Even though there is no formal diplomatic relationship or direct military cooperation between Taiwan and Japan, as China increasingly threatens Taiwan militarily, Tokyo might pass laws and publish official documents with the aim of developing multilateral joint defense cooperation with Taipei.
This could take the form of a US-Japan-Taiwan military alliance, which would strengthen bilateral cooperation between Taipei and Tokyo, so that the two nations could work closely together to uphold regional peace and security.
In an interview with the Financial Times published on Aug. 2, titled “Japan calls for greater attention to survival of Taiwan,” Japanese Minister of Defense Nobuo Kishi warned about the expanding Chinese military encircling Taiwan and called on the international community to pay greater attention to Taiwan’s survival.
Kishi also said that the military balance in the Taiwan Strait is tipping in favor of China and that the only way that peace will prevail is if the international community robustly demands it.
He also stressed the importance of the relationship with Taiwan, which he noted is only 110km from the westernmost point of Japan.
Tokyo has over the past few months shown a marked increase in interest and concern over the situation in the Taiwan Strait.
Japan has participated in a series of diplomatic conclaves, all of which have resulted in joint statements or joint communiques that have emphasized the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the Strait. This includes the “two-plus-two meeting” in Washington in March, the Japan-US Summit Meeting in April, the EU-Japan Summit in May, the Japan-Australia Foreign and Defense Ministerial Consultation and the G7 Leaders’ Summit in June, as well as the publication of Japan’s annual defense white paper last month.
The continued expansion of Chinese military power has over the past few years not only created an existential threat to Taiwan, but also seriously affected Japan’s security. As early as 2004, a Chinese navy submarine intruded into Japanese sovereign waters, and the following year, five navy surface vessels forcibly entered waters in close proximity to the Chunxiao (春曉) gas field in the East China Sea, unsettling Tokyo.
Since then, Beijing has more frequently displayed shows of strength to Japan, particularly near the disputed Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台), known as the Senkaku Islands in Japan, which had the effect of further alerting Tokyo to the burgeoning China threat.
As of the end of last month, Chinese-flagged vessels have for 152 consecutive days cruised through the Diaoyutais’ contiguous zone, setting a new record.
Tokyo is acutely aware of Taiwan’s vital strategic importance in East Asia and knows full well that if Taiwan, with its pivotal position in the first island chain, no longer functions as a counter to Chinese military expansion, Beijing will almost inevitably become the military hegemon in the region.
In other words, Japan’s and Taiwan’s national security are closely related: Taiwan’s problem is Japan’s problem.
In addition to the US-Japan military alliance, the international community must squarely face up to the situation and assist Taiwan to bolster its self-defense capabilities to defend against the China threat.
Beijing’s threatening military maneuvers against Taiwan have caused the world to belatedly wake up to the severity of the problem. If the Strait becomes increasingly unstable, it would endanger the security of the entire region.
As Taiwan and Japan’s militaries both use a large amount of US-made systems, the potential for seamless interoperability presents an opening for strategic cooperation.
Japan should use the operational framework of the Japan-US military alliance and Taiwan-US military cooperation, and consider taking a leaf out of Washington’s flexible “one China” policy to emulate something similar to the US’ Taiwan Relations Act and deepen military cooperation with Taiwan.
This would allow the two nations to collectively respond to the China threat and contribute to the international effort to secure a peaceful and stable Strait and Indo-Pacific region.
Yao Chung-yuan is a professor and former deputy director of the Ministry of National Defense’s strategic planning department.
Translated by Edward Jones
It is almost three years since Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and Russian President Vladimir Putin declared a friendship with “no limits” — weeks before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Since then, they have retreated from such rhetorical enthusiasm. The “no limits” language was quickly dumped, probably at Beijing’s behest. When Putin visited China in May last year, he said that he and his counterpart were “as close as brothers.” Xi more coolly called the Russian president “a good friend and a good neighbor.” China has conspicuously not reciprocated Putin’s description of it as an ally. Yet the partnership
The ancient Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu (孫子) said “know yourself and know your enemy and you will win a hundred battles.” Applied in our times, Taiwanese should know themselves and know the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) so that Taiwan will win a hundred battles and hopefully, deter the CCP. Taiwanese receive information daily about the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) threat from the Ministry of National Defense and news sources. One area that needs better understanding is which forces would the People’s Republic of China (PRC) use to impose martial law and what would be the consequences for living under PRC
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said that he expects this year to be a year of “peace.” However, this is ironic given the actions of some KMT legislators and politicians. To push forward several amendments, they went against the principles of legislation such as substantive deliberation, and even tried to remove obstacles with violence during the third readings of the bills. Chu says that the KMT represents the public interest, accusing President William Lai (賴清德) and the Democratic Progressive Party of fighting against the opposition. After pushing through the amendments, the KMT caucus demanded that Legislative Speaker
Although former US secretary of state Mike Pompeo — known for being the most pro-Taiwan official to hold the post — is not in the second administration of US president-elect Donald Trump, he has maintained close ties with the former president and involved himself in think tank activities, giving him firsthand knowledge of the US’ national strategy. On Monday, Pompeo visited Taiwan for the fourth time, attending a Formosa Republican Association’s forum titled “Towards Permanent World Peace: The Shared Mission of the US and Taiwan.” At the event, he reaffirmed his belief in Taiwan’s democracy, liberty, human rights and independence, highlighting a
RSS