Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's refusal to retract her reckless and provocative remarks about China's Taiwan region has aroused strong indignation among scholars in Taiwan. At a Diet meeting last week, Takaichi claimed that the Japanese Self-Defense Force could exercise the right of collective self-defense if the Chinese mainland "uses military force against Taiwan." Despite China's formal démarches and protests, she refused to retract her remarks that imply the possibility of armed intervention in the Taiwan Strait. A former legislator of the Kuomintang (KMT) Party said in an exclusive interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN) on Sunday that Takaichi's statements risk dragging Taiwan into a crisis it can neither afford nor control. Lei added that Takaichi's remarks are seen by many in Taiwan as a pretext for Japan to pursue military expansion -- even if it puts Taiwan’s security at risk. Shotlist: Taipei City, Taiwan, China - Nov 14, 2025: FILE: Taipei City, Taiwan, China - Date Unknown 1. Traffic, Taipei 101 tower in distance; Taipei City, Taiwan, China - Nov 14, 2025 2. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Yuan Juzheng, Taiwan professor: "Let’s not forget that the premise of Takaichi’s response is: if Taiwan gets drawn into a war, Japan would also have to join the war. May I ask Prime Minister Takaichi, in what way is Taiwan about to be drawn into a war? Don’t you know that war is terrifying?"; FILE: Tokyo, Japan - Date Unknown 3. Japanese national flag; Taipei City, Taiwan, China - Nov 14, 2025 4. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Wang Feng, chairman, Taipei-based China Times newspaper (partially overlaid with shot 5/ending with shot 6): "I think that Sanae Takaichi's erroneous remarks on Taiwan are merely exploiting a small group of separatist forces in Taiwan. As is well known, the current military strength of the Chinese mainland is formidable. Therefore, Sanae Takaichi's comments implying military intervention in the Taiwan Strait at most give Lai Ching-te a dose of spiritual morphine, mental stimulant. If it came to actual action, the Taiwan authorities would still face a dead end." [SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE]; FILE: Taipei City, Taiwan, China - Date Unknown 6. Various of Taipei 101 Tower, traffic [SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE]; 7. Various of traffic; Taipei City, Taiwan, China - Nov 16, 2025 8. SOUNDBITE (English) Joanna Lei, former Kuomintang party legislator: "Takaichi's comment did not lean on a united Taiwan; in fact, it struck at one of Taiwan's deepest internal divides. For Lai Ching-te and many in the DPP pro-independence circles, Takaichi's statement was welcomed and even celebrated. It is interpreted as a recognition that Taiwan and Japan share a common destiny, that Japan is stepping closer to defending Taiwan, and that there is a symbolic alignment of Taiwan’s own position with Japan's plan to quote and quote 'normalize its country'. For this camp, Takaichi's stance appears to validate the idea that Taiwan is part of a Japan-centered regional community, not in the past, but also in the present."; FILE: Taipei City, Taiwan, China - Date Unknown 9. Taipei 101 tower; Taipei City, Taiwan, China - Nov 16, 2025 10. SOUNDBITE (English) Joanna Lei, former Kuomintang party legislator: "For the KMT, who fought Japan in World War II, and voters who oppose formal independence, reacted with worries, not because Japan's support might be an empty promise, but because it could encourage Taiwan independence advocates to take reckless steps. For those who oppose using Japan's security guarantees to provoke China, such statements from Tokyo are symbolic gestures without solid military backing and risk dragging Taiwan into a crisis it cannot afford or control."; FILE: Tokyo, Japan - October 2025 11. Liberal Democratic Party building; Taipei City, Taiwan, China - Nov 16, 2025 12. SOUNDBITE (English) Joanna Lei, former Kuomintang Party Legislator: "These concerns include: Japan's rhetoric may heighten tensions without translating into real action, Taiwan could become the frontline of other countries' strategic calculations, or over-reliance on Japan may weaken Taiwan's ability to manage its own cross-strait policy. For this camp, Takaichi's remark is not a security guarantee, but an excuse for Japan to expand militarily at the cost of Taiwan's security."; FILE: Tokyo, Japan - Date Unknown 13. National Diet building. [Restrictions: No access Chinese mainland]