Japan's No. 2 raises possibility of joining US in defending Taiwan

TOKYO -- If China invades Taiwan, Tokyo may interpret the move as a "threat to Japan's survival" and deploy the Self-Defense Forces to exercise collective self-defense, Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso said Monday.

"If a major incident happened [in Taiwan], it would not be strange at all if it touches on a situation threatening survival," Aso said during a speech in Tokyo. "If that is the case, Japan and the U.S. must defend Taiwan together."