Why Taiwan is more important than ever to the Japan-U.S. relationship

When Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and U.S. President Joe Biden issued a joint statement in April, it included a reference to Taiwan — the first time in 52 years that leaders of the two countries touched on the territory in a joint statement.

“We underscore the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and encourage the peaceful resolution of cross-Strait issues,” the statement said.

The last time a Japan-U.S. joint statement included Taiwan was the one issued by Prime Minister Eisaku Sato and U.S. President Richard Nixon in November 1969: “The Prime Minister said that the maintenance of peace and security in the Taiwan area was also a most important factor for the security of Japan.”