
Lawmakers of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party had a session on Saturday to simulate Japan’s response to China’s possible invasion of Taiwan, at a time when China is holding military drills around the self-governed island.
The simulation was conducted on the assumption that China starts to invade Taiwan by claiming that a Chinese drone has been shot down by Taiwan’s military, and also sends armed fishermen to land on the Japan-administered Senkaku Islands near Taiwan.
In the simulation, cabinet ministers, acted by participating LDP lawmakers, held a National Security Council meeting. The government recognized the assault on the Senkaku Islands as an “armed attack situation” and the invasion of Taiwan as a situation threatening the existence of Japan, both under Japan’s national security legislation, and mobilized the Self-Defense Forces.
Former Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera, who acted as the prime minister, said the simulation involved a sense of tension as the assumed crisis appeared more likely after China fired five ballistic missiles into Japan’s exclusive economic zone during the military drills on Thursday.
“I think it became clear that a Taiwan crisis would lead to an emergency for Japan,” Onodera said.
The session was organized by the Japan Forum for Strategic Studies, a Tokyo-based think tank.
JIJI Press