TOKYO: Japan's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Yamazaki Kazuyuki, has written to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, asserting that China's complaints about Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's remarks on Taiwan are factually "inaccurate and unsubstantiated".
The letter comes after Beijing lodged a sharp protest over Takaichi's statement before a parliamentary committee on November 7, in which she reportedly said that a military attack on Taiwan could amount to a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan, hinting at a potential response involving the Japanese Self-Defence Forces.
In a letter addressed to the UN chief, Kazuyuki wrote, "I note that the Permanent Representative of China recently sent a letter regarding Japan, addressed to your Excellency, which was subsequently circulated to the Permanent Missions of all United Nations Member States. The assertions made by China in the letter appear to be inconsistent with the facts and unsubstantiated, prompting me to respectfully submit the present letter in response based on the instruction from the Japanese Government."