Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takai said during a Diet questioning session that if something happens to Taiwan, Japan could face a crisis of survival and may therefore exercise the right of collective self-defense in response. Former Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama commented on this, stating, “Japan should not interfere in China’s internal affairs.”
According to Japan’s Kyodo News, on the 7th, Sanae Takai, while being questioned at the House of Representatives Budget Committee meeting, stated that if Taiwan faces a sudden contingency involving warships and the use of force, it could possibly endanger Japan’s survival. Therefore, based on the ‘Security Legislation,’ Japan could exercise the right of collective self-defense against a party that has not directly attacked Japan.
On the 8th, Yukio Hatoyama posted on the X platform, saying that someone once said “A contingency in Taiwan is a contingency for Japan,” but Prime Minister Sanae Takai mentioned that Japan may exercise the right of collective self-defense if it faces a survival crisis.
Hatoyama stated that doing so might be to deliberately stir up and amplify the crisis and thereby expand military power, but emphasized: “Japan has always respected that ‘Taiwan is a part of China.’ The Taiwan issue is China’s internal affair, and Japan should not get involved.”