To prevent war in Taiwan Strait, Japan needs to unite with US

Restoring military balance is essential to deter China

Chinese President Xi Jinping, left, watched the summit between Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and U.S. President Joe Biden on April 16 with great interest, as the two allies mentioned Taiwan in a joint statement for the first time in 52 years. (Nikkei montage/Reuters/Kyodo)

HIROYUKI AKITA, Nikkei commentator

April 27, 2021 23:34 JST

TOKYO -- The rising military tensions in the Taiwan Strait bring back vivid memories of a crisis that shook the world in March 1996.

Aiming to block Taiwan's first direct, democratic presidential election, which was set to install Lee Teng-hui as leader, China fired missiles one after another into waters near Taiwan, calling the launches large-scale military drills.