Takaichi cruising to maelstrom of troubles should she continue on her current course

After Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi abruptly issued an unprovoked de facto military threat to China over the Taiwan question in the Diet on Nov 7, many began to wonder what she had up her sleeve. Antagonizing a major neighbor that had clearly expressed its willingness for stable ties, and doing so less than a month after taking office, seemed to be either a very rash or a very calculated move.

But more than a month has passed since she made her inflammatory remarks, and despite China's predictably strong response, Takaichi has done nothing of note to ease either the diplomatic tensions or the economic pains they have inflicted on Japan.

Aside from clumsy attempts to distract domestic attention from the consequences of her remarks and mislead the world about her self-made trouble, the Japanese leader has offered no genuine corrective action.

Realizing the rising discontent in Japan — particularly from the tourism and foreign-trade sectors that have been badly hit by her inability to clean up the messy situation — Takaichi has for the first time acknowledged the necessity of "closely monitoring" the situation and responding "appropriately".

She made the remark during a Diet session on Tuesday morning. When asked to address concerns about economic activities following China's introduction of countermeasures, Takaichi said her government was aware that "various situations are occurring" and it would "respond appropriately".

But so far the major "response" her government has produced is merely a draft supplementary budget aimed at funding a comprehensive economic package she hopes to push through the legislature — the purpose of Tuesday's session. It effectively uses taxpayers' money to subsidize industries hardest hit by the trouble she has caused.

Takaichi knows well that the right way to ease Japan's economic woes is to take the initiative to retract her erroneous and dangerous remarks at an early date. But she has refused to do so.

That explains why deliberations on the stimulus package have dragged from last month into this one, with some lawmakers calling for even larger spending amid the rising uncertainties caused by the recalcitrant Takaichi government's shortsighted foreign-policy gambit.

To accelerate the Diet's approval of the proposed stimulus package, Takaichi stressed that her government is looking to reduce pending issues with Beijing and its promotion of understanding and cooperation remains "unchanged".

Yet she merely reiterated that "Japan remains open to conducting various forms of dialogue between Japan and China", a perfunctory line that only deepens public pessimism that the country will continue to pay for her government's gamble on the Taiwan question as the means to break free of the postwar constraints imposed on the country's remilitarization.

By saying her government continues to regard inbound tourism "from various countries and regions" as important, and by urging the tourism sector not to put all its eggs in one basket, Takaichi contradicted her stated readiness to repair ties with China — Japan's No 1 source of tourists and tourism revenue.

However, during the same Diet session on Tuesday, Takaichi went out of her way to provoke the Republic of Korea, another major source of tourists and a close trading partner of Japan, by claiming that what Japan calls the Takeshima islets — known as Dokdo in the ROK — are under the ROK's "illegal occupation" and constitute Japan's "inherent territory", adding that her government would reinforce this position at home and abroad.

That immediately triggered a strong response from Seoul, with a senior ROK presidential official stressing that no territorial dispute exists over the islands, which are "an integral part of Korean territory historically, geographically and under international law" and the ROK will "sternly and firmly" respond to Japan's claims.

Starting fires may have helped the empty-sleeved Takaichi claim the office of prime minister. But if she insists on trying to hold power this way, it will only be a matter of time before she gets burned, with Japan's economy feeling the pain.