More than 90 percent of Japanese believe Japan should prepare for a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a Nikkei poll released on Monday found.
On how to prepare for an invasion of Taiwan, 41 percent of respondents said Japan should improve its capability of responding to a conflict in Taiwan by revising its laws, while 50 percent said the country should prepare within the existing legal framework and 4 percent said preparations are not needed.
In addition, 56 percent of respondents approved of a proposal by the Liberal Democratic Party-led government to increase the defense budget to 1 percent of Japan’s GDP, while 31 percent disapproved, marking little change from a poll last month.
Photo: AFP
About 60 percent of respondents agreed with preserving a military capability to strike back at an enemy — twice as many as the 30 percent who opposed the notion.
Under current Japanese law, Japan may exercise the right to self-defense if it or a close ally, such as the US, came under military attack.
However, Tokyo lacks the legal authority to build up stockpiles or render other military assistance to its allies unless the emergency is formally recognized, Yoji Koda, former commander-in-chief of the Japanese Self-Defense Fleet, was cited as saying.
Russia amassed forces near the borders of Ukraine before invading, which suggests a similar military buildup would precede a military invasion of Taiwan, he said.
That Japan “has no law that allows the US military to temporarily stockpile huge amounts of fuel and ammunition during normal times” might impede Japan’s ability to provide logistical support for US operations throughout the Indo-Pacific region, he added.
The poll, conducted by Nikkei Research from Friday through Sunday by telephone among Japanese men and women aged 18 or older, drew 935 valid samples and had a response rate of 41.4 percent.
Super Typhoon Kong-rey is the largest cyclone to impact Taiwan in 27 years, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said today. Kong-rey’s radius of maximum wind (RMW) — the distance between the center of a cyclone and its band of strongest winds — has expanded to 320km, CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張竣堯) said. The last time a typhoon of comparable strength with an RMW larger than 300km made landfall in Taiwan was Typhoon Herb in 1996, he said. Herb made landfall between Keelung and Suao (蘇澳) in Yilan County with an RMW of 350km, Chang said. The weather station in Alishan (阿里山) recorded 1.09m of
STORM’S PATH: Kong-Rey could be the first typhoon to make landfall in Taiwan in November since Gilda in 1967. Taitung-Green Island ferry services have been halted Tropical Storm Kong-rey is forecast to strengthen into a typhoon early today and could make landfall in Taitung County between late Thursday and early Friday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 2pm yesterday, Kong-Rey was 1,030km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), the nation’s southernmost point, and was moving west at 7kph. The tropical storm was packing maximum sustained winds of 101kph, with gusts of up to 126 kph, CWA data showed. After landing in Taitung, the eye of the storm is forecast to move into the Taiwan Strait through central Taiwan on Friday morning, the agency said. With the storm moving
NO WORK, CLASS: President William Lai urged people in the eastern, southern and northern parts of the country to be on alert, with Typhoon Kong-rey approaching Typhoon Kong-rey is expected to make landfall on Taiwan’s east coast today, with work and classes canceled nationwide. Packing gusts of nearly 300kph, the storm yesterday intensified into a typhoon and was expected to gain even more strength before hitting Taitung County, the US Navy’s Joint Typhoon Warning Center said. The storm is forecast to cross Taiwan’s south, enter the Taiwan Strait and head toward China, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The CWA labeled the storm a “strong typhoon,” the most powerful on its scale. Up to 1.2m of rainfall was expected in mountainous areas of eastern Taiwan and destructive winds are likely
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday at 5:30pm issued a sea warning for Typhoon Kong-rey as the storm drew closer to the east coast. As of 8pm yesterday, the storm was 670km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻) and traveling northwest at 12kph to 16kph. It was packing maximum sustained winds of 162kph and gusts of up to 198kph, the CWA said. A land warning might be issued this morning for the storm, which is expected to have the strongest impact on Taiwan from tonight to early Friday morning, the agency said. Orchid Island (Lanyu, 蘭嶼) and Green Island (綠島) canceled classes and work
RSS