周三，日本敦促中国在称呼高市早苗首相时“予以适当尊重”。此前，中国外交部发言人在提及她时仅直呼其名，而未使用正式头衔。
Japan on Wednesday urged China to "show proper respect" when addressing Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi after a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman referred to her by name without using her official title.
据共同社报道，日本外务省新闻发言人北村滋在新闻发布会上表示：“即便立场存在分歧，我认为按照国际惯例，对一个国家的领导人予以适当尊重是理所当然的。”
"Even if there are differences in stances, I believe that showing proper respect to the leader of a country is a matter of course in terms of international protocol," Japanese Foreign Press Secretary Toshihiro Kitamura told a news conference, according to the Kyodo news agency.
北村滋称，东京已向北京提出了“恰当的请求”，但拒绝进一步说明细节。
Kitamura said Tokyo had made an "appropriate request" to Beijing but declined to elaborate.
此次争议源于9月30日中国外交部发言人郭嘉昆的记者会。当时他仅以“高市早苗”称呼日本首相。他是在回应有关日本防卫大臣小泉进次郎谈及日本是否应拥有核武器及核动力潜艇的言论时作出此表述。
The dispute stems from a Sept. 30 news conference by Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun, who referred to the Japanese premier simply as "Sanae Takaichi." Guo was responding to a question about Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi's comments on discussions over possessing nuclear weapons and nuclear-powered submarines.
郭嘉昆指出，作为《不扩散核武器条约》的缔约国，日本负有不获取核武器的国际法律义务。他同时强调：“这一点没有谈判余地。”他还提到，高市早苗曾在今年2月重申日本坚持“无核三原则”的立场。
Guo said Japan, as a non-nuclear-weapon state under the Non-Proliferation Treaty, had an international legal obligation not to acquire nuclear weapons. "There is no room for negotiation," he said, adding that Takaichi had reiterated Japan's commitment to its three non-nuclear principles in February.
自去年11月高市早苗在议会暗示“若中国攻击台湾，日本可能采取军事回应”后，两国关系急剧恶化。北京方面多次要求她收回相关言论，该争议也波及到外交与经济合作领域。
Relations between the Asian neighbors have sharply deteriorated since Takaichi suggested in parliament last November that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could prompt a military response from Japan. Beijing has repeatedly demanded that she retract the remarks, while the dispute has spilled into diplomatic and economic ties.
不过，高市早苗在周一的议会施政演说中仍称中国是“重要的邻国”，承诺将在维护日本国家利益的前提下，通过对话推动两国关系“稳定且富有建设性”地发展。
Takaichi, however, called China an "important neighbor" in a parliamentary policy speech Monday and pledged to pursue "constructive and stable" relations through dialogue while protecting Japan's national interests.