Japan and the United States can’t stand by if China invades Taiwan, former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Dec. 1, noting that Beijing needs to recognize that “a Taiwan emergency is a Japanese emergency.” Abe, who stepped down as prime minister in 2020, said an armed invasion of Taiwan would pose a serious threat to Japan, given that the Senkaku Islands—which China calls the Diayou Islands—Sakishima Islands, and Yonaguni Island are only 100 kilometers (62 miles) away from Taiwan. “A Taiwan emergency is a Japanese emergency, and therefore an emergency for the Japan–U.S. alliance. People in Beijing, [Chinese regime leader] Xi Jinping in particular, should never have a misunderstanding in recognizing this,” he said at a Dec. 1 forum. Abe acknowledged the importance of Japan’s relationship with China, but said the country must be firm in telling China what needs to be said. “Japan, Taiwan, and all the …