Japan Denies Trump Urged Restraint on Taiwan Remarks

Japan's government on Thursday denied a report that U.S. President Donald Trump advised Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi during a phone call this week to avoid provoking China over Taiwan's sovereignty. The denial came amid escalating tensions between Tokyo and Beijing following Takaichi's recent remarks linking Japan's security to potential conflicts involving the self-ruled island.

The dispute originated on November 7, when Takaichi, in a parliamentary session, described a large-scale attack on Taiwan as a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan. Such a designation under Japanese law could justify deploying the country's self-defense forces to aid allies like the United States, which maintains a significant military presence in Japan and opposes any forcible change to Taiwan's status. China, which views Taiwan as its territory and has threatened military action to achieve unification, reacted sharply to the comments, summoning Japan's ambassador and demanding a retraction.

Takaichi has not withdrawn her statements. On Wednesday, she clarified that her remarks were hypothetical and that Japan would assess any regional contingency based on all relevant factors, without...