What constitutes a “survival-threatening situation”? The government’s view is that Prime Minister Takaichi’s November 2025 response, in which she stated that a naval blockade around Taiwan could constitute such a situation, does not change the government’s previous position. However, many issues remain unresolved, and the legal basis is not necessarily clear. Tsuruta Jun examines the situation envisioned in this response, the legal structure of such existential threat situations, and the right of collective self-defense. Tsuruta Jun, Associate Professor, Meiji Gakuin University Prime Minister Takaichi’s remarks to the question of survival-threatening situations During the Lower House Budget Committee session on 7 November 2025, Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae responded to a question from an opposition lawmaker who asked whether a blockade of the Bashi Channel between Taiwan and the Philippines would constitute a “survival-threatening situation.” She stated the following: “If an armed attack [by China] were ... ... [Read more]