Last week, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi invoked the San Francisco Peace Treaty to argue that Japan cannot recognize or define Taiwan’s legal status. The move has drawn sharp criticism from experts across Asia, Europe and Africa, who say it threatens the post-war order that has underpinned regional stability since 1945.
China swiftly rejected the argument, calling any treaty disposition on Taiwan’s sovereignty illegal and invalid. Beijing pointed to the Cairo Declaration, Potsdam Proclamation and Japan’s instrument of surrender as earlier affirmations of China’s sovereignty over Taiwan.
Su Xiaohui, associate research fellow at the China Institute of International Studies, noted that four political documents—including the 1972 China–Japan Joint Communique—already define the parameters of bilateral ties. She said: 'Takaichi’s emphasis on the treaty contradicts these foundational documents and challenges the post-war international order.'
Domestic voices in Japan also weighed in. Takakage Fujita, secretary-general of the Association for Inheriting and Propagating the Murayama Statement, stressed that the Taiwan question is an internal affair for China and underlined the 1972 Communique’s clear language. He called the prime minister’s comments 'extremely problematic and foolish.'
International legal experts joined the chorus. Fabio Marcelli, director at Italy’s National Research Council, warned that such remarks could undermine the United Nations Charter system by reviving separate peace mechanisms. 'They threaten the peaceful coexistence of nations and contradict the global desire for peace,' he said.
Sizo Nkala of the University of Johannesburg condemned any implied threats of armed intervention, saying they violate international law and infringe upon China’s sovereignty. European voices were equally firm. Katerina Konecna, Member of the European Parliament and chairwoman of the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia, stated: 'If Japan refuses to acknowledge Taiwan as an inalienable part of China, international law becomes nothing more than an empty document.'
As tensions mount, analysts say this debate goes beyond Tokyo and Taipei: it tests the resilience of post-war legal frameworks that have governed Asia for eight decades. With domestic politics in Japan heating up ahead of next year’s elections, experts will be watching closely to see if such rhetoric becomes policy.
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Experts warn Takaichi's Taiwan remarks undermine post-war order
cgtn.com
