Kyodo poll shows 48.8% support Japan’s military response if China attacks Taiwan, while 60.4% back increased defence spending amid diplomatic tensions
TOKYO: The Japanese public is sharply divided over whether Japan should exercise its right to collective self-defence if China attacks Taiwan.
A Kyodo news agency poll revealed 48.8% support military action while 44.2% oppose such intervention.
The survey also found 60.4% of respondents back Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s plan to increase defence spending.
These results emerge amid escalating diplomatic tensions between Tokyo and Beijing following Takaichi’s recent Taiwan remarks.
The Japanese leader stated on November 7 that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could constitute a “survival-threatening situation” potentially triggering Tokyo’s military response.
China maintains it hasn’t ruled out using force to assert sovereignty over Taiwan, located just 110 km from Japanese territory.
Taiwan’s government firmly rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims over the island.
Takaichi’s comments prompted angry responses from Beijing, which also warned Chinese citizens against travelling to Japan.
The prime minister pledged last month to achieve defence spending of 2% of GDP this fiscal year through March, accelerating the original 2027 target.
Takaichi’s cabinet approval rating reached 69.9%, rising 5.5 percentage points from the previous month’s survey. – Reuters
