I’VE BEEN hearing a lot of talk surrounding the imminent Chinese invasion of Taiwan. That news has been going on for years, and so far, that hasn’t happened…yet.
What is interesting this time, though, is Japan. For decades, Japan has relied on the US to take care of its defense interests. This time, however, the situation appears to have changed. In 2017, Japan has begun building missile defense systems on its southern islands, allowing Japan to defend its territories, including the contested Senkaku Islands, as well as Taiwan.
This August, things have escalated further. According to Nikkei Asia, the Japanese leadership reports that they are planning to deploy around 500 to 600 troops on Ishigaki, a southern island, as well as ground-to-air and ground-to-ship missiles by the end of March 2023. For Japan, this military buildup is rare and is largely driven by fear of China.
If China takes Taiwan, Japan’s southern territory becomes exposed to the People’s Republic of China’s naval and air capabilities. It will also allow the Chinese to expand into the Pacific, and outflank the Japanese navy. So from a strategic point of view, it makes sense for Japan to defend Taiwan.
Now, this relationship between China and Japan is nothing new. The Japanese has always had a difficult relationship with the Chinese. Aside from World War 2, the Japanese had also tried to invade the Ming Dynasty China during the reign of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. For their part, the Chinese had embargoed Japan at various times in the past, and for good reasons.
It was only through the intervention of Pax Americana that this tense relationship was put on hold. But it seems that the American Peace is no longer enough to do that. China’s threats against Taiwan seem to be driving the Japanese to reconsider its pacifist constitution, and updating it to more readily respond to the latest geopolitical situation./PN
