Takaichi Risks Big Losses Over Taiwan Row With China; Can Japan Handle Fallout If U.S. Holds Back?

Takaichi Risks Big Losses Over Taiwan Row With China; Can Japan Handle Fallout If U.S. Holds Back?

China and Japan are face to face like never before in recent history. One statement from Tokyo has set off alarms in Beijing and what happens next could redraw Asia’s balance of power. I’m Ananya Data. Let’s get started. [Music] Let’s quickly get you up to speed with what has happened so far. Sanitaka was nominated as Japan’s first female prime minister on October 21st. Her hawkish stance in China was well known. But to everyone’s surprise, within 10 days for taking the top seat, she invited Chinese President Xiinping to meet in South Korea. The meeting went well and both leaders agreed to work together. The next 10 days went by quietly and then this happened. If China were to deploy battleships and involve the use of force, I believe this could be deemed a situation threatening Japan’s survival. That was Takayichi’s response to an opposition lawmakaker’s question on under what circumstances a contingency around Taiwan would be a survival threatening situation for Japan. In Tokyo, a survival threatening situation is just a legal way of saying that the military is allowed to use force. And this is the first time a Japanese prime minister has referred to the Taiwan confrontation in those many words. For years, Beijing’s ambition in Taiwan has made Japan very worried because by the looks of it, Japan and China might not seem like neighbors, but they are. mainland China has the sea of Japan, Russia, North Korea and South Korea in between. And the broad East China Sea divides the Nagasaki coast to the Shanghai coast. But the more you zoom in, you realize the southernmost Japanese island is less than 100 kilometers away from Taiwan’s coast. So even though former prime ministers in Tokyo have steered clear of discussing the scenario of Taiwan being attacked, it has definite foreign policy repercussions for Japan. And Takahayi understands that and her direct acknowledgement of the scenario has made Beijing furious. In fact, one of its diplomats even used undiplomatic language against her. He threatened to decapitate anyone who interfered in China’s affairs, Dhaka included. This was China’s council general in Osaka. He has deleted his tweet since and this incident has snowballed into a public fallout with far greater repercussions. First is trade. China is Japan’s largest trading partner. Chinese consumer brands like Sheen have found a foothold in Japan. Even electric car manufacturers like BYD have found their customers in a market cluttered by Japan’s automakers. The spat threatens to damage businesses operating across both economies. And Japan seems to be on the losing end here. Its investment in China and Hong Kong are at record low while Beijing is expanding its footprint in machinery, cars, and chemicals. These uncertainties are confusing the investors who are bracing for what’s to come. The declining stock prices reflect the market concerns over the deterioration of China Japan relations. China is indispensable as it is Japan’s largest trading partner. Yet the Japanese prime minister’s statements seem to have completely ignored the important relations between the two countries. Third is defense. Prime Minister Takayi has made it clear that she wants to expand the Japanese military even though its constitution calls for pacifism, a decision that was taken post World War II. But with changing geopolitics, Takayi has decided to increase her defense spending target to 2% of the GDP. A decision that was lauded by the United States, who is the largest defense partner of Japan. But now that the situation has become quite real between Tokyo and Beijing, Washington has pulled one of its most efficient missile systems, Typhon from one of Japan’s islands. And this is according to South China Morning Post. Under a security treaty, the US is obligated to defend Japan if it is attacked. And with Typhoon capable of launching missiles that could reach far beyond Beijing and Shanghai, Washington couldn’t have risked escalating the situation. That being said, Takayichi is extremely wary of China Russia ties and her country falling victim to US China rivalry. Teach’s remarks prove that the desire among Japan’s right-wing to revive militarism has never gone away. Many political parties in Taiwan are questioning her motives, believing this is an attempt to drag Taiwan into a conflict. Her statements have completely crossed the red line. Now, tourism has also been hit. China has issued a travel advisory against visiting Japan in the near future due to the bilateral spat. According to Japan Tourism Agency, Chinese tourists were the top spenders among all foreign visitors last quarter, accounting for around 27% of total inbound consumption. So first of all, this is a huge loss for us. Additionally, our fixed monthly expenses are about 10 million yen. If this lasts for one or two months, we can manage. But if the situation continues to worsen, it will obviously have a major impact on our business operations and management. Now, Takayi is a prodigy of former Prime Minister Shinszu Abbe who once had famously said, “A Taiwan emergency is a Japanese emergency.” The ongoing row with China is proving to be Takai’s first foreign policy test. She has gone on record to say that she will not budge down from her statement on Taiwan. And Beijing on the other hand is using this to make a case for any other country that plans to challenge its one China policy. So the question now is how far will they go just to make a point. I’m Ananya Data. Thanks for watching. Please [Music] [Music] for the good of our nation. Let’s work together and let’s truly make America great again. The fastest news breaks requested PM saying that we will have to speak to Putin and to Zalinski. The biggest news makers. The relationship with India is probably the most important bilateral relationship the US will have for the rest of this century. The capital delivered quite an election result today. Expert analysis. The milliondoll question today is how to stop this dance of death. Crown reports. I’m standing at the crossroad of the kum mea. Behind me are more than 100 entry hearts long form interviews. Exclusionary politics is reflected in Manipur case as well. You don’t border because this is a small state. Deep dive into burning issues. It’s often said DRC could be the richest country in the whole world. It’s because of what sits underneath. Why exactly did the US topple the Shakina government? HD videos. We don’t just break news, we break it down.

China and Japan are staring each other down like never before and one phrase from Tokyo has just raised the temperature across Asia. Japan’s prime minister has invoked a term that rarely enters public debate: a “survival-threatening situation.” It’s a legal trigger created that gives Japan the power to use force even if it is not directly attacked. But why did she say it now? And what does it mean when the world’s third-largest economy tells Beijing that a Taiwan clash could meet that threshold?

Ananya Dutta breaks down the stakes: how this one phrase exposes Japan’s deepest strategic fears, why China’s reaction has been unusually fierce, and what this could mean for trade, markets, tourism, and Japan’s own pacifist identity. As the U.S. pulls back sensitive missile systems and Tokyo refuses to soften its language, is Asia entering a new, unpredictable phase of confrontation? Or is this diplomatic brinkmanship with a bigger message?

#JapanChina, #Takaichi, #TaiwanStrait, #Geopolitics, #AsiaSecurity, #JapanDefense, #ChinaTaiwan, #USJapanAlliance, #IndoPacific, #JETRO, #TradeWar, #Tokyo, #AnanyaDutta, #Beijing, #XiJinping, #AbeLegacy, #EastAsia, #MilitaryTensions, #PacificRegion, #ForeignPolicy, #TaiwanCrisis, #JapanNews, #BreakingNews, #GlobalMarkets, #TourismHit, #SecurityLaws

Download the Hindustan Times App from Playstore/App Store for all the latest news & updates.
google app store : https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ht.news&hl=en_IN&pli=1

Apple Store : https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ht.news&hl=en_IN&pli=1

Add Hindustan Times as your preferred source on Google. Click here:
https://www.google.com/preferences/source?q=hindustan%20times

Hindustan Times Videos brings all the News for the Global Indian under one umbrella. We break down news from across the globe from the unique lens of a Rising India. Tune in for Explainers, Opinions, Analysis and a 360 degree view of big events in India and the World which impact your present and future.

Follow the Hindustan Times Channel on WhatsApp for News Alerts, Top Stories and Editor picks. Join Us Today – https://www.bit.ly/3PQ4kSv

Subscribe to the Hindustan Times YT channel and press the bell icon to get notified when we go live.

Visit our website https://www.hindustantimes.com/
Follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/htTweets
Follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hindustantimes