The right of collective self-defense assumes a Taiwanese emergency - Former Prime Minister Aso mentioned the possibility that an invasion of Taiwan would extend to the waters near the Senkaku Islands.

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Taiwan emergency is Japan emergency

On July ５, former Prime Minister Aso gave a speech in Tokyo, stating that if China were to invade Taiwan, it would be recognized as an ``existence-endangering situation'' under national security-related laws, and the right of collective self-defense could be exercised to a limited extent. He acknowledged that it was possible. Currently, Japan does not recognize Taiwan as a state, so Taiwan itself is outside the scope of the right of collective self-defense, but both China and Taiwan claim territorial rights to the Senkaku Islands, and China has made an armed invasion of Taiwan. It can be interpreted to include the Senkaku Islands if a naval blockade of Taiwan is implemented.

American participation in the war is a condition

Will the premise be that the right of collective self-defense will be exercised under the condition that the United States enters the war, or will the Japan-U.S. alliance be activated while Japan exercises its right of self-defense in the event of a naval blockade? Is it? The United States uses the name Taiwan as a military name. The Biden administration has announced that there will be no change in its interpretation of the One China Policy. On the other hand, Japan has confirmed that the defense of the Senkaku Islands falls within the scope of the Japan-US Security Treaty. Regarding the defense of Taiwan, although the U.S.-Taiwan Relations Act mentions the provision of weapons, it does not specify whether the U.S. military will be involved in the defense of Taiwan, leaving some ambiguity.

Military exercises are essential for practical defense

Considering the meaning of Deputy Prime Minister Aso's remarks, it is unlikely that they will be put into action unless they include military exercises between Japan, the United States, and Taiwan. Without military exercises, there is no way that the right of collective self-defense would be accompanied by the power to implement it. This will be a major focus in the future. We may see the Self-Defense Forces entering Taiwan for military exercises.

The US military has announced that it is conducting joint military exercises with Taiwan. It is not possible to create an action plan without conducting military exercises on-site to determine what kind of operations could be carried out in the terrain and environment of Taiwan's west coast in the event of an actual battle. There needs to be a concrete discussion about what is necessary for Japan to exercise its right of collective self-defense.