The most tense part of the meeting between Xi Jinping and Donald Trump in Beijing, unexpectedly for the American team, was the discussion of Japan. The Financial Times reported, citing sources, that the leader of the People’s Republic of China strongly criticized Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaishi for “re-militarizing” the country.
According to Financial Times interviewers, Xi spoke “emotionally and irritably” – surprising US officials, because before the summit the topic of Japan had practically not been raised in communications with the Chinese side.
In response to criticism of Japanese defense spending, Trump said Tokyo was forced to take a tougher security stance due to the growing threat from North Korea. It is not known whether he mentioned China in this context as the main security threat to Japan.
Relations between Beijing and Tokyo deteriorated sharply after Sanae Takaishi said in November 2025 that a potential Chinese attack on Taiwan could pose an “existential threat” to Japan that would justify the use of Japanese military forces. In annual defense reports, Japan in recent years has described the Chinese threat as more serious than the threat posed by North Korea, the Financial Times notes. In the 2026 draft report, Japan also expressed “serious concerns” about deepening military cooperation between Beijing and Moscow.
In April 2026, Japan lifted restrictions on the export of lethal weapons. Meanwhile, the ban on exports to countries where fighting is taking place remained in place, but the government indicated that an exception could be made for “special circumstances.” The Financial Times described it as a “historic shift” in Japanese politics. Kyodo News booksThis represents a “major shift” in the defense policy of a country that has positioned itself as a “peace-loving country” since its defeat in World War II. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaishi maleThat the country’s course as a peaceful state remained unchanged for more than 80 years after the war.