Japan faces a reckoning on national defense after Pelosi's Taiwan trip

Debt-laden budget presents Achilles' heel toward sustained response to armed conflict

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has ordered relevant agencies to study the U.S. defense budget to help get rid of red tape that hinders effective deterrence. © Kyodo

NAOYA YOSHINO, Nikkei political editor

August 4, 2022 13:09 JST

TOKYO -- When U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi met with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen in Taipei on Wednesday, China responded with live-fire drills around the self-ruled island.

The exercises resonated in Japan, as parts took place in waters overlapping its exclusive economic zone, once again underscoring how Japan and Taiwan are linked on national security.