May 8, 2026
TOKYO – Japan-China relations remain mired in a stalemate six months after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remark about a Taiwan contingency, with no end in sight to the diplomatic friction with Beijing.
The Japanese government faces a delicate balancing act and has called for dialogue, while resolutely opposing China’s maritime expansion.
Asked about her approach to China by reporters on May 1 ahead of her overseas tour for the Golden Week holidays, Takaichi said: “China is an important neighbor. Japan is always open to dialogue. We want to respond firmly and strategically.”
In stops in Vietnam and Australia, she affirmed her commitment to stronger cooperation on economic security as part of efforts to diversify away from China.
In her remark in the Diet last year, the prime minister indicated that a crisis involving Taiwan could constitute a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan, which would allow it to invoke its right of collective self-defense.
China, reacting against what it saw as an insinuation that Japan would intervene military in a Taiwan contingency, has waged a war of public opinion, aiming to convince the international community that Japan is being unjust. It has also ramped up economic pressure, calling on its citizens to refrain from traveling to Japan and imposing export controls on rare earths.
Many in the Japanese government believe the intensity of the backlash is due to Chinese President Xi Jinping finding the remark problematic.
With the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit set to be held in China in November, the Japanese government wants to arrange a meeting between Takaichi and Xi on the sidelines of the event, looking to gain a foothold in resolving the standoff.
Meanwhile, Maritime Self-Defense Force vessels transited the Taiwan Strait in April for the first time in about 10 months. Such trips were suspended following the prime minister’s remark.
The maneuvers were started before the Takaichi Cabinet to ensure freedom of navigation under international law.
Japan moved to resume the trips based on the view that “halting them out of consideration for China could inadvertently embolden Beijing’s maritime expansion,” according to a government official.
Touching on the ongoing diplomatic tug-of-war, a senior Foreign Ministry official said it was difficult to predict when progress will be made, adding that Japan aims to “patiently engage in dialogue with China” while coordinating its efforts with U.S. President Donald Trump who is scheduled to visit China later this month.