TOKYO, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi came under fire in parliament on Tuesday as her evasive answers regarding Taiwan has triggered strong criticism from opposition parties and fueled disorder at the Diet meeting.

On Tuesday, lawmakers engaged in a heated debate over Takaichi's earlier erroneous remarks on Taiwan. Constitutional Democratic Party lawmaker Hajime Hirota pressed Takaichi to clarify whether Taiwan would fall under the category of "other countries with close ties to Japan" in the definition of a "survival-threatening situation."

Takaichi said the category is "not specified in advance" and needs to be judged "on a case-by-case basis," while avoiding any further explanations.

Hirota then asked whether Takaichi would retract her previous erroneous remarks on Taiwan. Although opposition lawmakers shouted from their seats that it was her "last chance," Takaichi reiterated that "there has been no change to the Japanese government's basic position," without clarifing what that stance actually entails.

Her responses drew strong protests from opposition parties. Japanese media reported that the session was briefly suspended for several minutes, while the live broadcast was muted for three times.

Takaichi had previously claimed during a Diet meeting on Nov. 7 that the Chinese mainland's "use of force on Taiwan" could constitute a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan, which immediately drew strong criticism at home and abroad.

Since then, opposition lawmakers have repeatedly demanded clearer and more substantial explanations of her stance on Taiwan during parliamentary sessions, but Takaichi kept reiterating that the government's position remains unchanged while offering no concrete explanation on that position. ■