Recently a video circulating on Chinese social media made headlines for threatening Japan with nuclear war if the country steps in to defend Taiwan against the Chinese regime.
The video, reposted by the municipal authority in Baoji City, about 760 miles southwest of Beijing in China, says Japan should be the exception to China’s “no first use” policy with nuclear weapons. The rule states that Beijing can only use nuclear weapons if another party strikes first.
“We will use nuclear bombs first. We will use nuclear bombs continuously,” the video states. “We will do this until Japan declares unconditional surrender for the second time.”
The video, which has since been taken down, was posted on Xigua, a Chinese video platform similar to YouTube. The video’s creator, “Liu Jun Tao Lue” or Six Army Strategy, provides commentary on military affairs and has more than 2 million followers.
Earlier this month, Japanese Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso said Japan “must defend Taiwan,” local media reported.
“If a major incident happened [over Taiwan], it’s safe to say it would be related to a situation threatening the survival [of Japan]. If that is the case, Japan and the U.S. must defend Taiwan together,” Aso said.
He later said that any dispute over Taiwan should be resolved through dialogue when asked about the remarks, which drew a rebuke from Beijing.
China’s warmongering rhetoric toward Japan is laughable, said Twu Shiing-jer, chairman of Taiwan’s Development Center for Biotechnology and former health minister of Taiwan.
“China is cursing Japan to the point of threatening to use nuclear weapons. China has brought itself down to the level of stupidity,” Twu told The Epoch Times.
“Because of this, the world is laughing at them so hard its teeth might fall out. It’s ridiculous.”
The Taiwanese official attributes Japan’s toughening stance toward the Chinese regime to the United States. The Biden administration has made rallying allies a key component of its campaign to push back against an array of threats posed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
“The United States asked Japan to step up,” Twu said. “Behind the scenes, the United States says to Japan that ‘you can support Taiwan and we will support you as allies and work together on military affairs and national defense.’”
Alice Yang, an assistant research fellow at Taiwan’s Institute for National Defense and Security Research, noted that while some countries are attracted by China’s status as a “big trading power,” the CCP’s behavior, including intensifying aggression against Taiwan, is resulting in an increasingly polarized world.
“There are two sides ... you can either join the West or you can join China,” Yang told The Epoch Times.
