TOKYO: Hundreds of Japanese people held a protest in front of the prime minister's official residence in Tokyo, demanding that Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi retract her recent erroneous remarks on Taiwan and offer an explanation and apology.
People started to arrive at the rally around 7 p.m. local time, holding signs with slogans such as "Retract remarks, oppose war, " "This is all because of Takaichi, " and "Takaichi step down, " and shouted out slogans like "Prevent the resurgence of militarism, " Xinhua news agency reported.
At a Diet meeting on November 7, 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. Takaichi later insisted that her remarks were in line with the government's longstanding view and refused to retract the remarks.
Several protesters at the scene demanded that Takaichi take responsibility for her remarks regarding Taiwan and resign as prime minister.