November 17, 2025
China's military pressure escalates after Japan signals it could intervene militarily if Taiwan is attacked
Prime Minister 
Sanae Takaichi told parliament on Nov. 7, 2025 that if a Taiwan conflict involves battleships and force, it could constitute a situation threatening Japan's survival. Under Japan's security law, such a situation could allow Japan to exercise collective self-defense, meaning Japanese forces could participate in combat operations to defend Taiwan.
China responded with economic pressure. The CCP issued a travel advisory for Japan on Nov. 14, 2025, causing tourism stocks to crash. Shiseido fell 9%, Isetan Mitsukoshi lost 11%, and Oriental Land declined 5.68%. Chinese tourists account for almost one-quarter of Japan's 31.65 million visitors through Sep. 2025.
Four Chinese coast guard vessels entered Japanese territorial waters around Minamikojima (part of the Senkaku Islands) on Nov. 16, 2025. Japan scrambled aircraft and lodged protests calling the intrusions violations of international law. China's coast guard violated Japan's waters on 357 separate days in 2025 through Dec. 14.
The PRC conducted live-fire military drills near Japan from Nov. 17-25, 2025. China also reimposed seafood import bans on Japan on Nov. 19.
China uses coast guard vessels instead of navy ships to exploit a gray zone in international law. The U.S.-Japan Security Treaty Article 5 commits the U.S. to defend Japan against armed attack, but coast guard ships occupy a gray zone that makes it unclear whether their intrusions trigger U.S. defense obligations.
Prime Minister of Japan
Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary
understanding
Understand U.S.-Japan alliance treaty obligations
Research how Article 5 of the U.S.-Japan Security Treaty commits America to defend Japan if China attacks, and what constitutes an "armed attack" that triggers U.S. military intervention.