Tokyo and Beijing exchange barbs after PM Takaichi calls invasion of Taiwan 'existential threat'

Japan and China were involved in a war of words on Monday after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said a Chinese attack on Taiwan could constitute "a survival-threatening situation" for Japan requiring the use of force.

Takaichi, who was elected as the country’s first female prime minister last month, said on Friday that Chinese use of force around Taiwan would qualify as "an existential threat."