Japan has rejected a report by the U.S. intelligence community saying that Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remarks that Japan could intervene militarily in a Taiwan crisis represent “a significant shift” for a sitting Japanese leader — a sign that the allies remain apart on the issue.
The report — and Tokyo’s rejection of it — came just ahead of a key summit between Takaichi and U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington on Thursday.
Takaichi’s “specific comments carry weight in Japan’s system because the phrase ‘survival threatening situation’ serves as a possible legal justification for military authorities,” the U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence said Wednesday in its annual report on global threats.
AloJapan.com