Using military force to resolve conflict is no longer workable in this new era, which requires peaceful discussion, former Japanese prime minister Yoshiro Mori said yesterday before leaving Taipei.
Mori made the remarks at a news conference in front of the EVA Sky Jet Center at Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport), after leading a delegation to attend the official memorial service for former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) in New Taipei City’s Tamsui District (淡水).
This was Mori’s second trip to mourn Lee; his last was on Aug. 9.
Photo: Chang Chia-ming, Taipei Times
Although he walked with a crutch, Mori, 83, chose to stand right in front of reporters, instead of at a distance as was planned.
Asked about this trip to Taiwan and his advice for new Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga regarding Taiwan policy, Mori said that he represented the Japanese government in paying tribute to Lee.
“With Lee’s passing, our era has ended,” as he himself had also retired from politics, Mori said through an interpreter.
The global situation will become more complicated, he said, adding that countries are facing their own problems, such as the UK leaving the EU, or other disputes related to the economy, but all conflicts should be resolved through peaceful discussion.
The era when people used military force to resolve conflict or suppress dissent, such as in Lee’s and his own times, has ended, he said.
Young people should seek to collaborate, whether through music, sports or economic cooperation, said Mori, who is president of the Tokyo Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Lee’s career reflected the importance of peace, freedom and democracy, he added.
Asked if Taiwan and Japan might develop security cooperation in the face of China’s military intimidation, Mori said that security issues do not only exist between Japan and Taiwan.
As the world is in a state of tension, military confrontation is no longer workable, he said.
The Olympic Games can only be held when the world is peaceful, he said, adding that he hopes vaccines for COVID-19 will be available soon and the Games will be staged next summer as scheduled.
During his meeting with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) at the Presidential Office Building on Friday, Mori said that this might be his last trip to Taiwan due to his age.
Mori said that before he departed for Taiwan, Suga called him on Thursday and expressed the hope of talking with Tsai over the telephone if there was an opportunity.
The interpreter did not translate that part into Chinese.
Asked if a telephone call between Tsai and Suga would be arranged, the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association and Taiwan-Japan Relations Association said that there is no plan for such a call.
Additional reporting by CNA
ANOTHER EMERGES: The CWA yesterday said this year’s fourth storm of the typhoon season had formed in the South China Sea, but was not expected to affect Taiwan Tropical Storm Gaemi has intensified slightly as it heads toward Taiwan, where it is expected to affect the country in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 8am yesterday, the 120km-radius storm was 800km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, moving at 9kph northwest, the agency said. A sea warning for Gaemi could be issued tonight at the earliest, it said, adding that the storm is projected to be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday or Thursday. Gaemi’s potential effect on Taiwan remains unclear, as that would depend on its direction, radius and intensity, forecasters said. Former Weather Forecast
As COVID-19 cases in Japan have been increasing for 10 consecutive weeks, people should get vaccinated before visiting the nation, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said. The centers reported 773 hospitalizations and 124 deaths related to COVID-19 in Taiwan last week. CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Guo Hung-wei (郭宏偉) on Tuesday said the number of weekly COVID-19 cases reported in Japan has been increasing since mid-May and surpassed 55,000 cases from July 8 to July 14. The average number of COVID-19 patients at Japan’s healthcare facilities that week was also 1.39 times that of the week before and KP.3 is the dominant
The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) working group for Taiwan-related policies is likely to be upgraded to a committee-level body, a report commissioned by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said. As Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) is increasingly likely to upgrade the CCP’s Central Leading Group for Taiwan Affairs, Taiwanese authorities should prepare by researching Xi and the CCP, the report said. At the third plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the CCP, which ended on Thursday last week, the party set a target of 2029 for the completion of some tasks, meaning that Xi is likely preparing to
US-CHINA TRADE DISPUTE: Despite Beijing’s offer of preferential treatment, the lure of China has dimmed as Taiwanese and international investors move out Japan and the US have become the favored destinations for Taiwanese graduates as China’s attraction has waned over the years, the Ministry of Labor said. According to the ministry’s latest income and employment advisory published this month, 3,215 Taiwanese university graduates from the class of 2020 went to Japan, surpassing for the first time the 2,881 graduates who went to China. A total of 2,300 graduates from the class of 2021 went to the US, compared with the 2,262 who went to China, the document showed. The trend continued for the class of 2023, of whom 1,460 went to Japan, 1,334 went to