TOKYO, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- Japanese public figures across the political and academic spectrum gathered in Tokyo on Thursday to protest Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's erroneous remarks on Taiwan, warning that her comments and her administration's push for military expansion risk heightening regional tensions and drawing Japan into war.
At the gathering, former prime minister Yukio Hatoyama said Takaichi's actions undermine the 1972 Sino-Japanese Joint Statement, which led to a serious deterioration in bilateral relations.
"Japan has historically learned a great deal from China and absorbed much of its culture. That deep connection is the foundation of today's Japan," Hatoyama told reporters.
Japan should maintain friendly relations with China and build a solid foundation of mutual trust; however, current bilateral ties face grave difficulties, making a correction in course urgently necessary, he said.
Kazuhiko Togo, an international politics scholar and former diplomat, said Japan's national goal should be to prevent war in East Asia.
Diplomacy, he said, is not about unilateral declarations but about understanding the other side's position and bottom lines when clarifying its own position and formulating policy.
Togo called on the new government formed after the election to correctly understand China and work toward peaceful coexistence between the two countries.
Many speakers at the gathering raised alarm over a series of military expansion policies promoted by Takaichi since taking office under the banner of national security.
Masakatsu Adachi, emeritus professor at the Kanto Gakuin University, told reporters that the Takaichi administration is seeking to overturn existing security documents, sharply increase defense spending and has even floated the idea of nationalizing the defense industry.
He pointed out that Takaichi's repeated references to a "survival-threatening situation" stem directly from her military expansion agenda.
Yuko Tanaka, former president of Hosei University, said Takaichi's words and actions are eroding Japan-China relations built since 1972. She warned that sustained increases in military spending could strain the economy, affect people's livelihoods and potentially trigger a new economic crisis.
"From every perspective, worsening relations with China will only bring negative consequences for Japan," Tanaka said.
As the negative impact of deteriorating Japan-China ties becomes increasingly visible in Japanese society, Takaichi suddenly dissolved the House of Representatives on Jan. 23 and called a snap election, a move aimed at reshaping the political landscape in a way favorable to her continued rule.
The decision has drawn strong concern from participants at the rally. Takakage Fujita, the secretary-general of the Association for Inheriting and Propagating the Murayama Statement, said Japan is heading down an "extremely dangerous road" by prioritizing military expansion.
He argued that dissolving the lower house was intended to consolidate Takaichi's political base and continue to push the so-called "path to military power."
Fujita said that after Takaichi's Taiwan-related remarks in November 2025 sparked widespread controversy, she again made erroneous comments on a "Taiwan contingency" in a recent television appearance, indicating that she was acting deliberately despite being fully aware of the risks.
Kumiko Haba, professor emeritus at Aoyama Gakuin University, said Takaichi has sought to reverse her political disadvantage through an early election rather than retract her remarks.
She warned that if Takaichi and other right-leaning parties were to secure a two-thirds majority in the Diet, they could even push for revision of the Constitution, further paving the way for war.
She added that as generations with direct experience of war pass away, the risk of conflict is increasing, making it essential for younger generations to see through Japan's repeated portrayal of a "China threat" and recognize where the real dangers lie. ■