Soon after taking office in October 2025, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi became embroiled in a high-profile diplomatic dispute with the People’s Republic of China. In remarks before the Japanese National Diet on November 7, Takaichi stated that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could present “an existential crisis for Japan”, potentially forcing the country to respond in self-defense.

Almost immediately after Takaichi statement was made public, Chinese officials issued a series of harsh rebukes. For China, the remarks were perceived as a direct challenge to Beijing’s One-China Principle, which claims Taiwan as “an inalienable part of China’s territory”. In the period since the inciting incident, China has imposed a series of retaliatory measures on Japan, including restricting Chinese tourism and banning the export of many critical minerals to Japan. In turn, Tokyo has issued warnings to Japanese citizens in China.

Despite these tensions, it remains unclear how long the dispute will last. While Takaichi has refused to retract her initial statements, she has made multiple overtures to China in recent weeks, describing China as an “important neighbor” and expressing her interest in maintaining a “mutually beneficial relationship”. Should China accept these entreaties, an official visit by Takaichi could become a possibility.

This question will resolve positively if a major news outlet reports that Sanae Takaichi has conducted an official visit to the People’s Republic of China by March 31, 2026.