At an event aired by NHK on Wednesday, Keiji Furuya, who leads Japan's pro-Taiwan parliamentary group, said he got an email from Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi describing China's move against him as an "honorable sanction." Asked Friday about the remark, Furuya framed it as political wordplay, saying, "It's a display of wit as a prime minister or as a politician. China is a huge nation. I believe the intention was to say that it is very honorable to be singled out and remembered by such a large country." He also said the quip would not alter the current state of relations with Beijing and that the Takaichi administration still sees a strategic and mutually beneficial relationship as essential.
China has blocked Furuya from entering since March. Xinhua said the sanctions target him for "colluding" with Taiwan independence forces and for behavior that intrudes on China's internal matters. In July, Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te presented Furuya with an award for fostering closer Japan-Taiwan ties, according to the island's CNA.
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Relations hit a deep chill after Takaichi said in November that if China were to invade Taiwan, Japan could have legal grounds to respond militarily. Since then, Beijing has turned up the heat on multiple fronts and there is little sign of a quick reset. Even so, recent visits by Japanese lawmakers, including former Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, hint that Beijing may be ready to improve economic links while still pressing Takaichi to walk back her Taiwan comments.
Takaichi is slated to attend the APEC gathering in Shenzhen in November, and the watch item is whether she secures time with President Xi Jinping. APEC has been a place to nudge relations back on track before. In 2014, a stiff handshake between then Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Xi in Beijing on the summit's sidelines came before relations eased following renewed tensions tied to their protracted territorial quarrel.
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