Her recent comments do not represent a new commitment for Japan to defend Taiwan – or a departure from previous policy.

TOKYO -- China tensions triggered by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's recent comment on a potential crisis in Taiwan remain high, but two related issues -- Japan acting alongside U.S. forces and its exercise of collective self-defense rights in defending the island -- need to be considered separately, former officials say.

Japan moves closer to openly linking Taiwan’s security to its own as China responds with thinly veiled threats

Relations between the two neighbours have soured recently after Takaichi became the first sitting Japanese leader in decades to publicly link a Taiwan Strait crisis with the possible deployment of Japanese troops.

The Japanese public is divided over exercising collective self-defense against a Chinese attack on Taiwan. A recent poll shows mixed opinions, while Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi aims to boost defense spending.

BEIJING - Senior officials of Japan and China held talks on Tuesday in Beijing, Japanese government sources said, amid escalating tensions over Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's recent remarks on Taiwan,

By bno - Taipei Office China has postponed the release of at least two Japanese films as political tensions between Beijing and Tokyo intensify over Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s recent comments on Taiwan the BBC reports.

Japan and China are facing off in an angry spat over the status of Taiwan – part of China for Beijing, an independent and friendly state for Tokyo.