Shigeru Ishiba: Successive governments have always handled China-Japan relations with extreme caution.

Former Japanese Prime Ministers Shigeru Ishiba, Yoshihiko Noda and Yukio Hatoyama have recently criticized the tensions in China-Japan relations caused by the current prime Minister, Saane Takaishi, making wrong remarks about Taiwan in the Diet, and called on her to be cautious in her words and deeds and promote the improvement of relations through dialogue.

Xinhua News Agency reported that Shigeru Ishiba said in a TV program on Sunday (November 23) that since then Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka's visit to China in 1972 to promote the normalization of diplomatic relations between China and Japan, "successive Japanese governments have always been 'cautious, cautious, and more cautious' in handling China-Japan relations." He said that the current government should fully recognize Japan's long-standing basic position and remain cautious in the advancement of future policies.

On the same day, Yoshihiko Noda pointed out in an interview with the media in Tottori Prefecture that the current tension in Sino-Japanese relations "stems from the rash remarks made by Hayae Takaichi." He emphasized that Kaohsiung City's early seedlings need to explain to the Chinese side and promote the improvement of relations through dialogue.

​ He also quoted the famous saying from The Analects of Confucius, "If one makes a mistake and does not correct it, it is called a mistake," to urge Gao Shi Zao Miao to correct his wrong stance as soon as possible.

On November 7th, during her defense in the Japanese Diet, Takaichi Saane stated that the "Taiwan incident" might constitute a "situation of survival crisis" where Japan can exercise its right of collective self-defense. This statement immediately drew strong criticism from legal scholars, anti-war organizations and opposition parties. Japanese public opinion has pointed out that the remarks made by Takaichi Saane go against the commitments made by the Japanese government in the 1972 Japan-China Joint Statement and are in obvious contradiction with Japan's long-term diplomatic policy towards China, which is bound to cause unnecessary tensions in the regional situation.