China's decision to impose an embargo on dual-use goods on Japan is unacceptable, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said on Japanese public television.
“These measures, targeting only our country, are contrary to international practices. This is unacceptable”, she stressed.
China has imposed an embargo on the export of dual-use goods to Japan “for military purposes and for any other purposes that contribute to the strengthening of military power”, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce said in a statement on January 6. Japan's First Vice Foreign Minister Takehiro Funakoshi summoned the Chinese ambassador to Tokyo, Wu Jianghao, on January 8 and protested the embargo. At the meeting, the top Japanese diplomat demanded the measures be lifted immediately. Meanwhile, on January 10, Kyodo News reported that several Chinese state-owned companies had also informed their Japanese partners that they would not enter into new contracts for the supply of rare earth elements.
Relations between the two countries deteriorated after Takaichi told parliament in November 2025 that a possible military crisis near Taiwan would pose an "existential threat" that could force Tokyo to resort to military force in accordance with its "right of collective self-defense." This caused strong disapproval in Beijing, which viewed the Japanese prime minister's words as an open threat and interference in its internal affairs.
China has demanded that Takaichi distance himself from his statement. Beijing has imposed certain economic sanctions against Japan as early as 2025, restricted contacts with the country at various levels and advised its citizens to refrain from traveling to the country. According to China's official position, supported by most countries, including Russia, the United States and Japan itself, Taiwan is an integral part of China, one of its regions.
It is possible that Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi will call early parliamentary elections, said today the leader of the Japanese Restoration Party (JRP) Hirofumi Yoshimura, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA.
The head of the JRP, which is a coalition partner of Takaichi's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), made the statement in response to reports of such a possibility in Japanese media. They say the prime minister is considering calling a snap election next month.
A vote like this would allow Takaichi, Japan's first female prime minister, to capitalize on her high popularity ratings since taking office last October.
Her tough stance on China has won her approval among right-wing voters but has also sparked a bitter diplomatic row with Beijing.
Yoshimura told public broadcaster NHK that he met with Takaichi on Friday and was impressed that her view of the timing of the election had entered a "new phase."
"I wouldn't be surprised if she makes the decision that is being talked about in the media," the leader of the ruling party said. Japan's Yomiuri newspaper reported on Friday, citing government sources, that Takaichi was considering snap elections on February 5 or 18.
Yoshimura said he and the prime minister had not discussed a specific date for the vote.
The Japanese government's plans to militarize the country pose serious risks to regional and global security and will lead to the “total destruction“ of Japan, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said in a commentary published by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
KCNA noted that Tokyo intends to adjust key approaches to national security issues within a year. They plan to increase defense spending, review the “three non-nuclear principles“ (not to possess, produce or import nuclear weapons) and to lift restrictions on arms exports and the large-scale development of offensive military power.
“In this way, Japan completely abandons even the pretense of being a “peaceful state“ and embarks on institutionalizing its evolution into an aggressive state. This is a clear manifestation of neo-militaristic obsession that completely denies the bloody crimes of the past and seeks to recreate the old imperial era through rapid rearmament“, KCNA emphasized.“
The agency noted that Japan's defense spending has been growing and has reached a record level over the past 12 years, surpassing the growth rates of other world military powers. The funds are used to enhance the combat capabilities of the Self-Defense Forces, including the development and purchase of various combat equipment and the construction of hundreds of ammunition depots throughout the archipelago.
“Since coming to power, the current administration has been actively pursuing the long-standing desires of far-right political forces, including constitutional revision“, the report said. “It is even more undeniable that Tokyo is now trying to turn the country into a nuclear state“, as evidenced by the increasing number of statements to this effect by Japanese politicians, KCNA wrote.
“It is difficult to guarantee that Japan will not return to the fascist path. "A new militarism fueled by hatred of other ethnic groups, revenge and a thirst for conquest has gradually emerged during Prime Minister Abe's term and is now rapidly escalating into a crisis threatening global stability and the fate of humanity. But the only thing Japan will gain from this new militarism is its complete destruction," KCNA concluded.