Japan and the United States (US) have reportedly drafted a joint plan for military action in the case of a defence emergency in Taiwan, a clear indication of their intent to stand up to a possible Chinese invasion of the island nation.
According to unnamed government sources cited by Japan’s Kyodo News Agency, the joint plan would enable the US Marine Corps to set up a temporary attack base along Japan’s Nansei island chain in case Taiwan comes under attack. Located in the southwest, the island chain includes almost 200 islands and stretches from Kyushu, one of Japan’s four main islands, to Taiwan.
The US would deploy troops to the self-governing island with help from the Japanese Self Defence Forces (SDF), along with a high mobility artillery rocket system. Meanwhile, Japan would provide logistical support in the form of ammunition and fuel supplies.
However, such a deployment would make the islands the target of attack by the Chinese military and risk the lives of civilians, as most of the shortlisted 40 locations on the island chain are inhabited. Keeping this in mind, Japan would have to adopt legal changes to implement the plan.
Foreign and defence ministry chiefs from Japan and the US are set to meet in early January under the 2+2 framework, wherein the two countries are expected to agree to begin work on formalising an operation plan.
US President Joe Biden said in October that during his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, they had both agreed to abide by the Taiwan Agreement. In this respect, the latest report of US support for Taiwan is likely to anger China, which considers Taiwan part of its own territory. China views its reunification with Taiwan as a crucial part of its ultimate strategy and has warned that it is prepared to achieve this goal through force, if necessary.
4 PLA aircraft (KJ-500 AEW&C, Y-8 ASW and J-16*2) entered #Taiwan’s southwest ADIZ on December 23, 2021. Please check our official website for more information: https://t.co/DthAhLiMU8 pic.twitter.com/q8KzMh5S2r
— 國防部 Ministry of National Defense, R.O.C. 🇹🇼 (@MoNDefense) December 23, 2021
This draft agreement also further cements Japan’s increasing concern for Taiwan’s security. In March, Kyodo News reported that the US and Japan had agreed to closely cooperate in case Taiwan faces a military attack by China. Subsequently, Japan directly expressed concern over Taiwan’s security situation for the first time in its annual defence review released in July.
More recently, former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe warned China that its “adventure in military affairs, if pursued… could be suicidal.” “A Taiwan emergency is a Japanese emergency, and therefore an emergency for the Japan-US alliance. People in Beijing, President Xi, in particular, should never have a misunderstanding in recognising this,” he said.
Over the past few months, Taiwan has reported frequent and intimidatory incursions by Chinese warplanes into its air defence identification zone.