Japan’s hawkish new PM has angered Beijing after suggesting her country could become involved in a military conflict between China and Taiwan
Tokyo and Beijing are embroiled in a deepening row over Taiwan after Japan’s prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, suggested that her country could potentially become militarily involved in the event of an attempted Chinese invasion of the self-governing island.
Why has Taiwan become a flashpoint between the north-east Asian neighbours and major trading partners, and is there a risk that the war of words could escalate?
The quarrel kicked off after Japan’s prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, suggested in her first parliamentary address since taking office in October that Japan could become militarily involved in a conflict between China and Taiwan.
Japan’s postwar constitution forbids it from using force as a means of settling international disputes but a 2015 law – passed when Takaichi’s mentor, Shinzo Abe, was prime minister – permits it to exercise collective self-defence in certain situations, even if it is not directly under attack.
