Japan's PM rejects U.S. intelligence shift assessment on Taiwan. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi arrived in Washington for talks with President Trump as tensions simmer over her November remarks on Taiwan. Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara denied a policy change, stating Tokyo's approach remains "quite consistent." The U.S. intelligence community had flagged Takaichi's comments—where she said a Chinese military attempt to seize Taiwan could trigger Japan's Self-Defense Forces intervention—as a potential significant shift in Japanese policy. Her remarks sparked sharp retaliation from Beijing, which suspended seafood imports and issued travel warnings, causing a notable decline in Chinese tourists to Japan. Analysts note the terminology around a "survival threatening situation" could enable Japan to invoke its 2015 constitutional reinterpretation allowing collective self-defense.
