Japan Confronts China Over Military Exercises Held Around Taiwan
Japanese Foreign Ministry press secretary Kitamura Toshihiro declared Wednesday that the "recent military exercises conducted by the Chinese military around Taiwan constitute actions that increase tensions across the Taiwan Strait, and the Government of Japan has conveyed its concerns to the Chinese side."
Kitamura emphasized that "it has been the consistent position of the government of Japan that it expects that the issue surrounding Taiwan will be resolved peacefully through dialogue."
"Peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait are important for the international community as a whole. We will continue to monitor related developments with strong interest," Kitamura stated.
Beijing had not issued a response to Tokyo's statement at the time of publication.
In a parallel development, New Zealand expressed alarm Wednesday, stating it "is concerned by another occurrence of large-scale military exercises around Taiwan."
"We call for the peaceful resolution of cross-Strait issues through de-escalation and dialogue, and for the avoidance of actions that may undermine peace and stability," New Zealand's Foreign Ministry announced via US social media platform X.
Tokyo's rebuke followed Beijing's launch of the two-day Justice Mission 2025 joint military operations Monday—initiated just days after Washington authorized a historic $11 billion arms package to Taipei, the largest single transaction on record.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi asserted Tuesday that efforts to "obstruct" Chinese reunification "is doomed to fail," condemning "continuous provocations by 'Taiwan independence' forces and the large-scale arms sales to Taiwan by the United States" as actions that must be "resolutely opposed."
Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te countered that Beijing "has continued to escalate military tension in the region, which is not the behavior of a responsible world power," media reported.
"Taiwan will not provoke a confrontation, nor seek conflict with China," he added.
Friction between Beijing and Tokyo intensified following Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's November 7 declaration that a Chinese assault on Taiwan could legally qualify as a "survival-threatening situation," potentially authorizing Japan to invoke collective self-defense rights.
Wang fired back Tuesday, asserting: "Japan, which launched the war of aggression against China, has failed to deeply reflect on its crimes, and its incumbent leaders even openly challenge China's territorial sovereignty, the historical conclusions of World War II, and the post-war international order."
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