TOKYO (TR) – After taking workplace final yr, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has raised tensions between Japan and China.
Seemingly undeterred by such a stance is Hideo Tarumi, a former ambassador to China. Known as a “hardliner against China,” the diplomat has developed an obvious double life that features sustaining a Chinese mistress and her little one, says weekly tabloid Shukan Post (Feb. 20).
Tarumi has a spouse and youngsters. But, in response to the journal, he visits the condo of the lady from China on weekends and has constructed a relationship that looks as if a second household.
Elegant options
On January 24, the day after Prime Minister Takaichi dissolved the House of Representatives, a light-weight van was parked in entrance of an condo constructing in central Tokyo at simply after 8:00 p.m.
Thereafter, a pale, slender lady in her 40s with elegant options exited the passenger seat and entered a unit of the condo constructing.
The automotive then pulled right into a car parking zone a brief distance away, the place a person sporting a darkish, half-length down jacket and a commemorative cap for the Hanshin Tigers exited. The man warily peered into every parked automotive as he shortly made his option to the condo constructing, unlocking the auto-lock door together with his key earlier than getting into.
The subsequent day, the person and lady went out collectively. They walked again to the parking space, the place the person bought into his automotive alone and headed dwelling.
It has been confirmed that additionally they hung out collectively on the evening of January 11 and in December.
“Most wary of”
The condo is occupied by a lady from China and her little one. The actual property registry confirms that the room is registered in a Chinese title. The man who visits the lady’s condo on weekends is Tarumi.
Known as a hard-line diplomat on China, Tarumi has served as director of the China and Mongolia Division on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and as envoy to China. He then serving as ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to China from September 2020 to December 2023.
While serving as ambassador to China in August 2023, China suspended imports of Japanese seafood over the ocean launch of handled water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. They claimed that this was “an act of shifting the risk of nuclear contamination to neighboring countries and the international community.”
Tarumi retorted, “Measures that are not based on scientific evidence are unacceptable,” which earned him the popularity of “the diplomat China is most wary of.”
Bestseller
Since retiring from the ministry, Tarumi has continued to show as a college professor. He has additionally made diplomatic suggestions to the federal government, which have drawn consideration.
Among them was his essay “Prime Minister Takaichi’s China Strategy: Three Prescriptions” within the January 2026 subject of the month-to-month Bungeishunju. The essay was concerning the rising tensions in Japan-China relations following Prime Minister Takaichi’s controversial feedback within the Diet final November. During the session, she mentioned that China’s “use of force on Taiwan” may represent a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan.
His guide “Secret Records of Japan-China Diplomacy: The Struggle of Ambassador Hideo Tarumi to China,” revealed by Bungeishunju in June final yr, turned a bestseller.
“I have no idea what you are talking about”
When approached by the journal in regards to the lady, Tarumi denied realizing her. After being additional pushed about their obvious relationship, he mentioned, “Wait a moment. I’m a private citizen. Isn’t it illegal to investigate matters that pertain to a private citizen’s privacy?”
The reporter then requested whether or not he had been assembly her since his time as ambassador.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Tarumi mentioned. “How could I meet [someone] in China while I was ambassador? I have no idea what you’re talking about. Not only are you talking about my time as ambassador, but I’m a private citizen now. I don’t mind if you’re aware that discussing something that concerns your privacy is illegal, but I’m consulting with a lawyer, so that’s all I can say.”
The reporter then confirmed a photograph of Tarumi that appeared to point out him with the lady and her little one. He mentioned, “What’s that photo? I have no idea. Besides, we live in an age where you can make as many photos as you want.”