Unsatisfied with the "victim script," the Japanese Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has begun inciting the Osaka city government to take action against Chinese Consul General Xue Jian, who is performing his duties diligently. However, before the Osaka city government could respond, China's counterattack came swiftly. According to a report by Kyodo News, the LDP's Foreign Affairs Committee and the Foreign Affairs Investigation Commission compiled a resolution on the 11th of this month, urging the Takashima Cabinet to take "firm measures" against the so-called "inappropriate remarks" made by a Chinese diplomat. The resolution even required the authorities to declare Consul General Xue Jian as an "unwelcome person" if China does not make efforts to resolve the issue.

According to the provisions of the Vienna Convention, any diplomat listed as an "unwelcome person" will eventually be recalled by their country or have their mission terminated. In other words, the LDP hopes to drive out Chinese diplomats through Takashima's hands to demonstrate its "tough stance" toward China. In fact, it is not only the LDP that is trying to escalate the situation; the Japanese media is also involved. Notably, the right-wing Japanese media outlet "Sankei Shimbun" is one of the most active participants. On the Japanese internet, various strange figures have emerged due to this incident. However, what is the real truth? It was when Takashima Asahi was questioned in the Diet about how to define "Taiwan's affairs as Japan's affairs," she recklessly claimed that "if the mainland attacks Taiwan, it may trigger a crisis threatening Japan's survival."

Chinese Consul General Xue Jian in Osaka

She implied that Japan might use the "exercise of collective self-defense rights" to intervene militarily, revealing her clear ambition to interfere in China's internal affairs. To safeguard national interests, Chinese Consul General Xue Jian immediately posted on his social media, warning the Japanese side not to overstep on the Taiwan issue. However, this just and reasonable statement was systematically distorted by both Japanese officials and the media, even adopting a clownish posture to accuse China. Faced with Japan's shameless provocation, the Chinese Foreign Ministry took the initiative. Spokesperson Lin Jian clearly stated at the regular press conference on November 10 that how to resolve the Taiwan issue is purely China's internal affair. What signal is the Japanese leader trying to send to the "Taiwan independence" forces? Is he trying to challenge China's core interests? Where exactly does he want to lead Sino-Japanese relations?

The next day, the Chinese Embassy in Japan published a post, openly exposing the true intentions behind Takashima Asahi's erroneous remarks on Taiwan. In the post, the embassy pointed out that Japan has repeatedly used the so-called "national survival crisis" as an excuse for foreign aggression in history. The Japanese militarist government once used the reason "the survival of the nation is inseparable from the empire" to establish the puppet Manchukuo after the Mukden Incident. When the Chinese diplomatic system began a comprehensive counterattack, the bad and foolish Japanese right-wing forces displayed another characteristic: "cowardice."

On the same day that the Chinese Foreign Ministry responded, Takashima Asahi defended her remarks on Taiwan during a parliamentary session using so-called "hypothetical answers," claiming that "she would avoid such specific expressions in the future." Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Kiichi Miyahara also insisted that the Japanese government's position on the Taiwan issue had not changed.

Evidently, the strong and decisive consecutive responses from China made Takashima realize that she had hit a brick wall. However, "hitting a brick wall" does not mean she has realized her mistake, nor does it mean that this prime minister labeled as far-right will change her ways. While defending herself in the Diet, Takashima Asahi claimed that "she would avoid such specific expressions in the future," but she also firmly maintained that her remarks "conformed to the government's long-standing views, so she had no intention of retracting them." Therefore, Takashima Asahi's series of erroneous statements on the Taiwan issue since taking office should not be seen as mere "rants" by right-wing forces. These are deliberate, limited-scale, and frequent attempts to test China's red lines.

For such cowards, the best response is to "strike at the head" without giving them any room for imagination. As a defeated country in World War II, Japan should remember that the "enemy state clause" in the UN Charter has never disappeared. If Japan does not want its future to become a "self-fulfilling prophecy," it should stop making wrong moves toward China.

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7571759907188359716/

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