Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and visiting US senators have reaffirmed their commitment to working together in a long-standing bilateral alliance amid heightened global tensions, from the war in Ukraine to threats from neighboring China and North Korea, the Associated Press reported.
During the meeting, the delegation, led by Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, agreed with Kishida that it was important to maintain a “free and open Indo-Pacific region”, according to the Tokyo Foreign Ministry.
Before Tokyo, the six senators visited Taiwan, where they made a clear and public declaration of support for the self-governing island nation while warning China. Yesterday, they met with Taiwanese President Tsai Yingwen.
In protest against the delegation’s visit, China held military exercises near Taiwan.
Japan has long been concerned about China’s position on Taiwan, and these views, especially among conservative politicians seeking more unrestricted military action, have intensified since the war in Ukraine. Japan’s constitution prohibits the country’s armed forces from being used in international disputes.
Japan does not officially recognize Taiwan, but they maintain friendly relations. The question of whether the United States would intervene in the event of a Chinese military invasion of Taiwan remains open. Analysts say Japan’s role in such a hypothetical situation is even more unclear, as Japan has a huge US military presence within the alliance between the two countries.
China opposes any official ties between the Taiwanese government and other foreign governments, claiming that Taiwan is part of its national territory and not an independent state. China and Taiwan split after the 1949 civil war.
