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After the Xi-Trump Summit: A Japan-US Call and an Anti-Communism Statement

After the Xi-Trump Summit: A Japan-US Call and an Anti-Communism Statement

In the wake of the US-China summit, Trump reportedly called PM Takaichi within the day to brief her, the White House issued an 'America will NEVER be a communist country' statement, and the summit's fact sheet made no mention of Taiwan. Japanese commenters debated whether Washington is genuinely tough on Beijing and where a Taiwan contingency now stands.

US-China Summit Aftermath: Dinner Music, a Joint Statement, and Taiwan

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Politics

Sep 26, 2026

US-China Summit Aftermath: Dinner Music, a Joint Statement, and Taiwan

The follow-up to a US-China summit dominated Japanese boards: reported dinner-table song choices seen as jabs at Beijing, a disputed 'agreed to oppose Taiwan independence' claim, and an agreement text calling the two 'WWII allies' with no mention of Japan. Commenters split between enjoying Trump's needling of Xi, distrusting a China-only account of the talks, and arguing over whether Japan had been sidelined.

Trump Calls the U.S. and China WWII 'Allies' as Pandas Head to America

Trump Calls the U.S. and China WWII 'Allies' as Pandas Head to America

At a White House ceremony, Trump described the U.S. and China as World War II 'allies' and welcomed two pandas sent to a U.S. zoo. Japanese users noted the wartime ally was the Republic of China (today's Taiwan), not the People's Republic, and mocked a summit that produced little beyond the pandas.

China's Osaka Consul Says Japan Is the 'World Champion of Anti-China'

China's Osaka Consul Says Japan Is the 'World Champion of Anti-China'

Xue Jian, China's Consul-General in Osaka, called Japan the 'world champion of anti-China sentiment' and urged Japan to see China as a partner. Because he had earlier posted that PM Takaichi's 'dirty neck' would be cut off, the remark drew heavy backlash and renewed calls to expel him.

Japan's UN Call to Scrap the 'Enemy State' Clause, and China's Pushback

Japan's UN Call to Scrap the 'Enemy State' Clause, and China's Pushback

Japanese netizens returned to Prime Minister Takaichi's UN call to delete the Charter's WWII-era 'enemy state' clauses after China pushed back a day later. Many read China's reaction as proof the request had struck a nerve, and revived calls to cut Japan's UN dues. Singer Miu Sakamoto's criticism of the speech as 'empty words' reopened a separate fight over whether Japan is too deferential to the US. In reality, deleting the clauses would require a two-thirds UN vote and ratification by all permanent members, not a Chinese veto.

UN Week Splits Japan Over the ICC, the 'Enemy State' Clause, and Trump

UN Week Splits Japan Over the ICC, the 'Enemy State' Clause, and Trump

Three events from UN General Assembly week were discussed together in Japan as a single question of how to face international institutions and great-power politics: Trump urging members to quit the ICC, PM Takaichi demanding the prompt deletion of the UN Charter's old 'enemy state' clause, and Trump berating a CNN reporter at UN headquarters. They are distinct events that surfaced during the same week. Opinion split hardest over the enemy-state clause — supporters cheered while realists warned it hands China a diplomatic pretext — and over the ICC itself, which some mocked as an anti-US farce and others defended as the one body that can move against leaders like Putin.

Nagoya Asian Games: Organizers Push Back as a Report Claims Two North Korean Athletes Seek Asylum

Nagoya Asian Games: Organizers Push Back as a Report Claims Two North Korean Athletes Seek Asylum

After days of operational trouble at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, the organizing committee posted a rebuttal on Sept. 22 saying the delayed boarding of the athletes' village cruise ship stemmed from paperwork issues on the delegations' side, not from the committee failing to send lodging data, and that meal problems fell to the relevant sport federation. Separately, a South Korean outlet reported that two North Korean athletes at the Games want to defect to Japan; that claim has not been confirmed by reliable reporting, Japanese authorities, or the organizing committee. Online reactions ran from calling the rebuttal buck-passing to strong opposition to accepting any asylum.

Trump to Welcome Xi as Takaichi Lines Up Her Own Summit

Trump to Welcome Xi as Takaichi Lines Up Her Own Summit

White House officials said Trump will personally welcome Xi Jinping at the airport, while Japan's new PM Takaichi is reported to meet Trump next week. For a Japan that takes a hard line on China, the courtesy shown to Beijing revived fears of being sidelined. Netizens split between reading it as a Japanese 'defeat' and worrying that the Takaichi-Trump meeting will bring fresh financial demands.

Taiwan's Relief and China's Rebuke: Two Neighbors, Two Attitudes

Taiwan's Relief and China's Rebuke: Two Neighbors, Two Attitudes

Taiwanese citizens raised about 1.5 billion yen for Kumamoto's disaster areas, with chipmaker TSMC donating another 250 million yen separately. At the same time, Chinese state media and researchers attacked a Nippon Ishin lawmaker's cabinet entry as a rightward, militarist turn. Japanese netizens read the two responses as a stark contrast, pouring out gratitude to Taiwan and pushing back on Beijing.

Asahi Kasei Ex-Employee Arrested Over a Trade-Secret Leak to China

Asahi Kasei Ex-Employee Arrested Over a Trade-Secret Leak to China

A former Asahi Kasei employee was arrested on suspicion of leaking company secrets — reportedly tied to a latent hardener — to a Chinese firm. With materials technology seen as a Japanese strength, the case revived economic-security anxieties. Netizens overwhelmingly demanded an anti-espionage law and tougher penalties, while some pointed at low pay and lax retiree controls at companies.

Foreign Leaders Press Japan: Trump's War Bill and Zelensky's Kyiv Invite

Foreign Leaders Press Japan: Trump's War Bill and Zelensky's Kyiv Invite

Trump reportedly said countries that didn't support the operation against Iran should compensate the U.S. after the war, while Kyodo reported that Zelensky asked PM Takaichi to visit Kyiv. Japanese netizens pushed back with 'don't dump the cost of a war you started on others' and 'don't let Japan be used as an ATM,' though the core claims remain unverified.

China's Security Rise and Japan's 'Defeatism' Debate

China's Security Rise and Japan's 'Defeatism' Debate

At the Xiangshan Forum in Beijing, Japan's defense-research participant from the year before was not invited while former PM Hatoyama joined a dialogue, and an animator's argument that Japan can never match China and should just stay friendly was attacked as 'defeatism.' The result was a heated debate over the real military balance, though claims of deliberate exclusion remain unconfirmed.

Trump's $5,000 'Dividend' Flops in Polls as His AI Boast Draws Jeers

Trump's $5,000 'Dividend' Flops in Polls as His AI Boast Draws Jeers

A Reuters/Ipsos poll found 63% of Americans oppose Trump's proposed $5,000 'dividend,' and separately he brushed off AI-safety calls by saying a strong, high-IQ president is the only guardrail needed. Japanese netizens read the poll as Americans being cool-headed and mocked the AI line.

Japan Debates an 'Asian NATO' and the Nuclear Question

Japan Debates an 'Asian NATO' and the Nuclear Question

Former PM Shigeru Ishiba floated a Japan-Korea-centered 'Asian NATO,' and Korean media reported wariness. Separately, an analyst argued Japan would need nuclear weapons if the US pulled back its guarantee. Japanese netizens split between dismissing the framework and debating whether an independent deterrent is realistic.

China's Top AI Models Accused of Secretly Routing Queries to Claude

China's Top AI Models Accused of Secretly Routing Queries to Claude

Anthropic reported that Chinese AI models Kimi and DeepSeek forwarded some user queries to Claude and returned Claude's answers as their own, using them for distillation. Japanese netizens treated it as proof the 'homegrown' models were a relabel, and seized on the irony of officials feeding sensitive inputs to a rival country's servers.

Iran Names Japan Over Nuclear Vote as Houthis Seize Red Sea Chokepoints

Iran Names Japan Over Nuclear Vote as Houthis Seize Red Sea Chokepoints

Houthi forces were reported to have seized the Red Sea port of Mocha and Perim Island, and Iran's foreign ministry named Saudi Arabia and Japan—who backed an IAEA resolution—as bearing responsibility for the consequences. Japanese netizens reacted mostly with fear of an oil shock and inflation, alongside a volatile security debate.

China Raises Visa Fees for Japanese Travelers Roughly Sevenfold

China Raises Visa Fees for Japanese Travelers Roughly Sevenfold

China's embassy announced that from September 14 a single-entry visa for Japanese nationals rises from 2,250 yen to 16,750 yen—about sevenfold—which Beijing calls a reciprocal response to Japan's roughly fivefold fee hike in July. Alongside an eight-year sentence for a Chinese man in a separate case and a suddenly cancelled anime collaboration, Japanese netizens reacted mostly with cynical defiance.

German Tourist Calls Yasukuni 'Illegal in Germany,' and Japan Pushes Back

German Tourist Calls Yasukuni 'Illegal in Germany,' and Japan Pushes Back

A German tourist's video criticizing Yasukuni Shrine as 'illegal in Germany' and as 'brainwashing' set off a strong pushback online. Many argued that Germany's Nazi-specific rules do not belong at another country's memorial, while a smaller strand conceded Japan under-teaches its own wartime conduct.

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