Former Japanese prime minister Taro Aso’s remark on Tuesday that his country must show “the resolve to fight” to defend Taiwan from attack was in line with Tokyo’s official stance, a lawmaker close to Aso said on a TV show late on Wednesday.
Aso, vice president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), said in Taipei that Japan, the US and others must show strong resolve to come to Taiwan’s defense if it were attacked, signaling deterrence against China.
A spokesperson from the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday said that Beijing urges Japan to abide by the “one China” principle and refrain from supporting “pro-Taiwan independence forces” in any way.
Photo: Presidential Office via AP
Keisuke Suzuki, an LDP lawmaker who accompanied Aso on his visit to Taiwan this week, said on a BS Fuji talk show that Aso had discussed the issue with Japanese government officials, indicating that Aso’s view did not deviate from the official position.
“The comment was not lawmaker Taro Aso’s personal remark, but a result of arrangements with government insiders,” Suzuki said. “I think the Japanese government clearly regards this as the official line.”
Aso was the most senior Japanese political official to visit Taiwan since 1972, when Japan normalized diplomatic relations with China.
Japan is amid a historic boost to defense spending, while the US last month unveiled a Taiwan weapons aid package worth up to US$345 million.
Asked about Aso’s speech, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno, Tokyo’s top government spokesperson, on Wednesday said that Japan has consistently hoped for a peaceful settlement thorough dialogue on issues regarding Taiwan.
Asked whether Japan would deploy its military to Taiwan if a crisis should emerge, Matsuno declined to comment, saying the government would not answer a hypothetical question.
DEFENSE: The National Security Bureau promised to expand communication and intelligence cooperation with global partners and enhance its strategic analytical skills China has not only increased military exercises and “gray zone” tactics against Taiwan this year, but also continues to recruit military personnel for espionage, the National Security Bureau (NSB) said yesterday in a report to the Legislative Yuan. The bureau submitted the report ahead of NSB Director-General Tsai Ming-yen’s (蔡明彥) appearance before the Foreign and National Defense Committee today. Last year, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) conducted “Joint Sword-2024A and B” military exercises targeting Taiwan and carried out 40 combat readiness patrols, the bureau said. In addition, Chinese military aircraft entered Taiwan’s airspace 3,070 times last year, up about
Taiwan is stepping up plans to create self-sufficient supply chains for combat drones and increase foreign orders from the US to counter China’s numerical superiority, a defense official said on Saturday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, the official said the nation’s armed forces are in agreement with US Admiral Samuel Paparo’s assessment that Taiwan’s military must be prepared to turn the nation’s waters into a “hellscape” for the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA). Paparo, the commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, reiterated the concept during a Congressional hearing in Washington on Wednesday. He first coined the term in a security conference last
A magnitude 4.3 earthquake struck eastern Taiwan's Hualien County at 8:31am today, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). The epicenter of the temblor was located in Hualien County, about 70.3 kilometers south southwest of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 23.2km, according to the administration. There were no immediate reports of damage resulting from the quake. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was highest in Taitung County, where it measured 3 on Taiwan's 7-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 2 in Hualien and Nantou counties, the CWA said.
The Overseas Community Affairs Council (OCAC) yesterday announced a fundraising campaign to support survivors of the magnitude 7.7 earthquake that struck Myanmar on March 28, with two prayer events scheduled in Taipei and Taichung later this week. “While initial rescue operations have concluded [in Myanmar], many survivors are now facing increasingly difficult living conditions,” OCAC Minister Hsu Chia-ching (徐佳青) told a news conference in Taipei. The fundraising campaign, which runs through May 31, is focused on supporting the reconstruction of damaged overseas compatriot schools, assisting students from Myanmar in Taiwan, and providing essential items, such as drinking water, food and medical supplies,
RSS