《TAIPEI TIMES》 Japan considers Taiwan, China in new defense report

The cover of the Defense of Japan white paper is pictured in an undated photograph. Photo: Screen grab from the Japanese Ministry of Defense’s Facebook page

By Lin Tsuei-yi / Staff reporter in TOKYO Japan’s Defense White Paper released yesterday highlighted Taiwan Strait security as a major concern, saying China has expanded military activities around Taiwan, used repeated drills to normalize the presence of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army （PLA）, and strengthened blockade, precision strike, and joint operation capabilities.

Chinese military aircraft entering Taiwan’s surrounding airspace surpassed 3,700 sorties last year, a sharp increase from about 970 in 2021, the paper said, adding that Chinese naval activity around Taiwan also rose to about 2,600 sorties.

Since 2022, Beijing has repeatedly conducted large-scale military drills around Taiwan, said the paper, which is titled Security for the Future.

The “Strait Thunder-2025A” exercise last year highlighted blockade-related operations, including warnings, isolation, prevention and seizure measures, while the “Justice Mission-2025” drills in December featured long-range live-fire exercises and designated no-sail zones encircling Taiwan, it said.

China might avoid immediately declaring a formal naval blockade, instead using coast guard vessels to enforce a “gray zone” blockade through law enforcement actions, inspections and isolation measures, the paper said.

Such an approach could complicate intervention by the US and other third countries before Beijing escalates to a military blockade or a full-scale invasion if conditions allow, it said.

The military balance across the Taiwan Strait is shifting in China’s favor, it said.

China holds major advantages in personnel, naval assets, combat aircraft and long-range missiles, it said.

However, its ability to carry out a large-scale amphibious assault is more limited, leading Beijing in recent years to expand its fleet of large landing ships and explore the use of civilian roll-on, roll-off vessels to improve its maritime transport capabilities, the paper said.

Meanwhile, Taiwan is seeking to raise the costs of a potential Chinese invasion through measures including the adoption of Javelin anti-tank missiles, expanded reservist and conscript training, military-civilian cooperation, urban resilience efforts and preparations for a prolonged conflict, it said.

The white paper for the first time mentioned President William Lai’s （賴清德） proposed “T-Dome” defense initiative.

It also said that last year’s Han Kuang military exercises were extended to 10 days and added new training areas focused on layered defense, prolonged warfare, urban combat, infrastructure protection and information security.

The Japanese government has previously said that peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait are no longer merely a cross-strait issue, but a matter directly tied to the security and prosperity of Japan, the Indo-Pacific region and the international community.

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES