Tokyo: Around 100 Japanese residents staged a protest outside the prime minister’s official residence on Saturday evening, calling for Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to step down. 

Demonstrators held banners and chanted slogans including “Takaichi step down” and “Those who cannot conduct diplomacy are unfit to be prime minister,” voicing strong dissatisfaction over her recent remarks concerning Taiwan.

Remarks Trigger Diplomatic Sensitivity
Speaking at a Diet session on November 7, Takaichi stated that a Taiwan emergency involving military vessels or force from the Chinese mainland could be deemed a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan. Under Japanese law, such a designation could enable the Self-Defense Forces to exercise the right of collective self-defense.

Although criticized, Takaichi defended her comments, saying they aligned with the government’s longstanding position and that she had no intention of retracting them.

China Lodges Formal Protest
In response to the remarks, Chinese Ambassador to Japan Wu Jianghao met with Japan’s Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Takehiro Funakoshi on Friday to lodge solemn representations and issue a formal protest.