Ishii Taira (Chinese name Shi Ping, 石平), born in Sichuan in 1962, joined China’s democracy movement in the early 1980s and graduated from Peking University in 1984. After moving to Japan in 1988, he broke with the Chinese Communist Party following the Tiananmen protests. He became a Japanese citizen in 2007, later served as a visiting professor at Takushoku University, and was elected to Japan’s House of Councilors this year. A vocal critic of Beijing, he has frequently spoken on Taiwan, the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands, Xinjiang, Tibet, and Hong Kong.
On September 8, 2025, China’s Foreign Ministry announced sanctions against Ishii, accusing him of spreading “fallacies,” and visiting the Yasukuni Shrine. The measures include freezing any assets he holds in China, banning Chinese organizations and individuals from engaging with him, and barring him and his immediate family from entering China, Hong Kong, or Macau.
Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi condemned the sanctions as an attempt to intimidate dissenting voices and called on Beijing to withdraw them. Ishii dismissed the move, noting he has no assets in China and no intention of visiting, and described the sanctions as proof that his political activities were “an honor.”
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian defended the countermeasures, calling Ishii a “thorough anti-China element” who aligned with hostile forces after naturalizing in Japan. He said the actions were legal, necessary to safeguard China’s interests, and consistent with international practice, while criticizing Tokyo for failing to restrain its lawmakers and instead “shifting blame” onto China.
Sources:
1. China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs website, September 8, 2025
https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/web/wjbxw_new/202509/t20250908_11704050.shtml
2. Epoch Times, September 9, 2025
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/25/9/9/n14590627.htm
3. Xinhua, September 10, 2025
http://www.news.cn/world/20250910/58e53b9debb347fd94c1772c2f08b2d0/c.html