Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi during a plenary session of the House of Representatives at the National Diet in Tokyo, December 8, 2025. KAZUHIRO NOGI/AFP
Although still largely under control, shows of force have escalated a month after the opening of a diplomatic crisis between China and Japan. On November 7, Japan's new prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, said in response to an opposition lawmaker's question that an attack on Taiwan "would represent an existential threat for Japan." Since then, Beijing has continued to raise its tone. Takaichi's comments signaled that Japan was considering military intervention in the event of a Chinese attack or blockade against Taiwan, in coordination with a possible US intervention.
The crisis took on a new dimension on Saturday, December 6, when J-15 fighter jets from the Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning twice locked their radars onto Japanese aircraft in a threatening maneuver. The Liaoning, one of China's three aircraft carriers, recently passed through a strait south of Okinawa and has been conducting exercises in the Pacific amid heightened diplomatic tensions. Japanese planes took off in an emergency response from Okinawa, as both sides accused the other of provocation.
