Updated August 2, 2021 at 12:13 PM ET SEOUL, South Korea — Japan is undergoing a remarkable shift in its stance on one of the most contentious issues in Asia: Taiwan. Mainland China and Taiwan split during a civil war in 1949, and Beijing has vowed to unify with the self-governing island — by force, if necessary. The Biden administration is counting on help from its allies, especially Japan, to deter such a move. For decades, Japan considered the Taiwan issue too politically sensitive to speak out about it publicly. Japan's military is focused on defense of its own territory and has no expeditionary forces to fight overseas.