UPDATES at 10:06 am ET on Jan. 9, 2023
China’s claims over Taiwan will “definitely become an existential crisis situation” for Japan, and Tokyo must fight in the Taiwan Strait in the event of conflict to rescue its citizens, former Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso warned on Monday.
“The times are changing drastically. Tensions are now rising across the Taiwan Strait,” said the 83-year-old vice president of the country’s Liberal Democratic Party, as cited by Japanese daily Asahi Shimbun.
“There are 20,400 officially registered Japanese citizens in Taiwan alone ... If something happens in Taiwan and things turn out to be war, we have to rescue the Japanese in Taiwan.
“The situation is different from before," said Aso, who was prime minister for a year from September 2008 to September 2009. "We will fight in the Taiwan Strait. We will be using submarines and warships, and so on. We must make the appropriate preparations.”
The remarks by Aso highlight the broader regional implications of any potential change in the political landscape in Taiwan, which is gearing up for a pivotal presidential election on Saturday that will shape its future relationship with China and possibly its stance on independence.
China's communist government, which has never ruled the democratic island, views Taiwan as part of its territory and has not ruled out the use of military force for occupation. Beijing frequently dispatches warplanes close to the island, crossing into the Taiwan Strait. In reaction, the United States has intensified its military drills with regional allies.
The future president of Taiwan will have a significant impact on either easing or heightening tensions between these major international powers.
Past comments
Aso’s Monday remarks weren’t the first instance of Japan signaling that its national security is closely linked to the fate of Taiwan.
For example, the 2021 Japanese defense white paper said for the first time that peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait is linked to Japanese national security.
In July that year, Aso, then-deputy prime minister, escalated this stance by suggesting that in the scenario of unprovoked military action by China against Taiwan, it would be necessary for both the United States and Japan to intervene in Taiwan’s defense.
Separately, in December 2021, the late Shinzo Abe, who had already stepped down as prime minister, declared, “A Taiwan emergency is a Japanese emergency” during an event organized by Taiwan's Institute for National Policy Research.
At that time, this comment caused a stir in Beijing, leading to a strong rebuke from a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson who expressed Beijing”s strong opposition and disappointment.
Edited by Elaine Chan and Mike Firn.
Adds that Aso was prime minister for a year from 2008 to 2009.