Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida says he does not want to answer questions about what Japan would do in a Taiwan contingency. He made the statements in response to questioning from an opposition lawmaker in the Japanese Diet.
MP Yoshinori Suematsu said in the Diet that security cooperation between the United States and Japan is increasing, and the US is likely to ask Japan’s military for assistance in a Taiwan contingency. Suematsu asked Kishida how Japan should respond to such a request from the US. Kishida said that he is unwilling to answer questions about hypothetical situations, and that each situation would be decided in accordance with the constitution, international law, and Japanese law.
The Japanese constitution and subsequent legal rulings prohibit Japan’s military from participating in any conflict which is not in defense of Japan’s territory. Whether attacks on US forces stationed in Japan would qualify as attacks on Japanese territory remains a legal gray area.
Kishida also said that peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait is important not only for Japan, but for the entire international community. He added that he hopes any conflict will be resolved peacefully through dialogue. These comments echo those of previous prime ministers and Japanese officials.