Japan-China relations sour as Taiwan, trade and defence disputes intensify

Japan’s new prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, has warned that a conflict in the Taiwan Strait could threaten Japan’s survival and has opened the possibility for its Self‑Defence Forces to conduct offensive operations. The Japanese defence minister, Shinjiro Koizumi, echoed the stance, rejecting Chinese accusations of reviving militarism.

China has responded with naval incursions near Japan’s southern island of Yonaguni and around Taiwan, and has placed 20 Japanese companies—including Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Kawasaki Heavy Industries and IHI—on an export‑control blacklist for dual‑use goods, while another 20 face surveillance. The move follows Japanese procurement of 400 long‑range Tomahawk missiles from the United States, whose delivery has been delayed.

Japan and the Philippines have begun formal talks to delimit their exclusive economic zones, a step China calls illegal. The combined diplomatic, military and commercial actions have heightened tensions across the region.