TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese and U.S. armed forces have drawn up a draft plan for a joint operation for a possible Taiwan emergency, Japan's Kyodo news agency said on Thursday, citing unnamed Japanese government sources.

       Tensions over Chinese-claimed Taiwan have risen as President Xi Jinping seeks to assert his country's sovereignty claims on the island. Taiwan's government says it wants peace, but will defend itself if needed.

       (Reporting by Kiyoshi Takenaka; Editing by Alison Williams)