TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Japanese lawmaker Nakayama Yasuhide urged Japan, the US, and Taiwan to jointly bolster defenses at the 14th Global Taiwan National Affairs Symposium on Sunday.

The objective is to prevent China from initiating military action, Nakayama said, per CNA. Japan has been a “protected nation” under its mutual security treaty with the US for the past 80 years, Nakayama said, but is now seeking change.

He highlighted three major pillars proposed by figures such as Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae: defense reform, including allowing Japanese-made weapons to be exported; defense policy, including a re-evaluation of Japan’s security strategy; and constitutional amendments aimed at aligning Japan with current international realities, according to CNA. Nakayama said Japan is transforming into a country that can “collectively shoulder responsibility and protect its allies.”

The lawmaker said China now possesses intercontinental ballistic missiles that could strike the White House if launched from the South China Sea. China is also mass-producing robotic soldiers that could be used in wartime, he added. He stressed the need to strengthen defense across traditional land, sea, and air domains, as well as newer areas such as space and AI warfare.

A Japanese military ship sailed through the Taiwan Strait on April 17, the first such transit under Takaichi. The Japanese military is participating in Balikatan 2026 alongside the US and the Philippines.

Missile batteries, including Patriot air-defense systems, have already been deployed on Japan’s Yonaguni, Ishigaki, and Miyakojima islands, according to The Wall Street Journal. Yonaguni is also preparing to host jamming equipment to counter air threats, the report said. It is also scheduled to receive surface-to-air missiles in 2030.