Will Japan fight?
America’s ally is nervous about waging war to defend Taiwan
THE ROAR of the Japanese F-35 fighter jets above Misawa, in northern Japan, is formidable. At the base, which houses Japanese and American forces, pilots from the two countries practise flying together. The risk of war with China over Taiwan has made those preparations ever more urgent. Japan plans to raise its defence budget by two-thirds by 2027 and acquire long-range missiles to make its Self-Defence Forces (SDF) fiercer. But it has not fired a shot in battle since 1945. Will Japan fight?
This article appeared in the Asia section of the print edition under the headline “Will Japan fight?”
From the May 13th 2023 edition
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