For Taiwan, this development holds profound significance. President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) promptly extended his congratulations to Ishiba, signaling Taiwan’s desire to strengthen ties with its neighbor.

Three US allies sent warships through the Taiwan Strait in a rare defiance of China in those waters, on the same day Beijing fired its first intercontinental ballistic missile into the Pacific Ocean in 44 years.

The sailing of a warship through the strait, a first by Japan, goes hand-in-hand with Tokyo’s ongoing remilitarization and involvement in the US-led war preparations against China.