Former Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama on Thursday urged Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to correct her erroneous remarks regarding China's Taiwan region to bring China-Japan relations back on the right track.
In a post on the social media platform X, Hatoyama said the erroneous remarks by one Japanese leader have plunged China-Japan relations into their most serious crisis in years, inflicting incalculable damage on Japan's national interests.
Citing ancient Chinese philosopher Confucius from The Analects, Hatoyama invoked the classic admonition: "If you make a mistake, do not fear to correct it." He further quoted the passage "Not to mend the fault one has made is to err indeed," urging Takaichi to retract and correct her erroneous statements without delay.
Takaichi's remark also sparked public dissatisfaction. On Thursday, several Japanese residents gathered in front of the Diet, Japan's parliament, to oppose the Japanese government's push to revise the pacifist Constitution and demand that Takaichi retract her erroneous remarks.
The protesters chanted slogans and held placards with messages like "Prime Minister Takaichi, do not drag the Japanese people into war!" and "Withdraw your remarks at once, Takaichi!"
At a Diet meeting on Nov. 7, Takaichi claimed that a Taiwan emergency involving the use of military vessels and military force from the Chinese mainland could constitute a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan. Under Japanese law, the Self-Defense Forces may exercise the right of collective self-defense if a situation is recognized as "survival-threatening."
Takaichi later insisted that her remarks were in line with the government's longstanding view and that she had no intention of retracting them.
Former Japanese PM urges Takaichi to correct erroneous remarks
Mergers, acquisitions, and reorganizations in China's A-share market have picked up markedly since the start of the year, with deals disclosed in the first quarter up over 80 percent year on year, led by strong momentum in hard-tech sectors.
Data from Wind Information, a China financial data provider, showed that by Tuesday, listed companies had announced 829 merger, acquisition, and reorganization deals, with 224 on the ChiNext board and 94 on the STAR Market. By sector, "hard technology" sectors, represented by semi-conductor and smart manufacturing, have emerged as the most active areas.
"Hard-tech sectors typically feature rapid technological iteration, heavy research and development investment and long industrial chains, with significant economies of scale. Given these features, industrial mergers, acquisitions, and reorganizations have been a key tool for hard-tech companies to strengthen supply chain resilience and competitiveness. In addition, China's related policies, dubbed 'Six Measures for Mergers and Acquisitions,' explicitly support listed companies in carrying out mergers, acquisitions, and reorganizations around strategic emerging industries and future industries, while moderately increasing regulatory tolerance for unprofitable assets. This has created more favorable institutional conditions and a better market environment for listed companies in the hard-tech sectors to accelerate industrial upgrading and strengthen independent innovation," said Chen Jie, head of Mergers and Acquisitions Group at the investment banking division of China International Capital Corporation.
Chen also noted that the surge in mergers, acquisitions, and reorganizations has been reshaping valuation dynamics in the A-share market. As integration and synergies take time to materialize, investors are increasingly shifting their focus from short-term sentiment to long-term value based on business logic. At the same time, sustained mergers and acquisitions activity is expected to support the revaluation of leading companies.
"Through consolidation and expansion, leading A-share firms are likely to see their core competitiveness and long-term growth prospects become more evident. This will help the market better recognize their intrinsic value, offering higher valuation, and contribute to a more rational and mature valuation system overall," said Chen.
China's A-share sees mergers, acquisitions, reorganizations pick up,led by hard-tech sectors
