In November, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi enraged China by suggesting that Japan would intervene militarily if Beijing sought to take Taiwan by force. It was the first time since 2022 that the agency has seized a Chinese fishing boat. The arrest of another Chinese fishing boat captain in 2010 off those islands in the East China Sea became a major diplomatic incident between the two countries. Japan and China have close economic ties but Takaichi's comments about Taiwan have sent relations spiralling downwards again. After Takaichi's comments, Beijing summoned Tokyo's ambassador, warned Chinese citizens against visiting Japan and conducted joint air drills with Russia.

Source: The Star February 13, 2026 06:42 UTC