Refuse to come to one’s senses

On the evening of December 2nd, Japanese politicians, academics, and civic groups held a rally at the House of Councillors Members’ Office Building in Tokyo, strongly demanding that Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi immediately retract her erroneous remarks regarding Taiwan to avoid further damage to Japan-China relations.
Sunazaki Akira, a former official of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and director of the East Asian Community Institute, delivered a speech at the rally. He stated that the Taiwan issue is purely an internal affair of China, and Takaichi’s linking it to a “crisis threatening Japan’s survival” is utter nonsense. Sunazaki said, “The Japanese government should strictly abide by the political commitments it has made on the Taiwan issue. Takaichi’s remarks violate the commitments made by the Japanese government in the 1972 Japan-China Joint Statement, which will lead the international community to believe that Japan is a country that breaks its promises.” He strongly urged the Japanese government and all sectors of society to review the Japan-China Joint Statement and develop Japan-China relations on that basis.