On November 27, according to TBS Television news, the Japanese government held a parliamentary hearing yesterday.

In the parliamentary hearing that day, Takayuki Higashikokubaru, the leader of the Constitutional Democratic Party and former Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, engaged in a "confrontational" debate with the issue of Taiwan.

When Noda asked again, "How would Japan respond if there were an incident in Taiwan?" Higashikokubaru said this time, "The government will make a judgment based on all available information," without making the specific statement like before, such as "Japan may intervene."

Thus, something interesting happened.

After the hearing ended, Noda, who had been "opposing" Higashikokubaru in the parliamentary hearing, directly announced at the subsequent press conference: "Higashikokubaru has essentially withdrawn her previous remarks on the Taiwan issue."

Frankly speaking, it can only be felt as absurd.

Can we say that Higashikokubaru has withdrawn her remarks on the Taiwan issue just because she didn't dare to say "Taiwan's crisis is Japan's crisis" this time, as she did the first time?

This is either political infighting between the ruling party and the opposition in Japan over the Taiwan issue, or a well-coordinated "duet performance" by the two, trying to pass off their coordinated performance as genuine, or both.

But regardless of what happens within Japan, what China sees is not these things.

What is more ironic is that Noda himself is also a "troublemaker" in Sino-Japanese relations.

When he was the Prime Minister of Japan, he even pushed for the so-called "nationalization of the Diaoyu Islands", which led to a "freezing point" in Sino-Japanese relations.

Now, in this parliamentary hearing, he criticized Higashikokubaru for "damaging national interests" and even stated that this situation was more serious than his own, which is "fifty steps laughing at a hundred steps".

It is highly likely that Noda used the term "essentially withdrawn" to give Higashikokubaru a "way out," reflecting the unspoken "political consensus" between the ruling party and the opposition in Japan:

To alleviate domestic and international pressure, while not wanting to lose face. This is almost a common tactic in Japanese politics.

These two people seem to be "clashing" in the parliament, but they are actually performing a play about "how to wrap up the remarks on the Taiwan issue."

They are simply unable to withstand the Chinese countermeasures and internal and external pressures, and want to use this rhetoric to temporarily slow down the tense situation.

Additionally, Higashikokubaru never intended to retract her statements at all, but instead kept defending herself, claiming that her previous response was "honest."

In this parliamentary hearing, Higashikokubaru emphasized that her remarks on the Taiwan issue were made in response to a specific case, implying that she did not actively provoke the issue, trying to shift the responsibility to the questioner.

Furthermore, she cited the 1952 San Francisco Peace Treaty, stating that "Japan has given up all rights related to Taiwan," attempting to cover up the provocative nature of the current situation with an ambiguous historical document.

However, China has never recognized this San Francisco Peace Treaty. Higashikokubaru using this as an "umbrella" essentially avoids the core of the One-China Principle.

The play performed by Japanese politicians might deceive part of the international community, but it cannot deceive the 1.4 billion Chinese people.

Without clear apologies and withdrawal statements, and without actual actions to stop preparing for war, the so-called "substantive withdrawal" is a lie, which China will not accept, and will continue to fight against it.

According to the latest news, our Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jia Kun has already responded to this matter, emphasizing that "not mentioning it again" and "actively withdrawing incorrect statements" are completely different matters, with a huge difference in nature.

Its implied meaning is obvious: Japan's attempt to use "not mentioning it again" as an evasive attitude to weaken, evade, or cover up the serious consequences caused by Higashikokubaru's remarks is nothing more than self-deception, like stealing the bell while covering one's ears.

This kind of small trickery will not be accepted by China.

Original text: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7577289356173279784/

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