Pentagon presses Japan and Australia for clearer Taiwan-war commitments, says FT

he U.S. Defence Department has asked Japan and Australia to spell out how they would respond if fighting broke out over Taiwan, the Financial Times reported on Saturday, citing people familiar with recent talks.

Elbridge Colby, the U.S. under-secretary of defence for policy, raised the issue in separate meetings with senior officials in Tokyo and Canberra, the newspaper said. American planners want explicit assurances on what military, logistical or intelligence support the two treaty allies could provide should a conflict with China erupt.

Neither the Japanese nor the Australian governments have publicly commented on the discussions. Under the 1960 U.S.-Japan Security Treaty and the 1951 ANZUS pact, Washington and its allies pledge mutual defence in the face of an “armed attack,” but the precise application of those accords to a Taiwan scenario has never been formally defined.

Tensions around the strait have risen sharply: China staged at least ten large-scale air-and-sea exercises around Taiwan in the past year, while U.S. Navy transits remain near-monthly. Taiwan accounts for more than 60 % of global semiconductor output, heightening international concern that any blockade or invasion could disrupt critical supply chains.

President Joe Biden has said U.S. forces would defend the self-ruled island in the event of a Chinese attack, though Washington’s official stance remains “strategic ambiguity.” Analysts say clearer allied commitments could strengthen deterrence but risk provoking Beijing, which regards Taiwan as a breakaway province.

The FT report comes ahead of a meeting of defence chiefs from the U.S., Japan and Australia in Honolulu next month, where regional contingency planning is expected to top the agenda.

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