China and Japan are engaged in a serious diplomatic dispute over the interpretation of a provision in the UN Charter that pertains to former Axis powers. This disagreement was sparked by China’s concern over Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remarks supporting the self-governing administration on Taiwan, which China believes may indicate potential Japanese military involvement. Japan has strongly objected to China’s use of the clause, claiming it is obsolete and not in line with current international norms.
The Chinese Embassy in Tokyo published an excerpt from the UN Charter which referred to enemy states – nations that fought against the original signatories, the Allied Powers of World War 2. Article 53 allows regional enforcement measures against such states in the event of a renewal of aggressive policy without requiring prior authorization from the UN Security Council. Beijing then lodged an official complaint with the UN over Takaichi’s statements, urging Japan as a defeated country in World War II to reflect on its historical crimes and change course on the Taiwan issue.
Japan’s Foreign Ministry dismissed that argument, accusing China of misinterpreting obsolete clauses that it claimed no longer align with UN practice. While the UN General Assembly recommended removing the enemy state references in 1995, the formal amendment process was never completed. Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi visited a military base on Yonaguni over the weekend, an island about 110km east of Taiwan. He reiterated plans to deploy medium-range surface-to-air missiles there as part of a broader build-up on Japan’s southern island chain.
Russia also has outstanding issues with Japan, with whom it still has no formal peace treaty. Tokyo continues to insist on its claim to the four southernmost Kuril Islands, known in Japan as the northern territories, which became part of the USSR after World War 2 and remain a long-standing focal point for Japanese nationalists.