Yesterday in Tokyo, hundreds of citizens gathered outside the Prime Minister's Office to demand that Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi step down after her remarks at a Diet hearing. 📢🇯🇵
They chanted slogans like "Retract your remarks and apologize now," "Takaichi must step down," and "A leader without diplomatic skills shouldn't be in office," expressing frustration over her comment that Japan's Self-Defense Force could use collective self-defense if the Chinese mainland uses military force against the Taiwan region. 🌊🤝
The backlash has been swift. Senior politicians, media outlets, and members of parliament have urged Takaichi to retract her words, saying her stance risks dragging Japan into a Taiwan Strait scenario. On TBS radio, former Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba warned her comments "border on treating a Taiwan contingency as a Japan contingency," noting previous administrations avoided such definitive declarations. 🎙️💡
As debate heats up, all eyes are on whether Takaichi will apologize or face growing calls to resign. This protest underlines Japan's delicate diplomatic balancing act in East Asia. 🌏
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
