Japan Lodges Complaint with China over Spokesperson's Omission of Prime Minister Takaichi's Title
Japan's Foreign Ministry press secretary Toshihiro Kitamura confirmed at an October 7 press conference that Japan has lodged a formal complaint with China after Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun referred to Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi by name without her title at a September 30 press briefing. Kitamura said that even when speaking from different perspectives, showing respect toward another country's leader is a matter of obvious etiquette in international protocol.
The remark came as Guo criticised possible changes to Japan's defence posture, citing Takaichi's February statement reaffirming commitment to the Three Non-Nuclear Principles. Japan's objection was not to the substance of the criticism but to the omission of the title.
The episode sits against a backdrop of strained China-Japan relations since Takaichi's November 2025 remarks on a possible Chinese attack on Taiwan. The two governments continue to communicate, but gestures of reconciliation have not removed the underlying disagreement over security.
For Chinese residents in Japan, the practical stakes of such friction lie in visas, flights and the atmosphere of everyday exchanges. That both sides kept this dispute at the level of diplomatic etiquette suggests each is leaving the door open to communication.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图片 Image: Takaichi Sanae 2025.jpg by 首相官邸 Cabinet Public Affairs Office (CC BY 4.0，经维基共享资源）/ via Wikimedia Commons
