Taipei, Dec. 5 — Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defence said Friday it tracked 14 sorties by People’s Liberation Army aircraft and five People’s Liberation Army Navy vessels operating around the island through 6 a.m. (UTC+8). The ministry’s post on X said eight of the 14 aircraft sorties crossed the median line and entered Taiwan’s northern and southwestern Air Defence Identification Zone. The ROC Armed Forces monitored the activity and took responsive measures.
Separately, former U.S. defense official Ely Ratner publicly defended remarks by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi about possible Japanese assistance in defending Taiwan, calling Beijing’s response “inappropriate,” according to the Taipei Times. Ratner, who served as Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs from 2021 until this year, said Takaichi’s comments were consistent with Japan’s official security stance.
On Nov. 7, Takaichi told Japan’s parliament that a Chinese assault on Taiwan could be regarded as “a situation threatening Japan’s survival,” a classification that could justify military action. Analysts note she is the first Japanese leader in decades to openly suggest a Taiwan Strait crisis might prompt Japanese military involvement. China reacted strongly, issuing advisories discouraging travel and study in Japan and suspending the planned resumption of Japanese seafood imports. A social-media post by Xue Jian, the Chinese consul general in Osaka, which advocated that Takaichi be “decapitated,” was later deleted.
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