BEIJING, February 3. /TASS/. China and Russia share similar positions on issues concerning Japan’s militarization, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lin Jian said, commenting on a recent statement from Russian Security Council Secretary Sergey Shoigu.

Earlier, Shoigu told China’s top diplomat Wang Yi at a meeting that Russia was closely monitoring Japan's accelerated militarization.

"China and Russia hold quite similar and consistent positions on issues concerning Japan. Japan’s accelerated remilitarization poses a threat to regional peace and stability. The international community and regional states have exercised heightened vigilance over the matter," the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said.

Relations between Beijing and Tokyo soured after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told lawmakers in November 2025 that a potential military crisis off the coast of Taiwan would pose an "existential threat" that could force Japan to resort to military force in accordance with its "right to collective self-defense." This caused strong dissatisfaction in Beijing, which dismissed the Japanese prime minister’s rhetoric as an open threat and interference in its internal affairs.

China demands that Takaichi retract her statement. Back last year, Beijing imposed some economic sanctions on Japan, limiting contacts at various levels with it and advising its citizens to refrain from visiting the country.