U.S. intel report calls Japan PM's Taiwan remarks "significant shift"

WASHINGTON - Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's remarks last year about Tokyo's likely response to a Taiwan contingency represented a "significant shift" for a sitting leader of the country, a U.S. intelligence report said Wednesday.

The report said that Takaichi's explanation that a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan should be recognized as a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan is worthy of attention, as it would provide legal justification for the country's involvement.