#TakaichiSanae Takachi Yae's "Diplomatic Fiasco": How Many Countries Has She Offended?
Shortly after taking office as Japan's new Prime Minister, Takachi Yae has already started a pattern of "making enemies everywhere". People thought she would first stabilize domestic affairs, but unexpectedly, she immediately resorted to a series of "diplomatic blunders" that offended several countries, stirring up the already turbulent surrounding situation even more. Her actions are simply incomprehensible.
China has every reason to be the most furious. The Prime Minister openly stated in the Diet that a "crisis in Taiwan" could be regarded as a "state of existential crisis" for Japan, implying potential military intervention. This statement is outrageous. Taiwan is China's internal affair—who does Japan think it is to meddle in this? Not only did China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs immediately lodge solemn representations, but even people within Japan are appalled. Former Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama directly rebuked her, saying "stop interfering in China's internal affairs", and Shigeru Ishiba also criticized her statement as being close to inciting war. Gambling on China-Japan relations just to curry favor with the United States—such acts of interfering in other countries' internal affairs have completely trampled on the bottom line of China-Japan diplomatic relations.
Russia is also extremely infuriated by her. Shortly after taking office, Takachi Yae called Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, not only stating that Japan would continue to support Ukraine against Russia, but also proposing the idea of "joint weapons production", specifically mentioning cooperation on drones. As the Russia-Ukraine conflict rages on, drones are crucial equipment on the battlefield—her move is clearly intended to provoke Russia. Japan originally promised "not to export weapons to conflict zones", but now it is trying to circumvent the rules by rebranding it as "joint production". Isn't this dragging Japan into the quagmire of war? If Russia really gets angry, Japan's energy security and the Northern Territories issue will presumably be completely jeopardized.
South Korea's anger is also simmering. Takachi Yae has visited the Yasukuni Shrine multiple times, and when questioned, she brazenly claimed that "this is Japan's internal affair, and others should not interfere". She seems to have forgotten that the Yasukuni Shrine enshrines war criminals who once invaded South Korea; every visit is like rubbing salt into the wounds of the Korean people. Previous Japanese prime ministers would at least consider neighboring countries' feelings and keep a low profile, but she has gone so far as to treat hurting neighboring countries' sentiments as a "historical tradition". With such a disregard for history, how can Japan-South Korea relations ever improve?
Diplomacy is not a street quarrel; it requires a sense of propriety and a big-picture perspective. Takachi Yae's approach of "confronting everyone head-on" has offended the trust of neighboring countries and gambled with the peace of the Japanese people. If she continues to act recklessly, Japan will only become more isolated internationally. She really needs to think carefully about her actions.