Though what the Japanese prime minister-elect said before the election was alarming, my prediction is that nothing much will change in Japan’s policy toward the US or Taiwan.
Yukio Hatoyama is chairman of the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), a collection of anti-Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) factions whose ideology ranges from the extreme right to the extreme left.
The DPJ is even more fractured than the LDP. Before the election, a DPJ legislator jokingly said that if they were elected, their government would collapse within a week. Although this was an exaggeration, collapse within a few months is possible.
Japan has had no unified national strategy since the end of World War II. Its attitude and policies toward other Asian countries follow those of the US. Tokyo’s policy toward Taiwan will only change if Washington’s does. People say Japanese prime ministers after the war are experts in karaoke — Americans write songs and they sing them.
The danger is changes in US policy toward Asian in general and Taiwan in particular. Though there are only hints of a subconscious shift toward a China-centric Asian policy, even those hints are worrisome.
So far, the US continues to stress the central importance of Japan in Asia, but if there is any substance at all to hints of a “China-centric policy,” there will be huge change in Japan’s own Asian policy. Tokyo would have to set out on its own or become a junior ally of China.
The latter would be a very hard pill for Japanese to swallow.
More likely, Japan will become more nationalistic and militaristic. Going nuclear would be unavoidable if Japan wanted to maintain a balance of power with China. It’s difficult to imagine an Asian regional cooperative with China as the hegemon and Japan a junior partner.
This would trigger an Asian arms race involving Australia as a reluctant participant. Canberra could become Washington’s partner in the Asia-Pacific, just as it was during World War II.
Taiwan, with little power, would have to choose sides. I am not sure which side (Japan or China) the Taiwanese would choose, but either way it would become a vassal state and lose much of its independence — not a pretty picture.
Taiwan has to work hard to support Washington’s “Japan-centric Asian Policy,” emphasizing Taipei-Tokyo relations and the Taiwan-Japan-US alliance. Unfortunately, the administration of President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) isn’t inclined to do so.
It falls on Taiwanese, Taiwanese-Japanese and Taiwanese-Americans to try to influence these policies. It will be hard but not impossible.
Sebo Koh is a member of the Central Committee of the World United Formosans for Independence and the spokesman of World Taiwanese Congress.
Trying to force a partnership between Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) and Intel Corp would be a wildly complex ordeal. Already, the reported request from the Trump administration for TSMC to take a controlling stake in Intel’s US factories is facing valid questions about feasibility from all sides. Washington would likely not support a foreign company operating Intel’s domestic factories, Reuters reported — just look at how that is going over in the steel sector. Meanwhile, many in Taiwan are concerned about the company being forced to transfer its bleeding-edge tech capabilities and give up its strategic advantage. This is especially
US President Donald Trump’s second administration has gotten off to a fast start with a blizzard of initiatives focused on domestic commitments made during his campaign. His tariff-based approach to re-ordering global trade in a manner more favorable to the United States appears to be in its infancy, but the significant scale and scope are undeniable. That said, while China looms largest on the list of national security challenges, to date we have heard little from the administration, bar the 10 percent tariffs directed at China, on specific priorities vis-a-vis China. The Congressional hearings for President Trump’s cabinet have, so far,
US political scientist Francis Fukuyama, during an interview with the UK’s Times Radio, reacted to US President Donald Trump’s overturning of decades of US foreign policy by saying that “the chance for serious instability is very great.” That is something of an understatement. Fukuyama said that Trump’s apparent moves to expand US territory and that he “seems to be actively siding with” authoritarian states is concerning, not just for Europe, but also for Taiwan. He said that “if I were China I would see this as a golden opportunity” to annex Taiwan, and that every European country needs to think
For years, the use of insecure smart home appliances and other Internet-connected devices has resulted in personal data leaks. Many smart devices require users’ location, contact details or access to cameras and microphones to set up, which expose people’s personal information, but are unnecessary to use the product. As a result, data breaches and security incidents continue to emerge worldwide through smartphone apps, smart speakers, TVs, air fryers and robot vacuums. Last week, another major data breach was added to the list: Mars Hydro, a Chinese company that makes Internet of Things (IoT) devices such as LED grow lights and the
RSS