BEIJING – A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said on Thursday the root cause of the current severe difficulties besetting China-Japan relations lies in the erroneous remarks regarding Taiwan made by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, urging Japan to do soul-searching and create necessary conditions for normal exchanges.

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Spokesperson Lin Jian made the remarks at a daily press briefing in response to a query, as six months have passed since Takaichi publicly claimed that a Taiwan contingency could constitute a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan, implying possible military involvement.