Japan sees Taiwan clash as serious threat to its security

Tokyo raises alarm over 'gray zone' incidents near Senkakus in 2021 white paper

A member of Japan's Self-Defense Forces looks out to sea at a base on Yonaguni Island, which is part of the remote Nansei chain and just a stone's throw from Taiwan. © Reuters

JUNNOSUKE KOBARA, Security affairs editor

July 14, 2021 06:21 JST

TOKYO -- A conflict in the Taiwan Strait would present one of the biggest challenges to Japan's security, a new defense white paper shows, as Tokyo delves into unprecedented detail on how it plans to protect the country's territory in such a scenario.

Japan must "pay close attention" to the Taiwan Strait "with a sense of crisis more than ever before," the document published Tuesday said.