Japanese media figure Atsushi Okamoto has urged Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to immediately retract her earlier erroneous remarks on China's Taiwan, warning the comments could further strain Japan-China relations.
At a Diet meeting on Nov 7, Takaichi claimed that the Chinese mainland's "use of force on Taiwan" could constitute a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan, implying the possibility of Japan's armed intervention in the Taiwan Strait.
As Japan's prime minister, Takaichi's remarks not only represent her personal views but also carry implications for the Japanese people and Japan's relations with its neighbors, Atsushi Okamoto, former editor-in-chief of Sekai Magazine and former president of Iwanami Shoten Publishers, said in an interview with China Central Television (CCTV) in Tokyo on Monday.
She must exercise the utmost caution, he added.
"I believe the term 'withdrawal' must be explicitly stated by her. Japan has renounced the right to wage war in its Constitution and is a country constitutionally barred from initiating warfare. Yet it is now undertaking extensive war preparations. From historical, moral, or political perspectives, this is utterly untenable. I believe using these arguments as pretexts to expand military spending is highly objectionable," Okamoto said.
He urged Takaichi to adopt a more cautious approach in handling foreign relations and security policy issues, to avoid exposing Japan to unnecessary risks and disputes.
"I hope she will study history diligently, master the Constitution and laws, and thoroughly examine the history of Japan-China relations. She must truly internalize all of this lessons deeply and speak only after careful and repeated deliberation," Okamoto said.
Japanese media figure urges PM Takaichi to retract remarks on Taiwan
Japanese media figure urges PM Takaichi to retract remarks on Taiwan
The U.S.-Israeli airstrikes against Iran since February 28 have inflicted irreparable damage on the country's priceless cultural heritage sites, according to Hassan Fartousi, secretary-general of the Iranian National Commission for UNESCO.
Speaking to the press on Tuesday, Fartousi said that 132 cultural heritage items have been attacked in recent strikes, emphasizing that the losses extend far beyond monetary valuation.
"Last night, I was told that 132 pieces [items] of our cultural heritage have been attacked, and it is really impossible to say how much the costs are, and it can be said that these (damaged cultural heritage items) are priceless and irreparable. How can these be defined?" Fartousi said.
Among the most severely affected sites is the Golestan Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage Site inscribed in 2013.
Fartousi said that about 40 percent of the palace's historic mirror works, dating back nearly 220 years to the Qajar period, have been damaged.
"Unfortunately, in Golestan Palace, there are almost 40 percent of the mirror works [that] have been damaged which belong to almost 220 years ago, the Qajar period. The same situation [occurred] in the Saad Abad complex [in] which the Green Palace [was] attacked in a way which the specialists were telling me very sadly that it may not be possible to repair some of the damages," he said.
The Golestan Palace complex, selected as the royal residence and seat of power by the Qajar ruling family in the 19th century, has been described by UNESCO as "a masterpiece of the Qajar era, embodying the successful integration of earlier Persian crafts and architecture with Western influences."
The Saad Abad complex, a sprawling former royal compound in northern Tehran, encompasses an extensive park with multiple buildings now serving as museums dedicated to Iran's cultural history. The official residence of Iran's president is located adjacent to the site.
U.S.-Israeli airstrikes cause irreparable damage to Iran's cultural heritage sites: UNESCO official
