On Friday Japan’s new Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi, suggested that if China attacked Taiwan then Japan could respond with its own self-defence force.
- “If there are battleships and the use of force, no matter how you think about it, it could constitute a survival-threatening situation,” said Takaichi
Under Japan’s 2015 security legislation, a “survival-threatening situation” refers to a scenario in which an armed attack on an ally presents an existential danger to Japan itself, allowing the country’s Self-Defense Forces to take action in response.
Takaichi’s comments invoking that clause provoked anger from Beijing, with China’s foreign ministry calling them “egregious.”
This article was written by Eamonn Sheridan at investinglive.com.