Japan has recently made history by electing its first ever female Prime Minister. 64 year old Sanae Takaichi will now lead the country. She is also a President of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party making her the first woman in the party’s history to occupy the position. These developments are significant because female representation, especially in politics, is an area where Japan has struggled. Therefore, this event has been considered as the one that has truly broken the glass ceiling for Japanese women.
Takaichi’s political journey so far has been a topic of discussion. A protege of Shinzo Abe and a member of the largest conservative lobby in Japan, Nippon Kaigi, Sanae is considered a hardline conservative and nationalist. She is critical of Article 9 in the Japanese Constitution drafted by the USA during its Japanese occupation post World War II which renounces war as a sovereign right.
She believes that the provision needs reinterpretation and advocates for an assertive defense policy. Sanae has also been vocal about her intention to up the defence budget of Japan. Her approach is reshaping the country’s domestic politics and Japan’s international policy. Known for her hawkish stance on China, much was said and discussed about Sanae Takaichi’s China policy especially because the relationship between Japan and China has always been a volatile one.
Earlier in time, China was invaded by Japan during the Sino-Japanese wars and severe atrocities were unleashed on the population by the Japanese Imperial Army including mass killings, human experimentation, torture and sexual slavery. Incidents such as the ‘Rape of Nanjing’ which based on different accounts claimed anywhere between 1,00,000 to 3,00,000 lives, still haunt the relations between the two countries. Various Japanese leaders have issued apologies to China but the deep impact still remains.
The two countries also have a long standing territorial dispute over Senkaku islands, also referred to as Diaoyu Islands by the Chinese. This small group of uninhabited islands in the East China Sea is currently under Japanese control, however news of China sending its coast guards and military vessels around the waters of Senkaku for patrolling is not new.
Amidst this history of conflicts, a new issue has erupted in the aftermath of Sanae Takaichi’s statement in the Japanese parliament. While answering a question, Prime Minister Takaichi said that the use of armed force by the Chinese against Taiwan would be considered as a ‘survival- threatening’ situation for Japan. When a situation is categorised as such, Japan reserves the right to mobilise its self defence forces to counter an armed threat under the Legislation for Peace and Security which was introduced in the year 2015. This act believes that an armed attack against a foreign country that is in a close relationship with Japan would be categorised as a threat to Japan’s survival.
Unsurprisingly, Sanae Takaichi’s words met with sharp reactions from the Chinese who perceived it to be in direct conflict with the One-China Policy. Under this policy, China believes that Taiwan is an inherent part of Chinese territory and it’s China’s responsibility to reunite Taiwan with the ‘motherland’. Naturally, China denies Taiwan’s existence as an independent state and considers it as one of its provinces. Japan recognises the One-China Policy but continues to maintain robust non-governmental relations with Taiwan which stretch over trade, tourism and cultural exchanges. Taiwan’s location in the East China Sea is also significant. It lies at a distance of just 110 kilometers from the Southwestern Japanese archipelago making the country a strategically crucial territory for Japan.
However, beyond strategic, economic and political reasons, Taiwan also means a great deal to Tokyo because it was a Japanese colony for half a decade. Even after Kuomintang established its seat of power in Taipei in 1949, the memories of Japanese occupation are scattered all over the island. Culturally, the Taiwanese draw more similarities with Japan and the social behavior of the population is in close resemblance with the Japanese.
For years, Japan and China have struggled to keep their equation intact. However, the reasons for conflict can be multi- pronged which leads to their relations being unpredictable and volatile. In response to Sanae Takaichi’s firm stance, China has warned its citizens against travelling to Japan, imposed sanctions on seafood imports and suspended Japanese film releases. On the other hand, Beijing has demanded for a retraction of Sanae’s statements which she has rejected. With both the Asian neighbours led by hardliners, watching how the conflict unfolds further has become crucial for the world.
(Featured Image Source: Global Times)
