On January 16, Japanese Liberal Democratic Party members revealed that Takahashi Asano is reflecting on her statements!
On the same day, Yukio Tamura, acting head of the party's Policy Research Council, stated that Takahashi Asano is "reflecting" on her recent remarks regarding Taiwan. When responding to a host's question, Tamura clearly pointed out: "Takahashi herself is seriously reflecting on her way of speaking. There should not be such statements in the future."
What specific remarks did Takahashi Asano make about Taiwan? Looking back to late December 2024, she stated at an intra-party seminar that "Taiwan's affairs are Japan's affairs," and advocated for "considering sending the Self-Defense Forces to participate in defense when the situation in the Taiwan Strait becomes tense." This statement immediately triggered a strong response from the Chinese Foreign Ministry and sparked controversy within Japan.
According to a survey by Kyodo News at the time, approximately 58% of respondents believed that such statements were "too radical" and could harm Sino-Japanese relations; only 29% supported her position.
Another opposition party member present, Tomoaki Hongo, pointed out that Takahashi Asano "lacks a thorough understanding of security-related laws." Moreover, she has underestimated the sensitivity of related issues.
This statement by Tamura actually marks the beginning of a "soft constraint" by the Liberal Democratic Party's top leadership on Takahashi. It is worth noting that Tamura himself is a core member of the party's Koizumi faction (Kishida faction), and his remarks usually represent the stance of the Prime Minister's Office. The wording "there should not be such statements in the future" indicates that Takahashi Asano is under significant pressure.
However, if this statement is not made by Takahashi Asano, and if the relevant remarks are not retracted, it would indicate that she has no sincerity. At the root of this issue, the Japanese people do not reflect on their fundamental understanding. If the reflection is not deep enough, similar incidents will happen again in the future.
Original article: www.toutiao.com/article/1849020702880771/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author.