Takaichi's Win Ignites China-Japan Tensions Over Taiwan: Beijing Demands Retraction

• Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's coalition secured a landslide victory, campaigning on tax cuts and increased military spending.
• Takaichi's November comments on a potential Chinese attack on Taiwan as a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan sparked a diplomatic dispute.
• China's foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian urged Japan to retract Takaichi's remarks, warning of a "resolute response" to reckless actions.
• Beijing previously discouraged Chinese nationals from traveling to Japan and reportedly restricted rare-earth material exports.
• The departure of two pandas from Tokyo to China, leaving Japan without them for the first time in 50 years, symbolized strained bilateral relations.