Takaichi Attributes Her Comment to Opposition Leader

Both Houses of the Diet held a joint meeting of Committee on Fundamental National Policies, which is called party leaders debate or the Question Time (QT), on November 26th. In the discussion for the first time since her inauguration, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi attributed her careless comment on possible Taiwan contingency to the question by a veteran opposition lawmaker. She also revealed that she did not hope to say about a specific case around Taiwan, indicating that the comment had not been what she meant.

In the Committee on Budget of House of Representatives on November 7th, a lawmaker with the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDPJ) and former Minister for Foreign Affairs, Katsuya Okada, asked Takaichi whether a blockade on the sea around Taiwan would make a “survival-threatening situation” in which Japan may use its force. Takaichi answered she would decide based on the actual situation.

 

Okada further introduced an example that the vice-president of Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and former prime minister, Taro Aso, told in Washington, D.C. in January 2024 that China’s invasion to Taiwan would be a survival-threatening situation for Japan. Then, Takaichi said that it would be that situation, if warship was involved with use of force.

 

In the discussion of QT on November 26, the leader of CDPJ, Yoshihiko Noda, asked whether Takaichi’s answer to Okada was an official recognition with deliberated consultation with her staffs or her own opinion. Takaichi replied Noda that she had said it because she was asked by Okada about a specific example and sincerely answered. “It was possible that the discussion at the committee would be stopped, if I repeat an official standpoint,” said Takaichi to Noda.

 

Stopping discussion is one of the measures for an opposition party to protest a leading party with majority power to push a bill in the procedure of the Diet. Takaichi meant that she delivered her comment not the opposition party to stop the discussion. After the dispute with Okada, Takaichi announced that she would not say about specific example about Taiwan in the discussion of the budget committee.

 

The discussion between Takaichi and Noda revealed that Takaichi was not ready for answering a question from Okada on Taiwan contingency. It was not prepared by her and her staffs in the prime minister’s office. And it also became apparent that Takaichi had no idea that China, with perspective of core interest in Taiwan, would respond to her comment on Taiwan in such a persistent way as mobilizing any diplomatic cards.

 

It is true that Takaichi keeps relatively high popularity after her comment on Taiwan and there are some arguments on social networking service in Japan that it is not Takaichi, but Okada who are responsible for China’s eccentric response to Japan. Certain numbers of people in Japan turn blind eye to premature diplomatic handling of their first female prime minister.

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