China claims the self-governing island of Taiwan as its own and hasn’t ruled out taking it by force. Beijing’s apoplectic response to Takaichi’s perceived intervention in China’s affairs has included intense personal attacks on the new prime minister, often linking her with the militarism that fueled Japan’s brutal conduct in World War II.

Trump’s back-to-back calls with Xi and Takaichi did nothing to temper Beijing’s pressure campaign on Tokyo over Taiwan.

Analysts say Beijing views the UN as a platform to ‘anchor’ its position on Taiwan, particularly because it offers a wider reach.

With Japan’s new leader refusing to back down from China’s show of force and claims on Taiwan, Xi Jinping picks up the phone to try to pry the U.S.-Japan alliance apart.

Tokyo — Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who recently triggered China’s fury with a comment suggesting a Chinese move against Taiwan could prompt a Japanese military response, said Tuesday that she received a call from U.S. President Donald Trump right after he spoke with China’s leader.

The new premier in Tokyo suggests that a Chinese attack on Taiwan would present ‘a survival-threatening situation for Japan.’

Japan PM Sanae Takaichi and former US President Donald Trump held a phone call amid heightened tensions with Beijing over her comments on a potential Japanese response to a Chinese attack on Taiwan.

"Call me anytime" was the message Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said she received from U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday in their first phone call since Tokyo's leader sparked a major diplomatic bust-up with China.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi revealed that U.S. President Donald Trump encouraged her to call anytime during their first phone conversation on Tuesday, a reassuring message as Tokyo navigates heightened