The remarks come amid the two countries’ worst diplomatic crisis in years, after the Japanese prime minister said a Chinese attack on Taiwan could trigger a military response from Tokyo.

Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi says she has spoken with U.S. President Donald Trump right after he spoke with China, which was angered by her comment about Taiwan.

Rattled by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s stance on Taiwan, Chinese state media have called for nuclear bombs to be dropped on Japan that would render the nation deindustrialised and demilitarised for decades.

TOKYO: Japan said on Tuesday (Nov 25) it scrambled aircraft after detecting a suspected Chinese drone off an island near Taiwan that has been drawn into a weeks-long diplomatic spat between Tokyo and Beijing.

China has reacted strongly to Japan’s Prime Minister suggesting an attack on Taiwan could prompt Japan to militarily intervene.

Facing reprisals from Beijing for a remark over Taiwan, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi must walk a fine line to prevent escalating the dispute without looking weak at home.

By Ben Blanchard TAIPEI (Reuters) -Taiwan Premier Cho Jung-tai said on Tuesday that a "return" to China is not an option for the island's 23 million people, after Chinese President Xi Jinping pressed his country's sovereignty claims in a call with U.