A single remark by Japan’s new prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, has sparked an intense wave of discussion across the Chinese internet. Her comments, suggesting that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could pose an existential challenge for Japan and justify collective self-defence, quickly surged to the top of Baidu’s trending list . Chinese commentators and internet users are now debating why the statement was not retracted, and what it might signal for Japan and the region.

The rapid, emotionally charged reaction underscored not only Taiwan’s centrality in China’s public consciousness but also the enduring complexities of China – Japan relations, where historical memory, regional rivalry, and strategic anxieties remain tightly intertwined. Online, some users employed deroga

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