisory saying, you know, warning towards warning Chinese tourists not to go to Japan.

And then, you know, some Japanese saying, well, okay, if you don't want to come, don't come.

It started with what some call an off the cuff remark.

Japan's new Prime Minister, Sanae Takaiji told parliament that if China were to use foreign force against Taiwan, it could create a survival threatening situation for Japan.

Under Japanese law, it's the threshold for military action.

China has summoned the Japanese ambassador over comments made by his prime minister on Taiwan.

Chinese officials accused Tokyo of crossing a red line and warned of sea serious consequences.

One senior diplomat posted a chilling violent message online.

It was later deleted, but the tone was clear.

China has since returned to the United nations, summoned Japan's ambassador, suspended imports of Japanese seafood, issued travel warnings and cancelled cultural exchanges.

Japan, in turn, has advised its citizens in China to stay vigilant.

This hostility taps into a deep and bitter history between the two countries, from wartime memories to territorial disputes.

But why did a single statement ignite tensions now?

And could this latest spat spiral into something far uglier?

I'm Marie Ko oyi in Singapore and this is the very first episode of Asia Specific, our brand new podcast from the BBC World Service.

Twice a week we bring you Asia Pacific stories unpacked by those who know them best.

And today I have the BBC's China correspondent, Laura Bicker in Beijing and also the BBC's Japan correspondent, Shaima Halil in Tokyo.

So good to have you both on Asia Pacific.

Shaima, because it wasn't like she was making a big speech about Taiwan, was she?

She was basically answering a question in Parliament.

But an opposition lawmaker had mentioned Taiwan.

Kaichi asking in regards to Taiwan, what would constitute survival threatening situation.

Survival threatening situation, because that's key language.

And then the prime minister, Sanai Takaichi responded with her own very specific language.

If there are battleships and the use of force, she said, when it comes to Taiwan, no matter how you think about it, it could constitute a survival threatening situation.

That is a legal term in Japanese security law, which essentially means that the armed forces, any armed Attack on Japan's allies on Japan poses an existentialist threat to Japan, at which point Japan's SDF Self Defense Forces can get involved.

I want to ask Laura about Beijing's reaction, but

for viewers and listeners wondering why hypothetically Taiwan's invasion has anything to do with Japan's survival is, I guess the thinking is if Taiwan again was hypothetically invaded, you know, it could be Okinawa next, because China has spoken about Okinawa Ryukyu in the past.

But Laura, in terms of Beijing's reaction, I mean, you know, we've seen violent protests before.

I remember, you know, back in 2012, because my uncle was living in China and there were violent anti Japan protests.

Demonstrators were burning Toyota cars and so on.

But this language that this consulate General used, that's quite unprecedented, isn't it?

And I think this is now the most serious diplomatic dispute between Japan and China since that kind of 2010, 2012 dispute.

It is worth pointing out that those protests on the street came, you know, they were organized protests in terms of rising anti Japanese sentiment.

This is a year in which China has been commemorating the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.

What it sees is its victory over Imperial Japan.

And all year there has been this rise in kind of anti Japanese sentiment.

We've seen it on state media, we've seen films commemorating the nanjing massacre where 200,000 unarmed civilians were, in the view of Chinese murdered by Imperial Japanese armies.

So I think when it comes to the kind of rhetoric already within China, you've seen a rise of that sentiment.

Now we've seen a bit of a return of what outside of China, they call the Wolf warrior, this kind of aggressive rhetoric that is used by both their politicians and their state media against, against countries that have allegedly wronged China.

And for the last five years, the wolf warrior has gone a wee bit silent.

Until now, well and truly back, it would seem.

You know, in terms of the kind of aggressive rhetoric, there's been saber rattling from the military.

They've said we've honed our skills through rigorous training.

Former state media commentators have also called Ms. Takeichi a witch.

Over the last week, there was a visit by a Japanese envoy to try to sort things out, to try to ease tensions, but

First of all, when it came to the Chinese side, they didn't see the Japanese envoy as being high enough to be sent to sort out such what they see as a huge problem.

And second of all, he wore one of the Chinese delegates, a senior diplomat.

It's got colorless suit with five buttons, and it was worn by students in 1919 who tried.

Chinese students who tried to overcome Japanese imperialism.

So it was seen as a sign of defiance on the Chinese side.

the Japanese media's reaction was how, you know, the Chinese diplomat had his hands both in his pockets, whereas a Japanese official was seen to be bowing.

You know, maybe he was bowing towards the translator.

But, you know, that picture really went viral and some of the memes were quite, you know, hilarious, to be honest.

I want to ask how locals feel about this, because, you know, reading the Japanese public's reaction, you know, when there were those protests in 2012, it was because of a territorial dispute.

So I think, you know, people can kind of understand that.

Takaichi, you know, I can see a lot of people going, what did she say that's so wrong?

You know, because the language is so specific, and

even, you know, not many people in Japan were aware that what she said was such a big deal.

I think from the Japanese side, if you look at.

If you look at the reaction, which I'm sure you've been.

You've been following the language that the experts use, the reaction from people on the streets is not as angry as what Laura has been saying on the Chinese side.

From where I'm sitting, it's more about watching what's going on, waiting for the ramifications, but

also asking the question, what was it that was so outrageous?

Because, again, remember, yes, Tokyo refused to retract, but

she did promise to be more careful, in a way.

I shouldn't have said it the way I've said it, but, you know, this is our stance.

But do you think the fact that she's not withdrawing that comment, is it kind of almost benefiting her?

In terms of the travel advisory that Beijing gave, one could argue that a lot of.

There were a lot of concerns about over tourism in Japan, and, you know, some people kind of cheering the fact that maybe there are fewer tourists.