In Japan, as in Taiwan, interest in President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) inaugural address on Wednesday last week for her second term was widespread.
In her speech, which I listened to online, Tsai talked about how the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the global political economic order and altered global supply chains.
This is an issue that Japan must also face, so I would like to present an idea for the people of Taiwan to consider.
In the wake of the pandemic, Japan and Taiwan must consider the risks arising from supply chains’ dependence on China, as well as the risks that arise from different value systems.
This will lead to supply chains being restructured according to the principle of the three kinds of proximity and three types of appropriateness.
These are: close proximity, close value systems and close degrees of technological development, and appropriate market scale, appropriate land and appropriate infrastructure.
Close proximity reduces transport risks, while close value systems reduce the risk of disputes.
As for closeness of technology, it facilitates horizontal division of labor and sparks innovation.
The importance of market scale, land and infrastructure go without saying. Japan and Taiwan are close to one another not only in geographically, but also in their value systems and degree of technological development.
Additionally, Japan has a large amount of relatively cheap land, along with well-developed infrastructure. Labor-intensive industries can deploy remote-controlled robots, which is one of Japan’s major strengths.
In her address, Tsai promised to promote technological integration between the military and the private sector.
This is another one of Japan’s strong points. As Taiwan’s military experts are aware, many US fighter jets incorporate Japanese civilian technology.
In my capacity as a writer and commentator, I encourage the Japanese government to promote cooperation between Japan and Taiwan in fields including national defense and security.
Let us hope that during Tsai’s second term, the cooperation between Japan and Taiwan will grow closer than it already is.
Gemki Fujii is a political commentator.
Translated by Julian Clegg
Concerns that the US might abandon Taiwan are often overstated. While US President Donald Trump’s handling of Ukraine raised unease in Taiwan, it is crucial to recognize that Taiwan is not Ukraine. Under Trump, the US views Ukraine largely as a European problem, whereas the Indo-Pacific region remains its primary geopolitical focus. Taipei holds immense strategic value for Washington and is unlikely to be treated as a bargaining chip in US-China relations. Trump’s vision of “making America great again” would be directly undermined by any move to abandon Taiwan. Despite the rhetoric of “America First,” the Trump administration understands the necessity of
In an article published on this page on Tuesday, Kaohsiung-based journalist Julien Oeuillet wrote that “legions of people worldwide would care if a disaster occurred in South Korea or Japan, but the same people would not bat an eyelid if Taiwan disappeared.” That is quite a statement. We are constantly reading about the importance of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), hailed in Taiwan as the nation’s “silicon shield” protecting it from hostile foreign forces such as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and so crucial to the global supply chain for semiconductors that its loss would cost the global economy US$1
US President Donald Trump’s challenge to domestic American economic-political priorities, and abroad to the global balance of power, are not a threat to the security of Taiwan. Trump’s success can go far to contain the real threat — the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) surge to hegemony — while offering expanded defensive opportunities for Taiwan. In a stunning affirmation of the CCP policy of “forceful reunification,” an obscene euphemism for the invasion of Taiwan and the destruction of its democracy, on March 13, 2024, the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) used Chinese social media platforms to show the first-time linkage of three new
Sasha B. Chhabra’s column (“Michelle Yeoh should no longer be welcome,” March 26, page 8) lamented an Instagram post by renowned actress Michelle Yeoh (楊紫瓊) about her recent visit to “Taipei, China.” It is Chhabra’s opinion that, in response to parroting Beijing’s propaganda about the status of Taiwan, Yeoh should be banned from entering this nation and her films cut off from funding by government-backed agencies, as well as disqualified from competing in the Golden Horse Awards. She and other celebrities, he wrote, must be made to understand “that there are consequences for their actions if they become political pawns of