Japan’s new Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is likely to drive more concern than hope in Beijing as rumors swirl that he would appoint pro-Taiwan figures to his Cabinet, academics said at a forum in Taipei yesterday.
Last week, Japan’s ruling party, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), elected Ishiba as its party leader, who is set to be named the country’s new prime minister today by the National Diet.
There are rumors that Ishida would appoint several pro-Taiwan figures to his Cabinet, and that Taiwan-Japan relations would continue to develop, political scientist Hsieh Wen-sheng (謝文生) told a forum hosted by the Institute for National Policy Research on the LDP’s leadership election and Ishiba’s policy priorities.
Photo: Kyodo via Reuters
Event speakers included Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中), Executive Yuan advisor Nozaki Takao, and other academics and experts.
In his speech, Wu said that Taiwan defends peace and security in the Taiwan Strait and values being a friend to the international community, as it does not engage in aggression or seek to make enemies.
Wu said that during his time as Taiwan’s representative to France, he saw first-hand the international support Taiwan receives and the cooperation between Taiwan and the Japanese embassy in Paris.
The recent Japan-France Foreign and Defense Ministers’ Meeting, also known as the “2+2,” and the first transit of a Japanese ship in the Taiwan Strait since World War II demonstrates the importance of maintaining regional peace, he said.
American and South Korean attitudes toward Japan would remain unchanged, but with the prospect of a strong Taiwan-Japan relationship, China would likely continue to express concern, Hsieh said.
It would be important to observe the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting in Peru next month and the G20 Summit in Brazil, both of which Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) is expected to attend, Hsieh added.
A potential Ishiba-Xi summit would be a focal point of attention, he added.
The Coast Guard Administration and the Japan Coast Guard in July conducted their first joint search-and-rescue drill, National Taiwan Normal University professor Fan Shih-ping (范世平) said.
As a former Japanese minister of defense, Ishiba is well-versed in security issues and supports the establishment of an “Asian NATO” and a legal framework for Taiwan-Japan relations, Fan said.
Defense cooperation between Taiwan, Japan and the US would likely deepen, and there might even be a Japanese version of the US’ Taiwan Relations Act, he added.
Ishiba’s proposed “Asian NATO” would bring together existing diplomatic and security agreements, such as the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue — a grouping of Australia, Japan, India and the US — and the AUKUS security pact between the US, the UK and Australia, said Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲), a research fellow at the state-run Institute for National Defense and Security Research.
The rapid growth of China’s influence and power relative to the US in the region drove Ishiba’s statements regarding the need to establish an Asian defense treaty organization, he said.
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