Commentary On July 5, Japan’s Deputy Prime Minister was reported as saying that “If a major incident happened [involving Taiwan], it would not be strange at all if it touches on a situation that threatens [Japan’s] survival.” Kyodo news agency reports him as saying, “If that is the case, then Japan and the US must defend Taiwan together.” He said, “We need to think hard that Okinawa could be the next.” Okinawa is the southernmost prefecture of Japan, and hosts U.S. military bases. Taro Aso said that “the situation surrounding the self-governed island was ‘becoming extremely intense,’” according to the South China Morning Post, which was quick to discredit his views by claiming that he “backtracked” on them, without providing a supporting quote. SCMP also called Mr. Aso “gaffe-prone.” The SCMP’s negative reporting against Aso might be explained by its ownership by Alibaba Group, a China-based e-commerce giant. The SCMP …