Japan remarks on Taiwan spur China drills

Tuesday 30 December 2025 - 17:20

By: Dakir Madiha

Japan remarks on Taiwan spur China drills

China has launched large scale military exercises around Taiwan after comments by Japanese prime minister Sanae Takaichi signaled a sharp shift in Tokyo’s stance on the island. Speaking to a parliamentary budget committee on November 7, Takaichi said any Chinese military action against Taiwan would amount to a situation threatening Japan’s survival and could justify the deployment of Japan’s Self Defense Forces. The statement broke with decades of strategic ambiguity and quickly became a focal point in rising regional tensions.

Beijing responded with anger. Xue Jian, China’s consul general in Osaka, briefly posted a message on X that Japanese officials interpreted as a death threat against Takaichi before deleting it. Foreign minister Wang Yi later said Japan had crossed a red line. Chinese authorities also issued travel warnings urging citizens to avoid Japan, citing what they called openly provocative remarks by the prime minister.

Tensions deepened when Japan’s cabinet approved a record defense budget of 9.04 trillion yen for the 2026 fiscal year, marking a significant increase aimed at reaching defense spending equal to two percent of gross domestic product. The budget includes billions of dollars for long range missile capabilities, including upgraded Type 12 surface to ship missiles designed to strengthen defenses in Japan’s southwest.

Days later, China launched a two day operation known as Justice Mission 2025, involving ground, naval, air, and rocket forces conducting live fire drills around Taiwan. Senior Colonel Shi Yi of China’s Eastern Theater Command described the exercises as a severe warning against separatist forces and external interference, without naming specific countries.

Defense analysts linked the drills directly to Japan’s tougher posture. Lin Ying yu of Tamkang University said recent United States arms sales alone did not explain Beijing’s timing, pointing instead to Japan’s increasingly firm position on Taiwan and deepening military cooperation between Washington and Tokyo. Taiwan’s defense ministry said the exercises involved 130 Chinese aircraft and 14 military vessels within a 24 hour period, simulating port blockades and control of surrounding waters. President Lai Ching te condemned the pressure as incompatible with the conduct of a responsible major power. United States president Donald Trump downplayed the drills, saying he maintained a good relationship with President Xi, even as the episode underscored the tightening strategic alignment between Japan and the United States.