Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's brazen remarks on Taiwan aren't just irresponsible saber-rattling; They sound a stark warning that Japan's militarist demons are being summoned anew.
Her blatant suggestion of possible military involvement in the Taiwan Strait is not an isolated outburst, but the latest symptom of a political project aimed at dragging Japan back toward a dangerous trajectory.
Takaichi's political ascent has been nurtured in the poisonous soil of historical revisionism. From questioning the Murayama Statement, which is regarded as the pinnacle of Japan's apology for its wrongdoing before and during World War II, to denying the Nanjing Massacre and glorifying militarist symbols, she has aligned herself with factions that refuse to reckon with Japan's past aggression.
Such a worldview renders her callous to the profound and painful modern history that shapes the Taiwan question, blind to the crimes Japan committed during its colonial rule over Taiwan, and utterly oblivious to the unwavering resolve of China's 1.4 billion people to oppose any external interference.
Even more alarming is the resurgence of militarist thinking. Backed by revisionist factions dreaming of restoring imperial "glory," Takaichi has rushed to expand Japan's military ambitions: pushing extraordinary increases in defense spending and loosening arms-export restrictions. The recent signal to even consider reviewing Japan's long-standing non-nuclear principles is an unmistakable attempt to expand the country's military footprint far beyond its postwar restraints.
By tying this militarist resurgence to the Taiwan question, Takaichi betrays her most dangerous intention: using the Taiwan question as a pretext to justify Japan's strategic breakout. Her provocative rhetoric is therefore not merely an affront to China's sovereignty, but a calculated ploy to reset Japan's security identity and normalize military expansion.
This path is perilous. Reviving militarism under the guise of the far-fetched rhetoric of "survival-threatening situation" risks upending decades of peace in East Asia and plunging Japan into conflicts of its own making.
Japan must resist these dangerous impulses. Allowing militarist fantasies to dictate policy is a recipe for regional instability and would, in the final analysis, blow up in its face.
