ANALYSIS/As presidential race kicks off, China policy takes center stage

Japan's first female prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, has faced rising friction with China during her first month in office, with Taiwan unexpectedly pulled into the fray.

China's recent use of local public security bureaus to issue bounty notices against specific Taiwanese individuals reflects a new tactic of "judicial intimidation" aimed at Taiwan that also gives Beijing room for flexibility, scholars told CNA.

China's rapid expansion and diversification of its nuclear arsenal has raised the sobering prospect that Beijing could resort to "nuclear blackmail" or even nuclear warfare against Western nations should they intervene in a conflict over Taiwan -- much like the Kremlin's warnings during its invasion of Ukraine, according to defense experts.