Japan
Statement summary
Takaichi says a Taiwan contingency could threaten Japan's survival in Brookings' account of her earlier comment
Takaichi says a Taiwan contingency could threaten Japan's survival in Brookings' account of her earlier comment.
Late-breaking shocks and shifting goalposts: Takaichi’s highwire Washington visit By Mireya Solís Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi will arrive in Washington this week with the goal of deepening the U.S.-Japan alliance at a moment of global economic fragility and spiraling conflict in the Middle East. Although the visit will be short, Tokyo had carefully planned it to allay any concerns of alliance drift. This is a serious worry, given President Donald Trump’s bone-deep skepticism of alliances. It is compounded by China’s expanding pressure campaign to punish Takaichi for her comment that a Taiwan contingency could rise to a survival-threatening situation—a precondition for Japan to implement collective self-defense measures. But as Takaichi walks into the Oval Office this week, her mettle will be tested in ways that had not been foreseen just a few days ago. Summit plans Having...