We are delighted to hear that Japan has announced that it will give former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) a visa for his visit to Japan on Dec. 27. We applaud Japan's humanitarian considerations in putting aside objections from China to deal with a personal visit in a normal way.
Since the end of World War II, Japan has had its self assurance compromised, and because of this has not been a normal country. In that time it has given China huge amounts of economic aid. But China continues to use the crimes committed by the Japanese in the 1930s and 1940s to hijack Japan's compassion during crucial moments as a means of obtaining political advantage.
We sympathize with the hardships suffered by the Chinese people before and during World War II. And we have also taken note of Japan's introspection about its militaristic ideology over the last half century and the effort it has put into smoothing over the historical differences that it has with its Asian neighbors. But why has Taiwan been the only country omitted from these efforts?
In 1895, the Qing Dynasty ceded Taiwan to Japan under the Treaty of Shimonoseki (
We are not trying to claim any historic debt from Japan. We simply want Japan to take seriously the existence of Taiwan.
We are delighted to see that Japan is becoming a normal country and that it is moving toward establishing a normal relationship with Taiwan, rather than simply giving in to all of China's demands. As China is becoming a stronger military power and is beginning to threaten the balance of power in Asia, we call on Japan to assume the responsibility of a major regional power and help maintain security.
Since Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi took office, his actions have shown the world Japan's efforts to free itself from China's manipulation. This includes Japan's unprecedented support for Taiwan's membership in the World Health Organization and its willingness to grant a visa to Lee.
Taiwan has long been a major source of tourists to Japan and most Taiwanese have travelled there. When hundreds of thousands of Taiwanese visit Japan every year, why should Lee be prevented from doing so? To deny him entry would clearly be a case of discrimination and a violation of human rights. Lee's visit makes one think back to the visit by Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara in October to help promote tourism to Taiwan.
There have been suggestions that Japan will give Taiwanese citizens visa-free entry during the half-year period of the Expo 2005 in Aichi. A visit by the highly charismatic Lee at this juncture is likely to have the same kind of positive effect for Japan's tourism as Ishihara's visit had for Taiwan's.
It is employment pass renewal season in Singapore, and the new regime is dominating the conversation at after-work cocktails on Fridays. From September, overseas employees on a work visa would need to fulfill the city-state’s new points-based system, and earn a minimum salary threshold to stay in their jobs. While this mirrors what happens in other countries, it risks turning foreign companies away, and could tarnish the nation’s image as a global business hub. The program was announced in 2022 in a bid to promote fair hiring practices. Points are awarded for how a candidate’s salary compares with local peers, along
China last month enacted legislation to punish —including with the death penalty — “die-hard Taiwanese independence separatists.” The country’s leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), need to be reminded about what the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has said and done in the past. They should think about whether those historical figures were also die-hard advocates of Taiwanese independence. The Taiwanese Communist Party was established in the Shanghai French Concession in April 1928, with a political charter that included the slogans “Long live the independence of the Taiwanese people” and “Establish a republic of Taiwan.” The CCP sent a representative, Peng
Japan and the Philippines on Monday signed a defense agreement that would facilitate joint drills between them. The pact was made “as both face an increasingly assertive China,” and is in line with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr’s “effort to forge security alliances to bolster the Philippine military’s limited ability to defend its territorial interests in the South China Sea,” The Associated Press (AP) said. The pact also comes on the heels of comments by former US deputy national security adviser Matt Pottinger, who said at a forum on Tuesday last week that China’s recent aggression toward the Philippines in
The Ministry of National Defense on Tuesday announced that the military would hold its annual Han Kuang exercises from July 22 to 26. Military officers said the exercises would feature unscripted war games, and a decentralized command and control structure. This year’s exercises underline the recent reforms in Taiwan’s military as it transitions from a top-down command structure to one where autonomy is pushed down to the front lines to improve decisionmaking and adaptability. Militaries around the world have been observing and studying Russia’s war in Ukraine. They have seen that the Ukrainian military has been much quicker to adapt to