Students of history will know that Japan and China, through history, haven't gotten along very well. Japan has been an industrial power since the 1890s, while China is still struggling to become an industrial power. Japan once had a military that conquered much of the western Pacific, and they also turned that military on China, which was ill-equipped to stop them. All that is in history, but the two nations still square off now and then, rhetorically if not militarily. They are positioned so that they are natural rivals, and now in the latest episode, a Chinese consul general (senior diplomatic official) has made a rather startling threat aimed directly at Japan's new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.
It all started with a remark about Taiwan.
A Chinese consul general in Japan threatened to decapitate the nation’s new prime minister over her comments in defense of Taiwan, prompting outrage in Tokyo and underscoring the rising tension between the two regional powers.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who took office last month, told a parliamentary committee Friday that a Chinese blockade of Taiwan would likely create a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan — one that could compel Tokyo to deploy its Self-Defense Forces in response. The democratically governed island sits just 60 miles from Japanese territory.
As Japan and China are natural rivals, Japan and Taiwan are for the moment natural allies. Both contend against China's military and political ambitions in the western Pacific. Both are worried about what Beijing may do next. The Chinese consul general's response, though, was surprising.
Xue Jian, the Chinese consul general in Osaka, fired back in a since-deleted X post on Sunday: "That filthy neck that barged in on its own — I’ve got no choice but to cut it off without a moment’s hesitation. Are you prepared for that?"
Japan’s government condemned the statement, with Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara calling it "extremely inappropriate" and confirming that Tokyo had lodged a formal protest with Beijing. Kihara said Xue had made "multiple" inflammatory remarks in the past and urged China to take disciplinary action.
This guy is supposed to be a diplomatic official?
Japan is currently engaged in its biggest military buildup since World War 2. It's understandable, especially when one considers that the buildup was ramped up during the Biden administration, when it's very likely some in Japan were wondering if the United States still had their backs. Regardless of the reason, Japan is dialing its military forces in, developing more offensive capacity, and perhaps remembering that they have a long, long martial tradition.
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The threatening post has been deleted, but as we all know, the internet is forever.
🇯🇵🇨🇳 Xue Jian, the Consul General of China in Osaka, should be expelled from Japan for this post.
— 鈴森はるか 『haruka suzumori』 🇯🇵 (@harukaawake) November 10, 2025
The post referenced our prime minister Sanae Takaichi and suggested that "China will have no choice but to chop it [her neck] off".
This is a death threat. pic.twitter.com/qR4REOh3sd
As of this writing, it's unclear as to whether Xue Jian has been expelled from Japan as persona non grata, although his threatening remarks would certainly seem to warrant that.
It has been apparent for some time now that we are in for an interesting interval in the western Pacific. With this latest exchange, it seems like even at the diplomatic level, things are getting tense between the Land of the Rising Sun and the Middle Kingdom - and Japan is a treaty ally of the United States.
Editor’s Note: After more than 40 days of screwing Americans, a few Dems have finally caved. The Schumer Shutdown was never about principle—just inflicting pain for political points.
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