Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi attends the House of Representatives Budget Committee and responds to questions at the Diet building in Tokyo on November 10, 2025. Photo: VCG

Japan's main opposition party, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDPJ), leader Yoshihiko Noda on Sunday criticized Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's recent wrong remarks on the Taiwan question as going "too far" and "quite reckless," which has placed Japan-China relations in a grave situation, Mainichi Shimbun reported on Sunday. 

Recently, Takaichi said in a Diet debate that the Chinese mainland's "use of force on Taiwan" could constitute a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan, implying the possibility of Japan's armed intervention in the Taiwan Straits.

Speaking at a party meeting in Shimabara city, Nagasaki Prefecture, Noda said, "She went too far with her words, which has placed Japan-China relations in a grave situation. It was quite reckless," Mainichi Shimbun reported on Sunday. 

"I think there are aspects where it is well-received among the Liberal Democratic Party's support base. However, I still think it's dangerous," Noda added. 

As a former Japanese prime minister, Noda said it is an unwritten rule that the prime minister, as the highest commander of Japan's Self-Defense Forces, should not speak carelessly about specific matters.

Tomofumi Honjo, Chairman of the Policy Research Council of CDPJ, criticized Takaichi's remarks in a Fuji TV program on Sunday, saying that such statements highlighted Takaichi's "failure to fully understand the security legislation" and also reflected her "insufficient recognition" of the Chinese mainland's stance on Taiwan island.

At a Diet meeting on November 7, Takaichi said that the Chinese mainland's "use of force on Taiwan" could constitute a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan. She refused to retract her remarks which imply the possibility of armed intervention in the Taiwan Straits.

Multiple Chinese ministries and government agencies have condemned the Japanese side's related moves and remarks, warning that Japan would face a resolute response if it dared to meddle in the Taiwan question, amid ongoing backlash at home and abroad triggered by the erroneous and provocative remarks of Takaichi.

Global Times