Japan–US Alliance ‘Would Collapse’ If Tokyo Turned a Blind Eye to Taiwan Crisis, PM Says

‘If something terrible were to happen there, we would have to go and rescue the Japanese and Americans in Taiwan,’ Takaichi said.

Japanese Prime Minister and Liberal Democratic Party President Sanae Takaichi (R) gestures during the Panel Discussion by the Leaders of 7 Parties at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo on Jan. 26, 2026. David Mareuil/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said on Jan. 26 that if China and the United States were in conflict over Taiwan, Japan would work alongside its U.S. ally to protect Japanese and American citizens in Taiwan.

“If the U.S. forces, acting jointly with us, were to come under attack, and we simply fled without doing anything, the Japan–U.S. Alliance would collapse,” Takaichi said on a TV Asahi program featuring major Japanese party leaders.