Japan has been facing mounting pressure from China since Takaichi made her remarks, with China’s Consul General in Osaka commenting: “The dirty head that sticks itself out must be cut off,” prompting a formal protest from Tokyo.
Beijing then summoned the Japanese ambassador for the first time in more than two years, and China’s defence ministry declared that any Japanese intervention would be doomed to fail.
On Friday, China cautioned its citizens against travelling to Japan, prompting Tokyo to urge Beijing to take “appropriate measures” though it did not elaborate.
Three Chinese airlines said on Saturday that tickets to Japan could be refunded or changed for free.
In Taiwan, the defence ministry said on Sunday morning it had detected 30 Chinese military aircraft operating around the island and seven navy ships over the past 24 hours.
Late on Saturday, the ministry said China had been carrying out another “joint combat patrol” to “harass the airspace and sea around us”.
It added that Taiwan had sent its own aircraft and ships to monitor the situation. Taiwan reports such Chinese patrols a couple of times a month as part of what Taipei says is an ongoing military pressure campaign.
Taiwan’s government says only the island’s people can decide its future.
Japanese leaders have previously avoided publicly mentioning Taiwan when discussing such scenarios, maintaining a “strategic ambiguity” also favoured by Tokyo’s main security ally, the United States.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/east-asia/china-japan-senkaku-islands-taiwan-sanae-takaichi-remarks-5470096
