Chief Cabinet Secretary Seiroku Kajiyama rekindled a raging debate Aug. 19 by repeating that the geographical scope of planned U.S.-Japan defense cooperation would naturally include emergencies in the Formosa Strait.
Kajiyama told a regular news conference that geographically, the proposed bilateral defense cooperation in areas surrounding Japan would cover the Formosa Strait.
He said it is his understanding that the ongoing review of the 1978 Japan-U.S. defense cooperation guidelines would not change the essence of the bilateral security treaty, which Tokyo says covers areas north of the Philippines. "It is common understanding that areas north of the Philippines include Taiwan and the Korean Peninsula," Kajiyama told reporters.