A Japanese political economist has recently criticized Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s wrongful remarks on Taiwan, charging that they violate established diplomatic agreements between Japan and China, deviate from Japan’s long-held peace path, and risk destabilizing regional security while distorting historical awareness among younger generations.
Uekusa Kazuhide, the political economist, made the statement in an interview with China Media Group (CMG) on Thursday.
“Judging from a diplomatic perspective, the prime minister’s remarks overturn the existing agreements between Japan and China, and cross the principle of ‘resolving issues by peaceful means.’ Regarding the Taiwan question, the China-Japan Joint Statement clearly states that the Government of Japan recognizes the Government of the People’s Republic of China as the sole legal Government of China, and Japan understands and respects the position that Taiwan is an inalienable part of the territory of the People’s Republic of China. While Japan can study the conditions for exercising collective self-defense, it belongs to a completely different category and can be described as a serious transgression to specify Taiwan and suggest that Japan would invoke this right in the event of a ‘Taiwan contingency’,” he said.
The scholar said that the Japanese government has in recent years continuously expanded the country’s defense budget, promoted constitutional revision, and adjusted security policies. These policy trends are altering the post-war security framework formed by Japan and heightening regional tensions.
“The fundamental stance of the Takaichi cabinet can be interpreted as actively promoting military expansion while also advancing constitutional revision, including amendments to Article 9 of Japan’s pacifist Constitution. Japan’s defense-related expenditures, originally set at 27 trillion yen (around 173.77 billion U.S. dollars) over five years, have now increased to 43 trillion yen (around 276.75 billion U.S. dollars) for the same period. A further development is the move to expand Japan’s defense spending to 2 percent of its gross domestic product, indicating the advancement of a so-called ‘major military power’ trajectory,” he said.
Over recent years, Japan’s Ministry of Defense has intensified propaganda targeting adolescents and children, distributing child-friendly versions of defense white paper to elementary schools.
The scholar pointed out that such practices not only challenge the principle of neutrality that education should maintain but may also profoundly influence the next generation’s perception of history and of Japan’s relations with neighboring countries.
“Materials distributed by the Ministry of Defense to elementary and junior high schools mention the issue of insufficient personnel in the Self-Defense Forces and contain substantial rhetoric encouraging military enlistment. These materials also explicitly name Russia, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and China, portraying them as hypothetical adversaries. Imposing Japan’s one-sided claims on children without presenting historical facts could cultivate unnecessary negative sentiments toward China among the younger generation. This would not only damage Japan-China friendly relations but also negatively impact Japan’s future peace and stability, making it an issue that Japan must address seriously,” he said.
Japanese scholar criticizes prime minister’s remarks as violating diplomatic pacts, peace principles
The two-day 2025 Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) Conference concluded on Friday in Shanghai, where multiple globally leading “China solutions” took center stage.
Under the theme “Brain connects the world, wisdom gathers in Shanghai,” the event gathered research teams from major universities, leading industry developers, and experts across the BCI sector to strengthen the connection between research, application, and policy.
As part of the event, the first BCI competition featured four categories—fatigue detection, emotion recognition, brain-controlled robotic cars, and brain-controlled robotic arms – with 40 out of nearly 100 teams from across China received prizes.
In the BCI Industry Innovation Exhibition Zone, more than a dozen frontier-tech companies presented cutting-edge technologies ranging from key components to comprehensive system-level solutions.
Exhibits spanned the entire technology chain, from underlying hardware to clinical applications, covering fields such as sleep intervention, mental illness treatment, and rehabilitation for degenerative diseases—highlighting the latest trends in BCI development.
“We completed the first domestic clinical trial this March, and next year we will launch large-scale clinical trials,” said an exhibitor named Chen Yaoxu.
Shanghai has established China’s first future industry cluster dedicated to BCI technologies. During the conference, several new innovation platforms—including a BCI service platform and a joint laboratory for digital neuromedicine – were inaugurated.
“We are guided by clinical needs and clinical scenarios. At the same time, we are opening high-quality EEG datasets for enterprises to support their algorithm research and guide them in developing concrete products that truly address real-world needs,” said Wang Zhuoyao, BCI Project manager of Shanghai Municipal Science and Technology Commission.
Shanghai conference highlights China’s cutting-edge brain-computer interface innovations
AloJapan.com