A group of Taiwanese Aborigines was forced to cancel a protest over the enshrinement of their relatives at the Yasukuni shrine in Tokyo yesterday after being blocked by police outside the shrine's gate.
About 50 relatives of the Aborigines, who were drafted into the Japanese military and died during War World II, want the names of the deceased removed from memorial plaques at the shrine because it also honors convicted Japanese war criminals.
When the protesters arrived at the Yasukuni shrine yesterday morning, they were stopped by police from entering.
Extremists
The activists said police told them that it was to avoid a possible scuffle with Japanese ultra-right wing extremists at the scene.
"The spirits of our fathers and relatives are enshrined at the Yasukuni shrine. Why can't we go inside?" asked the group's leader, independent Legislator May Chin (高金素梅).
"We Aborigines used to be treated as sub-humans, and look what's happening now. We're not even allowed to get off the bus," she said.
The shrine honors 2.5 million war dead, including the wartime prime minister Hideki Tojo and 13 other leaders who have been convicted of the most serious war crimes.
Thousands of war dead from China, South Korea and Taiwan who were drafted into the Japanese army during Japan's colonization of the region are enshrined under the Japanese names that they were forced to assume.
About 28,000 Taiwanese are among them.
From inside the bus, the Taiwanese protesters held up signs saying, "Remove our ancestors' names."
Normal State
In Taiwan, family members whose relatives' names are enshrined at Yasukuni said that the names could only be removed when Taiwan becomes a normal state.
"Before Taiwan becomes a real country, our ancestors enshrined in Japan will remain Japanese citizens, " said Chang Ming-hsien (
Chang said his group had tried for many years to get their relatives' names removed from the shrine to reclaim their ancestors' spirits.
Impossible
He said that this turned out to be impossible because their ancestors had died as Japanese soldiers.
"Since our ancestors died as Japanese soldiers at that time, they were of course Japanese citizens. The Japanese government has every right to enshrine them," Chang said.
According to Chang, the only way the problem could be resolved was through country-to-country negotiations.
Chang said that the Japanese health ministry had listed a budget of around ?820 billion (US$7.5 billion) for the families of Taiwan's former Japanese soldiers.
The families have not received anything so far.
He urged the Japanese government to take action over the compensation fund.
‘NO SECURITY RISK’: The Railway Bureau reassured the public that the technicians’ activities were limited to technical guidance and did not involve sensitive systems The Railway Bureau yesterday said it had invited eight Chinese technicians to assist with an airport MRT construction project. The bureau issued the confirmation after an Internet user said Chinese nationals had entered the construction zone of Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport’s Terminal 3 project. They asked why “individuals from an enemy state” were allowed access to such a major national infrastructure project, which raised serious concerns over Taiwan’s industrial safety, sensitive systems and information security. The bureau’s Northern Region Engineering Branch Office said subcontractor Taiwan Handle Industrial Co (台灣手把工業) of the Taoyuan airport MRT’s “Contract No. CU05 Project A14 Station Civil, MEP &
A US uncrewed surface vessel (USV) encountered multiple Chinese warships during an autonomous transit of the Taiwan Strait, US defense company Seasats said in a statement on Wednesday. Seasats announced that a Lightfish USV had completed the first autonomous transit of the Taiwan Strait. Over five days, the USV traversed the entire length of the Strait while constantly monitoring surface vessel traffic, the company said. The Lightfish encountered multiple Chinese warships, one of which was a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) Type 056 corvette, it said. The Chinese vessels were operating “well within Taiwan’s exclusive economic zone without transmitting their identity via the
‘BOOMING’: ’ The number of partners we have here is incredible. You can see from their stock prices. They’re doing so well, they’re so happy,’ Jensen Huang said Nvidia Corp’s spending in Taiwan has ballooned to about US$150 billion a year, 10 times the US$10 billion to US$15 billion the company spent five years ago, Nvidia chief executive officer Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) said yesterday, suggesting Taiwan’s strategic importance in the global artificial intelligence (AI) supply chain. “Taiwan is the epicenter of the AI revolution. This is where the chips come, packaging comes. This is where the systems are made. This is where AI supercomputers were created,” Huang said at a meeting for the company’s employees in Beitou-Shilin Technology Park (北投士林科技園區) in Taipei, the planned site of Nvidia’s Taipei headquarters. “Taiwan
GREATER REACH? Auto parts and wood products would face tariffs of up to 15%, matching those targeting the EU, Japan and South Korea, Vice Premier said The US has announced that preferential tariff treatment for Taiwan’s non-semiconductor Section 232 goods would take effect retroactively from May 1, the Executive Yuan said yesterday. The US government yesterday posted a notice on the Federal Register’s public inspection Web site previewing tariff concessions for Taiwan under a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on Taiwan-US investment after two months of negotiations. The MOU signed on Jan. 15 stipulated three major preferential tariff arrangements: a 15 percent “reciprocal” tariff rate for Taiwan without stacking most-favored nation (MFN) rates; preferential Section 232 treatment for semiconductors and related products; and preferential Section 232 treatment for non-semiconductor
RSS