China tightens sanctions as tensions deepen with Japan over Taiwan dispute

Monday 15 December 2025 - 13:20

By: Dakir Madiha

China tightens sanctions as tensions deepen with Japan over Taiwan dispute

China has imposed sanctions on Shigeru Iwasaki, the former chief of staff of Japan’s Self-Defense Forces, escalating a growing diplomatic rift between the two countries. The Chinese Foreign Ministry announced the measures on Monday, accusing Iwasaki of supporting Taiwan’s independence movement and violating the one-China principle.

Under the sanction order, Iwasaki faces visa restrictions, an asset freeze, and a ban on all financial or commercial dealings within China. The ministry stated that his recent appointment as an honorary adviser to Taiwan’s Executive Yuan constituted “open collusion” with separatist forces seeking to undermine China’s sovereignty.

Tensions between Beijing and Tokyo have sharply deteriorated since Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi commented in November that any Chinese use of force against Taiwan could be declared a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan, potentially warranting military action under its collective self-defense laws. Beijing condemned her statement as a violation of key diplomatic agreements signed between the two capitals.

Since then, China has taken several retaliatory steps, including travel warnings discouraging its citizens from visiting Japan and tightening import restrictions on Japanese seafood. Military friction has also intensified, with Tokyo recently accusing Chinese fighter jets of directing fire-control radar at Japanese aircraft near the Miyako Strait. These developments underscore how the Taiwan issue has become the most critical flashpoint in Sino-Japanese relations since the early 2010s, raising broader concerns about regional security and stability in East Asia.