Comments made a month ago by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi that triggered a diplomatic spat with China over Taiwan appear to have been unscripted, based on documents obtained by a lawmaker, in what could point to a misstep.
Tensions between Tokyo and Beijing have flared since Takaichi said in parliament on Nov. 7 that a Taiwan crisis might constitute a ¡°survival-threatening situation¡± for Japan ¡ª a classification that would provide a legal justification for Tokyo to deploy its military alongside other countries if they chose to respond.
A script the government prepared for Takaichi in advance of her testimony showed that the planned response for any queries related to Taiwan was for her to decline to comment on hypothetical situations such as a Taiwan crisis, according to documents obtained by opposition lawmaker Kiyomi Tsujimoto.
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