Japanese lawmakers' scheduled provocative visit to Taiwan region lays bare Tokyo's 'two-faced' maneuver: expert

A cross-party group of Japanese lawmakers is scheduled to visit China's Taiwan region from September 8 to 10, Japanese media outlet Sankei Shimbun reported Sunday, just weeks after a separate Japanese delegation visited China to discuss easing tensions between the two countries.

While some lawmakers just talked about easing tensions in China, another group is about to engage with separatist forces in the island of Taiwan, this demonstrates a typical "two-faced" political maneuver, a Chinese expert said, noting that it once again exposes certain lawmakers professed concern for peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits as nothing more than deceptive rhetoric.

The seven-member delegation, from the so-called "association of Diet members considering peace and stability in the Taiwan Straits" and comprising lawmakers from both the House of Representatives and the House of Councillors, plans to visit China's Taiwan region, Sankei Shimbun reported, noting that the group plans to hold talks with authorities in the region and seek to strengthen cooperation between Japan and the island in the diplomatic and defense fields.

Lü Chao, dean of the Institute of US and East Asian Studies at Liaoning University, told the Global Times that the group's rhetoric may sound like concern for peace, but its actions run completely counter to that goal, as, against the backdrop of already deteriorating China-Japan relations, it seeks to engage with "Taiwan independence" separatist forces, send them a wrong signal and embolden separatist forces, thereby deliberately heightening tensions across the Taiwan Straits.

According to the Sankei Shimbun, the delegation is headed by Haruo Kitamura, a lawmaker from the Conservative Party of Japan, and includes lawmaker Shi Ping.

A year ago, on September 8, the Chinese Foreign Ministry announced a decision to take countermeasures against Japanese lawmaker Shi Ping. At a regular press conference that day, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said, "Let me point out that Shi Ping, for his selfish agenda, has betrayed his ancestors and conscience by joining anti-China forces in making provocations and troubles. China's countermeasures are aimed to warn and hold to account Shi Ping and his kind. There are consequences for such dishonorable deeds."

When responding to a Japanese media inquiry over Shi Ping's Taiwan-related remarks, Lin stated at a regular press conference on December 31, 2025 that "the nasty words and deeds of a disgrace like him are not worthy of comment."

Discussing the Japanese lawmakers' latest provocative visit to the island of Taiwan, expert Lü noted that Japan's occupation of Taiwan in modern history inflicted profound suffering on the people of Taiwan.

Japanese politicians' repeated attempts to play the "Taiwan card" therefore carry a particularly sensitive historical liability. They should exercise greater caution rather than repeatedly crossing China's red lines on its core interests.

Lü said that while Tokyo is seeking dialogue with China and expressing a desire to stabilize bilateral ties, it is at the same time allowing some lawmakers to engage with "Taiwan independence" separatist forces and send wrong signals to separatists.

Such a disconnect between words and actions seriously violates the spirit of the four political documents between China and Japan, and amounts to deliberately creating friction and artificially raising tensions across the Taiwan Strait, Lü said.

Diplomatic engagement depends on credibility and keeping one's word, Lü noted. Seeking to ease tensions with China while simultaneously touching on China's core sovereignty red lines will only erode mutual trust between the two countries and keep bilateral relations under pressure.

Lü stressed that the key to peace across the Taiwan Straits lies in opposing "Taiwan independence" and upholding the one-China principle. If Japanese politicians genuinely want to safeguard regional stability, they should not talk about dialogue in Beijing while engaging with separatist forces in Taiwan region.