Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Monday defended her description of a conflict over Taiwan as potentially amounting to an existential risk for Japan after a Chinese diplomat accused her of meddling in Beijing’s internal affairs.
Last Friday, Takaichi said that if military force were to be used in a Taiwan conflict, including the use of warships, it could be considered a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan. That classification is significant because it would provide a legal justification for Japan to deploy its military to help defend friendly nations.