China escalates Senkaku Islands dispute with patrol ships after Japan's new PM defends Taiwan independence, sparking diplomatic crisis and threats.

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.

Japan’s main opposition party, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDPJ), leader Yoshihiko Noda on Sunday criticized Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s recent wrong remarks on the Taiwan question as going “too far” and “quite reckless,

BEIJING—Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi continued to be buffeted by verbal attacks by the administration of Chinese President Xi Jinping a week after suggesting that Japan would provide support for Taiwan in the event of a Chinese naval blockade.

The Japanese prime minister’s comments about military intervention were unusually direct for such a sensitive topic.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told lawmakers a conflict over Taiwan could constitute a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan.

China sent Coast Guard ships near disputed islands and warned travelers and students about safety risks in Japan. The escalation is over comments on Taiwan by Japan’s new prime minister.