A nation must think before it acts.
The Chinese are fond of referring to their relationship with border states as “as close as that of lips and teeth: if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold.” And so it is with Japan and Taiwan.
There can be little doubt that the defense of Japan and that of Taiwan, both under pressure from the People’s Republic of China (PRC), are closely connected. This has been acknowledged for decades, for example, when then-Defense Agency head Shin Kanemaru told his U.S. Defense Department counterpart Harold Brown in 1978 that the defense of Taiwan was vital to the defense of Japan.
The need for cooperation on mutual defense has only deepened in recent years, as China’s assertive activities threaten them both.