On Friday, Japan’s prime minister condemned China’s firing of ballistic missiles during military drills around Taiwan, referring to it as a “serious problem that impacts our national security and the safety of our citizens.”
Five of the Chinese missiles have appeared to have fallen in the country’s economic zone, Tokyo has said, with four of those considered to have passed over Taiwan’s main island.
Nancy Pelosi is in Tokyo as the final destination of her Asian tour that included a stop in Taiwan, enraging Beijing, which has launched its largest-ever military drills around the self-ruled island of Taiwan in response. She received stern threats from Bejing for her visit to Taiwan. But she defied those threats saying her trip made it “unequivocally clear” that the United States would not abandon a democratic ally. China considers the island of Taiwan as part of its territory and has pledged to retake the island someday, by force if required.
Japanese Prime Minister Kishida and Pelosi had talks regarding geopolitical issues, including concerns related to North Korea, China, and Russia, and efforts towards the development of a nuclear-free world.
Tokyo has started a diplomatic protest against Beijing over the firing of ballistic missiles during military drills around Taiwan on Thursday. Few parts of Japan’s southernmost Okinawa area are close to Taiwan, as are islets at the center of the dispute between Tokyo and Beijing.
Japan’s exclusive economic zone extends up to 200 nautical miles from its coastline, beyond the limits of its territorial waters.