Japan and China shifting toward selective economic dependence

Beijing – Japan and China have moved toward selective economic dependence since Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s parliamentary remarks on a possible Taiwan crisis infuriated Beijing a year ago. On Nov. 7, 2025, Takaichi said at a Lower House Budget Committee meeting that the Self-Defense Forces could be deployed under the right to collective self-defense in “worst-case” scenarios, such as a Chinese naval blockade of Taiwan, which the prime minister said could constitute a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan. Her remarks triggered anger in China, which in response imposed export restrictions and other measures against Japan.