Caught Off Guard! The CCP Takes Two Heavy Blows in Two Days

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi

[People News] On February 8, Japan’s general election showed that the party of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi secured three-quarters of the seats in parliament. On February 9, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the PROTECT Taiwan Act by an overwhelming vote of 395 to 2. These two developments delivered two direct heavy blows to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), highlighting consecutive failures of Beijing’s so-called “wolf warrior diplomacy.”

In particular, regarding Japan’s House of Representatives election, Japanese media noted that a series of CCP miscalculations instead ended up boosting public support for Sanae Takaichi.

Last November, Takaichi stated that “a Taiwan contingency is a Japan contingency,” a remark that strongly irritated Beijing. The CCP quickly escalated economic pressure on Japan, including calling on Chinese citizens to avoid traveling to Japan and restricting certain dual-use exports to Japan. Observers believed Beijing’s intention was to force Japan to back down and retract the remarks, thereby undermining Takaichi and the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and weakening the stability of her government.

Facing Beijing’s aggressive posture, Takaichi made a surprising move. Without prior warning, she announced on January 23, 2026, the dissolution of the House of Representatives and scheduled a general election for February 8. The campaign period—from dissolution to voting day—lasted only 16 days, the shortest in Japan’s postwar history.

Her unexpected move stunned Japanese society and also shocked Beijing, which had been eager to see Takaichi removed from office. Pro-China opposition parties in Japan launched fierce criticism, arguing that dissolving parliament while the new fiscal budget was under review was irresponsible.

China’s state news agency Xinhua also criticized Takaichi’s decision as a “political gamble.” Clearly, Beijing was caught off guard. What the CCP failed to realize was that the more pressure it applied, the more it strengthened Takaichi’s political standing—ultimately causing Beijing’s calculations to backfire.

Pre-election polls showed Takaichi maintaining relatively high approval ratings, indicating that her firm stance toward China had broad public support.

Observers widely believe that Takaichi dissolved the House to regain a clear LDP majority in parliament, enabling smoother passage of legislation. The election results indeed matched her expectations.

Now, Takaichi and the LDP have won three-quarters of the seats, an advantage no single party has achieved in Japan’s postwar House of Representatives. It is foreseeable that over the next four-year term, government budgets and legislation will pass smoothly, and Takaichi’s position as prime minister will be rock solid.

The day after the election, Japan’s stock and currency markets reacted strongly, with the Nikkei index surging by more than 2,000 points. Some commentators described the result as reflecting a “Takaichi market effect” characterized by strong stocks, a weaker yen, and weaker Japanese bonds.

After the election, CCP state media continued spreading claims of a “revival of Japanese militarism.” In response, veteran journalist and Indo-Pacific Strategy Think Tank CEO Akio Yaita stated on February 10 that this was purely CCP external propaganda and cognitive warfare. He said Beijing is deliberately smearing Takaichi as a militarist. He emphasized that Takaichi is a pacifist, and that if Japan strengthens its defense capabilities in response to the expansionist threat posed by the CCP, it would become a valuable partner to Taiwan and a positive force in defending global democracy and freedom.

Hsu Wen-tang, secretary-general of Taiwan’s Association of University Professors, added that China’s definition of “militarism” is absurd. In the CCP’s eyes, even anime such as Pokémon and Detective Conan have at times been labeled as militaristic.

It is foreseeable that if Takaichi’s administration remains in power for a long time, Beijing will not simply let the matter rest. Although the CCP has taken two heavy hits in just two days, it may double down with an even tougher stance toward Japan. Will Beijing attempt to drive a wedge between Japan and the United States over Taiwan during former U.S. President Trump’s reported visit to China this April? How the CCP’s wolf-warrior diplomacy continues to embarrass itself remains a key point of international attention.

(First published by People News) △