Japan will likely lean more heavily on the U.S. and its allies if China escalates economic pressure, as Tokyo seeks to navigate the fallout from Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remarks linking Taiwan’s security to its own.
China’s swift retaliation — warning tourists against visiting Japan, suspending seafood imports and freezing film approvals — hints at the economic leverage it holds over Tokyo and how limited Japan’s room for maneuver remains.
For now, Tokyo has stuck to its usual playbook: avoiding tit-for-tat retaliation, keeping communication channels open and hoping tensions cool over time. But the longer the standoff continues, the more Japan is likely to coordinate closely with Washington and like-minded partners.
AloJapan.com