Japan-PM Remarks/Protest

Japanese protesters urges PM to retract erroneous remarks on China’s Taiwan

  • English
  • 日本語

Shotlist


Tokyo, Japan - Jan 15, 2026 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
1. Various of protesters
2. SOUNDBITE (Japanese) protester (name not given) (partially overlaid with shot 3):
"Sanae Takaichi's personal thoughts are unpleasant. As prime minister, she hasn't made a proper apology. I truly feel we have let the Chinese people down. I believe China and Japan are interdependent. Japan relies on China in many aspects. Yet, she has made statements that constitute a deliberate provocation. I'm genuinely worried about what the future holds for the Japanese people. I hope that Sanae Takaichi, as prime minister, as a person, and as a citizen, will retract these remarks and bring relations back to normal."
++SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE++
3. Various of protesters
++SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE++
4. Various of protester speaking through microphone
5. SOUNDBITE (Japanese) protester (name not given):
"She said something that was so absurd. The term 'survival-threatening situation' is itself weird and clearly untenable under Article 9 of the Constitution."
6. Various of placards noting Takaichi's remarks violate Constitution
7. SOUNDBITE (Japanese) protester (name not given):
"These things have been pushing Japan step by step toward war. For example, arms exports. Why does Japan have to export weapons? We should note that Japan is the only defeated country that has suffered atomic bombings. So, I really don't understand what the government is doing now."
8. Protesters holding banner against Japan's military buildup

Storyline


Japanese people rallied in front of the official residence of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Thursday, demanding the withdrawal of her erroneous remarks on China's Taiwan region, which have seriously undermined the political foundation of Japan-China relations.

At a Diet meeting in early November 2025, Takaichi claimed that the Chinese mainland's "use of force on Taiwan" could constitute a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan and implied the possibility of armed intervention in the Taiwan Strait, drawing strong criticism worldwide.

"Sanae Takaichi's personal thoughts are unpleasant. As prime minister, she hasn't made a proper apology. I truly feel we have let the Chinese people down. I believe China and Japan are interdependent. Japan relies on China in many aspects. Yet, she has made statements that constitute a deliberate provocation. I'm genuinely worried about what the future holds for the Japanese people. I hope that Sanae Takaichi, as prime minister, as a person, and as a citizen, will retract these remarks and bring relations back to normal," said a protester.

"She said something that was so absurd. The term 'survival-threatening situation' is itself weird and clearly untenable under Article 9 of the Constitution," said another protester.

The Article 9 renounces Japan's right to engaging in war or to resorting to military force to resolve international conflicts.

Some protesters also expressed concerns over Takaichi's moves in loosening restrictions on active offense, accelerating military buildup by increasing defense spending, and promoting arms exports, saying she is pushing Japan toward war.

"These things have been pushing Japan step by step toward war. For example, arms exports. Why does Japan have to export weapons? We should note that Japan is the only defeated country that has suffered atomic bombings. So, I really don't understand what the government is doing now," said another protester.

DOWNLOAD
  • ID : 8461902
  • Dateline : Jan 15, 2026
  • Location : Japan
  • Category : Other
  • Duration : 2'04
  • Audio Language : Japanese/Nats
  • Source : China Central Television (CCTV)
  • Restrictions : No access Chinese mainland
  • Published : 2026-01-16 15:04
  • Last Modified : 2026-01-16 17:45:31
  • Version : 1
  • ID : 8461902
  • Dateline : 2026年1月15日
  • Category : Other
  • Duration : 2'04
  • Audio Language : 日本語/自然音声
  • Source : China Central Television (CCTV)
  • Restrictions : 中国大陸での使用は不可
  • Published : 2026-01-16 17:40
  • Last Modified : 2026-01-16 17:45:31
  • Version : 1

Japan-PM Remarks/Protest

Japanese protesters urges PM to retract erroneous remarks on China’s Taiwan

Dateline : Jan 15, 2026

Location : Japan

Duration : 2'04

  • English
  • 日本語


Tokyo, Japan - Jan 15, 2026 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
1. Various of protesters
2. SOUNDBITE (Japanese) protester (name not given) (partially overlaid with shot 3):
"Sanae Takaichi's personal thoughts are unpleasant. As prime minister, she hasn't made a proper apology. I truly feel we have let the Chinese people down. I believe China and Japan are interdependent. Japan relies on China in many aspects. Yet, she has made statements that constitute a deliberate provocation. I'm genuinely worried about what the future holds for the Japanese people. I hope that Sanae Takaichi, as prime minister, as a person, and as a citizen, will retract these remarks and bring relations back to normal."
++SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE++
3. Various of protesters
++SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE++
4. Various of protester speaking through microphone
5. SOUNDBITE (Japanese) protester (name not given):
"She said something that was so absurd. The term 'survival-threatening situation' is itself weird and clearly untenable under Article 9 of the Constitution."
6. Various of placards noting Takaichi's remarks violate Constitution
7. SOUNDBITE (Japanese) protester (name not given):
"These things have been pushing Japan step by step toward war. For example, arms exports. Why does Japan have to export weapons? We should note that Japan is the only defeated country that has suffered atomic bombings. So, I really don't understand what the government is doing now."
8. Protesters holding banner against Japan's military buildup


Japanese people rallied in front of the official residence of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Thursday, demanding the withdrawal of her erroneous remarks on China's Taiwan region, which have seriously undermined the political foundation of Japan-China relations.

At a Diet meeting in early November 2025, Takaichi claimed that the Chinese mainland's "use of force on Taiwan" could constitute a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan and implied the possibility of armed intervention in the Taiwan Strait, drawing strong criticism worldwide.

"Sanae Takaichi's personal thoughts are unpleasant. As prime minister, she hasn't made a proper apology. I truly feel we have let the Chinese people down. I believe China and Japan are interdependent. Japan relies on China in many aspects. Yet, she has made statements that constitute a deliberate provocation. I'm genuinely worried about what the future holds for the Japanese people. I hope that Sanae Takaichi, as prime minister, as a person, and as a citizen, will retract these remarks and bring relations back to normal," said a protester.

"She said something that was so absurd. The term 'survival-threatening situation' is itself weird and clearly untenable under Article 9 of the Constitution," said another protester.

The Article 9 renounces Japan's right to engaging in war or to resorting to military force to resolve international conflicts.

Some protesters also expressed concerns over Takaichi's moves in loosening restrictions on active offense, accelerating military buildup by increasing defense spending, and promoting arms exports, saying she is pushing Japan toward war.

"These things have been pushing Japan step by step toward war. For example, arms exports. Why does Japan have to export weapons? We should note that Japan is the only defeated country that has suffered atomic bombings. So, I really don't understand what the government is doing now," said another protester.

ID : 8461902

Published : 2026-01-16 15:04

Last Modified : 2026-01-16 17:45:31

Source : China Central Television (CCTV)

Restrictions : No access Chinese mainland

More



Login
Username
Password
code
Sign In
OK