40 Pct in Japan Support Takaichi's Remarks on Taiwan: Jiji Poll

Tokyo, Dec. 11 (Jiji Press)--Nearly 40 pct of people in Japan support Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's recent remarks on a Taiwan contingency, which angered China, a Jiji Press survey showed Thursday.

In the interview survey, 39.5 pct of respondents said that the remarks were appropriate, while 25.4 pct said the opposite. Those who said that they could not choose between the two answers or that they did not know accounted for 35.1 pct.

At a parliamentary meeting on Nov. 7, Takaichi said that China's possible use of force against Taiwan could constitute a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan, allowing the country to exercise its right to collective self-defense.

The remarks sparked a fierce backlash from China, quickly chilling bilateral relations between the Asian neighbors.

In the Jiji survey, support for Takaichi's remarks among respondents who back her cabinet stood at 53.7 pct, far surpassing the 17.1 pct who considered the remarks inappropriate.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]