Visiting Japanese lawmaker Shinsuke Okuno yesterday called for legislation to deepen ties with Taiwan, while Legislative Speaker You Si-kun promoted economic relations with the Japanese island of Yonaguni.
You met with a delegation comprising Okuno and three other members of the Japanese House of Representatives, one of four delegations from Japan visiting Taiwan this week.
Okuno said that he visits Taiwan once or twice a year and this time brought younger lawmakers with him so they could learn more about the country.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
The economy plays an important part in the Taiwan-Japan relationship, he said, adding that he has gained a sense during the trip about how eager Taiwan is to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).
Japan should follow the US’ example and draw up its own version of the Taiwan Relations Act, which would provide the basis for bilateral ties, he said.
With such legislation, “any kind of help Japan provides to Taiwan would not be denied or criticized,” Okuno said.
You thanked the delegation for its support of Taiwan and expressed special gratitude for Okuno’s attendance at the first strategic forum for Taiwanese, US and Japanese lawmakers in 2021.
He also asked that his thanks be passed on to Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida for his efforts to safeguard peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.
Kishida at a G7 summit in Nagano Prefecture’s Karuizawa last month voiced concern about the cross-strait situation and said that Japan’s position on the Taiwan issue is consistent — any issue should be resolved peacefully through dialogue, You said.
The geographical proximity of Taiwan and Japan is best demonstrated by the 111km separating Okinawa Prefecture’s Yonaguni and Yilan County, his hometown, You said.
Hopefully, direct ferry services can be launched between Yilan’s Suao Township (蘇澳) and Yonaguni, he said.
The route would allow more visitors to enjoy the beautiful scenery on Japan’s westernmost territory, revitalize the island’s economic development and deepen ties between the two countries, he said.
If one-10th of the 2 million Japanese who visit Taiwan visit the island via Yilan, the benefits would be substantial, he said.
You announced a plan to lead a delegation to visit Yonaguni on June 10 and invited the delegation members to join him.
He also shared the proposal with delegations led by Japanese lawmaker Tetsushi Sakamoto and Liberal Democratic Party Youth Division Director Norikazu Suzuki on Tuesday and Wednesday respectively.
Sakamoto and Suzuki said that they would work to make the plan reality.
Okuno’s delegation also met with Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮).
The ministry said in a press release that Okuno promised to urge his government to support Taiwan’s bid to join the CPTPP.
The visit demonstrated the Japanese Diet’s firm support for Taiwan and could help Japan better understand the threat of authoritarianism to regional security, it said.
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) was questioned by prosecutors for allegedly orchestrating an attack on a taxi driver after he was allegedly driven on a longer than necessary route in a car he disliked. The questioning at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office was ongoing as of press time last night. Police have recommended charges of attempted murder. The legally embattled actor — known for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代) — is under a separate investigation for allegedly using fake medical documents to evade mandatory military service. According to local media reports, police said Wang earlier last year ordered a
President William Lai (賴清德) should protect Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), and stop supporting domestic strife and discord, former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) wrote on Facebook yesterday. US President Donald Trump and TSMC on Monday jointly announced that the company would invest an additional US$100 billion over the next few years to expand its semiconductor manufacturing operations in the US. The TSMC plans have promoted concern in Taiwan that it would effectively lead to the chipmaking giant becoming Americanized. The Lai administration lacks tangible policies to address concerns that Taiwan might follow in Ukraine’s footsteps, Ma wrote. Instead, it seems to think it could
A man in Tainan has been cleared on charges of public insult after giving the middle finger during a road rage incident, as judges deemed the gesture was made “briefly to express negative feelings.” In last week’s ruling at the High Court’s Tainan branch, judges acquitted a driver, surnamed Cheng (程), for an incident along Tainan’s Nanmen Road in September 2023, when Cheng had spotted a place to park his car in an adjacent lane. Cheng slowed down his vehicle to go into reverse, to back into the parking spot, but the car behind followed too closely, as its driver thought Cheng
DEFENSE: The purpose of the exercises is to identify strategies for the government to control risks during tensions, prevent war and bolster national resilience A tabletop exercise series has begun simulating possible scenarios if the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) launched a war against Taiwan in the guise of a military exercise. The exercise series is jointly organized by National Chengchi University’s Institute of International Relations, Taiwan Center for Security Studies and Asia-Pacific Policy Research Association. Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Chen Yeong-kang (陳永康), former American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) director William Stanton and Taiwan Center for Security Studies director Liu Fu-kuo (劉復國) attended the event in Taipei yesterday. Scenarios that would be simulated include changing political circumstances in the US during US President Donald Trump’s tenure