Tensions between China and Japan rose sharply in early November 2025 after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi warned that a Chinese naval blockade of Taiwan could threaten Japan’s survival and force the mobilization of its military. In response, Beijing rolled out a coordinated pressure campaign on Tokyo. Measures included suspending Japanese seafood imports, slowing approvals for Japanese films, discouraging its citizens from traveling to Japan, and lodging a formal diplomatic protest.
Another front in China’s growing pressure campaign is questioning Japan’s ownership of the Ryukyu Islands, a long chain stretching from southern Japan toward Taiwan. The islands have been under Japanese control for more than a century and are best known for Okinawa, their largest and most populous island.
Beijing is not seeking to annex the Ryukyus. Instead, it is using history as a weapon. As Japan deepens its support for Taiwan and aligns more closely with US
...
Loading comments...