US and Japanese legislators pledge joint defence of Taiwan and the First Island Chain

Japanese lawmakers from the Liberal Democratic Party visited Washington and held talks with Senator Thom Tillis, co-chair of the Senate Taiwan Caucus, and Representative Ami Bera, co-chair of the House Taiwan Caucus. The groups affirmed that a Taiwan contingency is inherently a Japan contingency and therefore a US-Japan alliance issue, dismissing suggestions to confine US defence to the Second Island Chain. They underscored the strategic importance of the First Island Chain, including Taiwan, for deterring China and noted Taiwan's semiconductor industry as vital to US and Japanese security.

The meeting echoed Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s earlier warning that Chinese force could threaten Japan’s survival, potentially justifying collective self-defence. Lawmakers also pledged to deepen legislative exchanges to reinforce the alliance’s coordination in the Indo-Pacific.