Quick summary: Japan’s new prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, said on Nov. 7 that a Chinese attack on Taiwan — about 60 miles (100 km) from Japan — could threaten Japan’s survival and might prompt a military response. A deleted post by China’s consul general in Osaka calling for the "dirty neck" to be cut off and violent rhetoric from state media and pundits have stoked a diplomatic row. Beijing defends its reaction as replying to what it calls Takaichi’s "erroneous and dangerous" remarks, while Tokyo and Taipei raised alarm. The episode has reignited aggressive "wolf warrior" rhetoric and highlights deep historical, security and economic tensions between the two countries.
Takaichi’s Taiwan Warning Reignites China’s 'Wolf Warrior' Diplomacy — Diplomatic Row Escalates
Quick summary: Japan’s new prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, said on Nov. 7 that a Chinese attack on Taiwan — about 60 miles (100 km) from Japan — could threaten Japan’s survival and might prompt a military response. A deleted post by China’s consul general in Osaka calling for the "dirty neck" to be cut off and violent rhetoric from state media and pundits have stoked a diplomatic row. Beijing defends its reaction as replying to what it calls Takaichi’s "erroneous and dangerous" remarks, while Tokyo and Taipei raised alarm. The episode has reignited aggressive "wolf warrior" rhetoric and highlights deep historical, security and economic tensions between the two countries.
11:51 AM, 11/12/2025Politics
Takaichi’s Taiwan Warning Reignites China’s 'Wolf Warrior' Diplomacy
There was no honeymoon. Just two weeks after Japan’s new prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, shook hands with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, relations between Tokyo and Beijing have sharply deteriorated amid a surge of nationalist rhetoric in China and an inflammatory post from a Chinese diplomat.
On November 7, Takaichi told Japan’s parliament that a Chinese attack on Taiwan — roughly 60 miles (100 km) from Japanese territory — could constitute "a situation threatening Japan’s survival" and might prompt a military response by Tokyo. Her remarks touched a long-standing and sensitive regional fault line: Beijing regards Taiwan as its own territory and has not ruled out using force to achieve reunification.
China’s consul general in Osaka, Xue Jian, later posted on X (formerly Twitter) a message that was deleted but widely reported: "The dirty neck that sticks itself in must be cut off." State media and commentators amplified the outrage, with some pundits using violent language that evoked so-called "wolf warrior" diplomacy — the combative, nationalistic tone Chinese officials adopted on social media in recent years.
"China’s battle blade for beheading invaders has been sharpened to a very keen edge," wrote Hu Xijin, former Global Times editor-in-chief, according to reports.
Beijing defended the diplomat’s post as a response to what it called Takaichi’s "erroneous and dangerous" remarks, while Tokyo criticized the message as "extremely inappropriate." Taiwan also voiced concern about the threatening language. Takaichi subsequently described her comments as "hypothetical" and said she would avoid repeating them in parliament, but the episode underscores the delicate balance Japanese leaders face between security and economic ties with China.
China remains Japan’s largest trading partner, and Tokyo must weigh economic interdependence alongside growing security concerns in the region. Takaichi, a conservative known for advocating stronger defence capabilities and skeptical of Beijing’s military activities, has already drawn scrutiny for prior meetings with Taiwanese representatives and a visit to the island earlier this year.
The dispute also tapped into historical grievances. This year’s commemoration of the end of World War II and renewed public discussion of wartime atrocities — including the Nanjing Massacre, which remains a deep source of historical anger in China — have made the bilateral atmosphere more combustible.
As both sides trade harsh rhetoric, analysts warn that diplomatic restraint will be crucial to prevent further escalation in a region where military, economic and historical issues are tightly interwoven.
Reporting note: original reporting and contributions referenced from international media coverage.