Support for Taiwan in the Japanese Diet is bipartisan and would remain unchanged after the assassination of former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, a visiting delegation of Japanese lawmakers told a news conference in Taipei yesterday.
The Japanese parliament recognizes the importance of Japan-Taiwan relations, and has shown bipartisan sympathy and support for Taiwan, said former Japanese minister of defense Shigeru Ishiba, who led the four-member delegation to Taiwan for a four-day visit.
The efforts to further develop and promote bilateral relations are to continue after Abe’s sudden death, added Ishiba, who was Japan’s defense minister from 2007 to 2008.
Photo: CNA
Abe died on July 8 at the age of 67, hours after being shot twice by a man using a makeshift shotgun during an election campaign event on a street in Nara, near Osaka.
The longest-serving Japanese prime minister was viewed by many in Taiwan as a staunch supporter of the nation.
Echoing Ishiba’s views, former deputy minister of defense Akihisa Nakashima said that promoting Japan’s ties with Taiwan had never relied solely on the late former prime minister, but that it was the effort of Diet members across party lines.
The delegation, which consists of lawmakers focusing on defense affairs, visited Taiwan to discuss with officials how the two sides could collaborate on security matters, Nakashima said.
Some European nations had swiftly increased their engagements with Taiwan in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Nakashima said, adding that Japan should make similar efforts to elevate its relations with Taipei.
The delegation, which also includes former Japanese minister of national defense Yasukazu Hamada and Diet member Takayuki Shimizu, has since their arrival on Wednesday met with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), Vice President William Lai (賴清德), Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) and Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫).
Asked what security cooperation details were discussed with Taiwanese officials, Ishiba declined to comment, citing confidentiality, but added that the visit provided the delegation with a better understanding of the Taiwanese military’s command and control operations.
The delegation hopes that these insights can contribute to developing Japanese security policy, Ishiba added.
While Japan has the responsibility to contribute to peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region, whether its defense forces should intervene in the event of a regional conflict remains to be discussed in the country, Ishiba said.
The delegation ended the trip and left for Japan yesterday.
The news conference followed a visit by the delegation to former president Lee Teng-hui’s (李登輝) grave at a New Taipei City military cemetery, where the delegates paid their respects to Lee, who died two years ago.
They were accompanied by ambassador-at-large for digital New Southbound Policy initiatives Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍), according to the Lee Teng-hui Foundation.
Lin is also the Democratic Progressive Party’s New Taipei City mayoral candidate in November’s local elections.
Lee, Taiwan’s first popularly elected president, who passed away at the age of 97, spoke fluent Japanese and was known for his Japan-friendly views.
DEATH THREAT: A MAC official said that it has urged Beijing to avoid creating barriers that would impede exchanges across the Strait, but it continues to do so People should avoid unnecessary travel to China after Beijing issued 22 guidelines allowing its courts to try in absentia and sentence to death “Taiwan independence separatists,” the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday as it raised its travel alert for China, including Hong Kong and Macau, to “orange.” The guidelines published last week “severely threaten the personal safety of Taiwanese traveling to China, Hong Kong and Macau,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) told a news conference in Taipei. “Following a comprehensive assessment, the government considers it necessary to elevate the travel alert to orange from yellow,” Liang said. Beijing has
Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) yesterday said that the Chinese Communist Party was planning and implementing “major” reforms, ahead of a political conclave that is expected to put economic recovery high on the agenda. Chinese policymakers have struggled to reignite growth since late 2022, when restrictions put in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic were lifted. The world’s second-largest economy is beset by a debt crisis in the property sector, persistently low consumption and high unemployment among young people. Policymakers “are planning and implementing major measures to further deepen reform in a comprehensive manner,” Xi said in a speech at the Great Hall
CIVIL DEFENSE: More reservists in alternative service would help establish a sound civil defense system for use in wartime and during natural disasters, Kuma Academy’s CEO said While a total of 120,000 reservists are expected to be called up for alternative reserve drills this year, compared with the 6,505 drilled last year, the number has been revised to 58,000 due to a postponed training date, Deputy Minster of the Interior Ma Shih-yuan (馬士元) said. In principle, the ministry still aims to call up 120,000 reservists for alternative reserve drills next year, he said, but the actual number would not be decided later until after this year’s evaluation. The increase follows a Legislative Yuan request that the Ministry of the Interior address low recruitment rates, which it made while reviewing
DETERRENCE: Along with US$500 million in military aid and up to US$2 billion in loans and loan guarantees, the bill would allocate US$400 million to countering PRC influence The US House of Representatives on Friday approved an appropriations bill for fiscal year 2025 that includes US$500 million in military aid for Taiwan. The legislation, which authorizes funding for the US Department of State, US foreign operations and related programs for next year, passed 212-200 in the Republican-led House. The bill stipulates that the US would provide no less than US$500 million in foreign military financing for Taiwan to enhance deterrence across the Taiwan Strait, and offer Taipei up to US$2 billion in loans and loan guarantees for the same purpose. The funding would be made available under the US’ Foreign Military