Overview
- On a live TV Asahi program, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said she was not calling for Japan to take military action and described potential joint operations with the United States as evacuations of Japanese and American nationals.
- She argued the alliance would collapse if U.S. forces operating with Japan came under attack and Japan failed to respond, saying any action would follow current laws and conditions on the ground.
- Beijing condemned her latest remarks through Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun, urging Japan to correct its “wrongdoings” and warning against interference in what China calls its internal Taiwan affairs.
- Reports detail continuing Chinese pressure on Japan, including export controls, flight cancellations, rare-earth restrictions and travel advisories that have deepened the bilateral rift since her November comments.
- The debate centers on Japan’s legal constraints: a pacifist constitution that limits force to collective self‑defense in a “survival‑threatening” situation, and Self‑Defense Forces evacuation authorities that would require host approval and are likely to provoke China.