China on Wednesday urged Japan to cease all erroneous remarks and actions regarding the Taiwan region.
Asked at a press conference in Beijing to comment on the recent entry of a Japan Self-Defense Forces vessel into the Taiwan Strait, Zhang Han, spokeswoman for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, expressed firm opposition from the Chinese side.
"The Taiwan question is at the core of China's core interests and a red line that must not be crossed. Japan's dispatch of the Self-Defense Forces vessel into the Taiwan Strait was a deliberate provocation that seriously undermined the political foundation of China-Japan relations and posed a grave threat to China's sovereignty and security. It once again exposed the sinister schemes of certain people in Japan to intervene militarily and undermine peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait," Zhang said.
"We firmly oppose this. The Japanese side should deeply reflect on history, draw lessons from history, earnestly reflect on and correct its mistakes, strictly adhere to the one-China principle, uphold the principles in the four political documents between China and Japan, and cease all wrongful words and deeds regarding Taiwan," she said.
On April 17, Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Forces destroyer Ikazuchi transited the Taiwan Strait en route to the Philippines to take part in the annual Balikatan military exercises of the U.S. and the Philippines.
The Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) soon deployed naval and air assets to track and monitor the vessel throughout the process, ensuring effective control of the situation, according to China's Ministry of National Defense.
China urges Japan to cease wrongful remarks, actions regarding Taiwan
The Japanese government's decision to scrap restrictions on the export of lethal weapons violates the country's pacifist Constitution and poses a grave danger, said a Japanese scholar on Tuesday.
The Japanese government officially revised "the three principles on transfer of defense equipment and technology" and their implementation guidelines on Tuesday to enable overseas sales of weapons, including those with lethal capabilities.
The changes have been approved by the Cabinet and the National Security Council, the Kyodo News reported.
The revision scraps rules that limit Japan's defense equipment exports to five noncombat categories, namely rescue, transport, warning, surveillance, and minesweeping. Instead, defense equipment will be divided into "weapons" and "non-weapons" categories, based on whether they have lethal capability.
While the revision in principle prohibits the export of arms to countries where conflict is taking place, they do allow for exceptions "in special circumstances" that take into consideration Japan's security needs.
"This is obviously in violation of Article 9 of the Constitution, so I insist that we must never let things go on and never turn a blind eye to it," said Yamashita Masahiko, professor emeritus at the Tokai University.
The approach of the Japanese government under Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to lift restrictions on lethal weapons export has aroused strong concern and dissatisfaction in Japanese society.
"In our opinion, the constitutional amendment that Takaichi seeks is actually a revision in a wrong direction and amounts to a violation of the Constitution. We are indignant and can never allow such an approach under any circumstances. In our view, the recent rallies and demonstrations in front of the National Diet and elsewhere in the country also reflect the people's voice. We believe it is Sanae Takaichi who has further reinforced this dangerous trend. We consider her not only unsuitable to be a prime minister, but also unqualified to be a member of the National Diet," he said.
Japan's lifting of ban on lethal arms exports violates pacifist Constitution, poses grave danger: Japanese scholars
