TOKYO/BEIJING: Japan on Monday moved to tamp down an escalating row with China over Taiwan that has prompted Beijing to urge its citizens to stay away from its East Asian neighbor.
The dispute erupted after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told Japanese lawmakers earlier this month that a Chinese attack on Taiwan threatening Japan’s survival could trigger a military response, a scenario previous administrations have avoided discussing in public to avoid provoking Beijing, which claims the self-ruled island.
Masaaki Kanai, the director general of the Japanese Foreign Ministry’s Asia and Oceania bureau, will meet his Chinese counterpart, Liu Jinsong, in Beijing this week, Japanese media reported on Monday. Kanai is expected to explain that Takaichi’s comment does not signal a shift in Japan’s security policy and urge China to refrain from actions that further damage ties, they said.
Taiwan sits just over 110 kilometers from Japan’s westernmost islands and near vital sea lanes Tokyo relies on for oil and gas shipments. Japan also hosts the largest concentration of US military power outside the United States.
“Various channels of communication are open,” Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary said at a regular press briefing when asked about Kanai’s reported China visit.
