Japan scrambled fighter jets on Sunday after accusing China of flying a drone near its southern island of Yonaguni amid rising tensions between the Asian countries.
Chinese coast guard vessels spent several hours in Japan’s territorial waters around the disputed Senkaku Islands, known as the Diaoyu in China, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said.
Since the election of conservative Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, the relationship between the two nations has soured after Takaichi suggested Tokyo could intervene militarily if China attacked Taiwan.
Japan occupied Taiwan from 1895 until it lost WWII in 1945. China claims that Taiwan is part of its territory.
Takaichi, 64, won the Japanese election in October this year and gained popularity for being a vocal critic of China and its military and territorial expansion in the Asia Pacific.
Speaking before parliament on 7 November, Takaichi signalled that Japan would consider intervening to defend Taiwan if it required “battleships and the use of force”.
“That would constitute a situation threatening the survival [of Japan],” she said.
PLA Daily, the official Chinese military outlet warns Japan:
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) November 16, 2025
“Japan will become a sea of fire from Hokkaido to Okinawa, with no place left unscathed. Any attempt to interfere in the Taiwan issue will drag Japan into an abyss of no return, turning its homeland into eternal… pic.twitter.com/q1WjI62oYX
It prompted the response from both countries to summon each other’s ambassadors.
Official Chinese military outlet, PLA Daily, also issued a chilling threat to Japan.
“Japan will become a sea of fire from Hokkaido to Okinawa, with no place left unscathed. Any attempt to interfere in the Taiwan issue will drag Japan into an abyss of no return, turning its homeland into eternal ruins,” it said in a statement.
The feud also drew a response from Taiwan. President Lai Ching-te called on Beijing to “show restraint, act like a major power, and not become the troublemaker” in the Asia-Pacific region.
He further argued on Monday peace and stability in the region has been “severely impacted”.
"China should return to the path of a rules-based international order, which would help maintain peace, stability and prosperity in the region," Lai said to the media.
Later this week, multiple world leaders are set to meet at the G20 summit in South Africa.
Both Chinese premier Li Qiang and Takaichi are set to attend, but Beijing confirmed there were no plans for the pair to meet.
A top foreign ministry official for Japan’s Asia-Pacific affairs Masaaki Kanai arrived in China on Monday, which the government says is an attempt to avoid escalation.
"We are trying not to escalate the situation," the official told AFP.
