In an unprecedentedly important development, Japan’s warship JS Sazanami passed through the Taiwan Strait on Wednesday for the first time, accompanied by naval vessels from Australia and New Zealand. Crossing a strait that touches China is an unusual and symbolic act by Japan, given that the country has normally avoided sending its naval forces through the strait to avoid provoking China.
Following reports from the Japanese media that said the JS Sazanami, a Takanami-class destroyer, traveled from north to south through the narrow body of water that separates China and Taiwan, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana confirmed the incident but was tightlipped about its role. The passage was part of a larger mission since the vessel was on its way to take part in joint military exercises in the South China Sea-an area where China’s increasing militarization and territorial claims have raised concerns among regional powers and their allies.
This would highlight that Japan is moving in the direction of an increasingly more assertive defense policy against China’s aggressive policies within its area. Government officials said that the transit is part of the freedom-of-navigation operations, meaning that the waters are kept open and not a signal to directly confront China’s sovereignty claims.
Strategic Implication
The Taiwan Strait is still a sensitive point for Beijing since China claims the self-governing Taiwan as its own. Any military presence by other countries in the strait is viewed by China as a provocation and often condemned such activities. Japanese and Western officials argue that the Taiwan Strait is international waters and, by international law, all nations are entitled to passage.
Recent plans to allow Australia and New Zealand, along with Japan, to join exercises in the straits are viewed as a declaration of solidarity among Indo-Pacific partners, who are increasing their coordination of their presence across military dimensions in the region to counterbalance Beijing’s growing muscle.
Japanese ministers said the military exercises with these countries are routine but reflect a growing consensus about the need for a collective approach to regional security.
Escalating Tensions
At a time when US-led alliances in the Indo-Pacific are working hard to build a strong bond in terms of military and diplomatic ties, aimed at offsetting China’s military modernization and assertiveness, China continues to hold military exercises near Taiwan and in the region as a whole. For this, countries like Japan, Australia, and New Zealand joined the United States in demanding peace, stability, and respect for international norms.
While Japan has traditionally leaned toward restraint in building its military, partly out of a constitutionally declared pacifism, it has gradually pushed forward defense capability and geographical reach. Such passage of the JS Sazanami through Taiwan Strait could therefore mark an important development, signaling a change of heart on Japanese policymakers’ part in regional security issues and a newfound will and ability to push their naval muscle into contested areas.
China’s Response
But the Chinese government hasn’t publicly commented on the Japanese warship’s voyage through the strait so far, allegedly suspecting actions from foreign powers as interference in China’s internal affairs. Beijing reacted sharply over the last several years to similar operations from the United States with warnings and by sending naval forces to observe foreign ships.
Observers note that this current move may be loaded with more demands for more accountability over Japan’s military activity in the area and may increase tensions across the Taiwan Strait. At the same time, it is likely that Japan, as well as its other regional partners, will only continue to push their demand for free navigation and ensure the freedom of international waterways since the geopolitical situation just keeps getting more complicated.
This unprecedented passage may herald Japan’s increasing role in regional security and that the strengthening of alliances on military services will strengthen the Indo-Pacific nations in safeguarding balance in an era of high geopolitical rivalry.
