By Anjali Sharma
WASHINGTON – Japanese residents on Monday held a protest in front of the prime minister’s official residence in Tokyo demanded the Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s resignation.
Over 100 people rallied with banners and shouted slogans such as “Takaichi step down” and “Those who cannot conduct diplomacy are unfit to be prime minister,” expressed strong dissatisfaction with Takaichi’s recent erroneous remarks, media reports stated.
Takaichi claimed at a Diet meeting on Nov. 7 that a Taiwan emergency involved the use of military vessels and military force from the Chinese mainland could constitute a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan.
According to legislation, Japan’s Self-Defense Forces could exercise the right of collective self-defense if such a situation is recognized as “survival-threatening.”
Takaichi insisted that her remarks were in line with the government’s longstanding view, and she had no intention to retract the remarks.
Chinese Ambassador to Japan Wu Jianghao met Japan’s Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Takehiro Funakoshi to lodge solemn representations and a formal protest over Takaichi’s erroneous remarks regarding China.
