TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Japanese and US lawmakers agreed that bolstering deterrence against China is key to preventing a Taiwan conflict during a meeting in Washington, on Tuesday.
Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers Hirofumi Takinami, Miyamoto Kazuhiro, and Suzuki Daichi met with Senator Thomas Tillis, co-chair of the Senate Taiwan Caucus, and Representative Ami Bera, co-chair of the Congressional Taiwan Caucus, according to a press release from Bera’s office.
The Japanese lawmakers are members of the House of Councillors Taiwan Friendship Group.
"We were able to share the understanding that a crisis involving Taiwan is indeed a crisis for Japan and a crisis for the Japan-US alliance," Takinami told reporters after the meeting, according to Jiji Press. The US lawmakers expressed support for Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae’s remarks in November that suggest Japan may intervene militarily if China decides to seize Taiwan by force.
Speaking to the Diet, Takaichi said, “If battleships are used and a naval blockade involves the use of force, I believe that would, by any measure, constitute a situation that could be deemed a threat to Japan’s survival.”
Last Wednesday, Kitamura Haruo, a member of the House of Councilors from the Conservative Party of Japan, pledged to promote legislation based on the US’ Taiwan Relations Act and Taiwan Travel Act.
Japan’s Ministry of Defense’s 2026 white paper reiterated its assessment that China represents the nation’s “unprecedented and greatest strategic challenge.” It also warned that Beijing has ramped up military activities around Taiwan in recent years and is attempting to normalize such activities while strengthening its military capabilities.
