The commentary on Saturday – written under the “Zhong Sheng” pen name often used to voice Beijing’s position on global affairs – is the fourth signed commentary on the issue in the newspaper in nine days, an unusually high rate that reflects the weight of Beijing’s criticism of Tokyo.
“Sanae Takaichi’s erroneous words and actions are leading Japan into a dangerous situation where warmongering will inevitably lead to its demise,” it added.
The People’s Daily barrage was a response to Takaichi’s comments to the Japanese parliament earlier this month that the use of force against Taiwan could be seen as a “survival-threatening situation”, a scenario that would allow Tokyo to deploy its military forces.
It was the first time a sitting Japanese prime minister had made such remarks and a departure from Japan’s long-held strategic ambiguity.
