Sanae Takaichi Called China’s Sanctions on Furuya a “Great Honor”

What changed

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker Keiji Furuya that China’s sanctions against him were “a great honor,” Furuya said Wednesday.

Furuya disclosed the private email at a Tokyo reception marking Taiwan’s national day. The March sanctions targeted Furuya, who chairs a cross-party parliamentary group promoting ties with Taipei. The event reportedly drew 188 lawmakers from both chambers of Japan’s parliament.

Why it matters

The striking development is not only the sanctions. It is that a private message from Japan’s prime minister has now become part of a public political signal on Taiwan and China.

Furuya’s disclosure places Takaichi beside a lawmaker whose parliamentary role is explicitly focused on closer ties with Taipei. That makes the wording consequential even without knowing the sanctions’ specific restrictions or the full text and date of the email.

The reception’s attendance also gives the moment visible weight inside Japan’s parliament. A gathering reportedly involving 188 lawmakers shows that Taiwan-related ties were being discussed in a setting with broad parliamentary participation, while Furuya used it to publicize Takaichi’s response to Beijing’s action.