Former Japanese minister of defense Satoshi Morimoto gestures during an interview with the Liberty Times in Tokyo in an undated photograph. If the US conducts operations around Taiwan, Japan could provide support and cooperation, such as maritime transport, patrol and surveillance missions, protection of undersea cables and logistical supply operations, he said. Seoul would likely not be a highly reliable source of help in case of a Taiwan contingency, he added. One possibility is that the purge could consolidate Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) power and make it easier for him to resort to military action against Taiwan, he said. Documents disclosed online showed that Xi had considered invading Taiwan after the CCP’s third plenary session in 2024, he said.

Source: Taipei Times March 08, 2026 17:14 UTC