Taiwan: As of 6 a.m. on Monday (local time), Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense announced that eight PLAN boats, one government ship, and three Chinese PLA aircraft flights were operating close to Taiwanese seas.

Taiwanese authorities were prompted to watch and respond when all three aircraft crossed the median line and entered the southwestern air defense identification zone (ADIZ).(U) Up to 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today, three PLA aircraft missions, eight PLAN boats, and one government ship were seen operating near Taiwan. Three of the three sorties reached the southwest ADIZ of Taiwan after crossing the median line. The MND said, “We have kept an eye on the issue and taken appropriate action.

As of 6 a.m. (local time) on Sunday, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense has discovered five Chinese warships, an official ship, and a balloon cruising its territorial seas.

Taiwan claimed to have reacted appropriately.(U) As of 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today, five PLAN boats and one government ship were seen cruising the Taiwan area. One PRC balloon was found during this period. The ROC Armed Forces have kept an eye on the situation and taken appropriate action.

According to Kyodo News, Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remarks on Japan’s possible involvement in a Taiwan emergency earlier heightened tensions with China and sparked worries that her harsh views could go largely unchallenged due to the absence of dissenting opinions.

According to Kyodo News, there are rising concerns about Takaichi’s capacity to coordinate wider economic and social programs and handle diplomacy outside of China as prominent moderates in the governing Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and a centrist coalition partner are turning away from her.

Before becoming Japan’s first female prime minister on October 21, Takaichi decided to join a coalition with a conservative party, which, according to an opposition politician, “has left few remaining checks on her hardline course.”

Many people believe that Takaichi is the political successor of the late prime minister Shinzo Abe, whose strong security posture she respects and who was killed in 2022. But according to the legislator, Abe was “more skilled” at reaching an agreement via discussion.

The Komeito party terminated its 26-year alliance with the LDP less than a week after Takaichi won the party’s October 4 presidential election, claiming dissatisfaction with the LDP’s handling of political money issues, according to Kyodo News.