Minister of Foreign Affairs Timothy Yang (楊進添) yesterday summoned Japan’s top envoy to Taiwan to lodge a “serious protest” over a visit by Japanese activists to the disputed Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台), the ministry said.
Yang summoned Japanese representative Sumio Tarui to protest the visit by a 150-member group led by Japanese lawmakers, some of whom landed on the island group in the East China Sea, the ministry said in a statement.
During the meeting with Tarui, Yang reiterated Taiwan’s sovereignty over the Diaoyutais and described the visit by the Japanese group as a “provocative move” that has fueled tension in the East China Sea.
The Japanese group sailed from Ishigaki Island in Okinawa Prefecture a day earlier and arrived in the waters off the Diaoyutais early yesterday, according to media reports.
The stated purpose of the trip was to commemorate victims who died near the island group in an attack by the US during World War II and also to bolster Japan’s claim over the archipelago, according to the reports.
The landing followed a visit to the islands earlier in the week in which Hong Kong activists landed there and brandished flags of the People’s Republic of China and the Republic of China to bolster their claim that the islands belong to the Chinese people.
The activists were detained and later released by Japanese authorities.
Taiwan, Japan and China have had competing claims over the Diaoyutai Islands for several years. The island chain is known as the Senkaku Islands in Japan and as the Diaoyu Islands in China. From the perspectives of geography, history and international law, according to Yang, it is “indisputable” that Taiwan enjoys sovereignty over the Diaoyutais.
The minister also urged Japan to immediately stop any action that violates Taiwan’s sovereignty over the island group, the ministry statement read.
Citing the East China Sea peace initiative that was proposed by President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) earlier this month, Yang called on Japan to exercise restraint and use peaceful means to address the territorial dispute.
Ma’s peace initiative includes calling on all parties to refrain from taking hostile action, to shelve their differences, to not abandon dialogue, to observe international law and to resolve the dispute via peaceful means.
All sides should also seek consensus on a code of conduct for the East China Sea and establish a mechanism for cooperation on exploring and developing resources in the region, according to Ma’s plan.
Japan has deployed long-range missiles in a southwestern region near China, the Japanese defense minister said yesterday, at a time when ties with Beijing are at their lowest in recent years. The missiles were installed in Kumamoto in the southern region of Kyushu, as Japan is attempting to shore up its military capacity as China steps up naval activity in the East China Sea. “Standoff defense capabilities enable us to counter the threat of enemy forces attempting to invade our country ... while ensuring the safety of our personnel,” Japanese Minister of Defense Shinjiro Koizumi said. “This is an extremely important initiative for
MORE POPULAR: Taiwan Pass sales increased by 59 percent during the first quarter compared with the same period last year, the Tourism Administration said The Tourism Administration yesterday said that it has streamlined the Taiwan Pass, with two versions available for purchase beginning today. The tourism agency has made the pass available to international tourists since 2024, allowing them to access the high-speed rail, Taiwan Railway Corp services, four MRT systems and four Taiwan Tourist Shuttles. Previously, five types of Taiwan Pass were available, but some tourists have said that the offerings were too complicated. The agency said only two types of Taiwan Pass would be available, starting from a three-day pass with the high-speed rail and a three-day pass with Taiwan Railway Corp. The former costs NT$2,800
POLLS CONCERNS: There are concerns within the KMT that a Cheng Li-wun-Xi Jinping meeting could trigger a voter backlash in elections in November Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) accepted an invitation from Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) to visit next month, her party and Chinese state media reported yesterday. Cheng, who took up her role in November last year, “gladly accepted” the invitation to lead a delegation to China, the KMT said in a statement, confirming a Xinhua news agency report. Cheng “looks forward to joint efforts by both parties to advance the peaceful development of cross-strait relations, promote cross-strait exchanges and cooperation, and work for peace in the Taiwan Strait and greater well-being for people on both sides,” the statement said. Chinese
SIGNIFICANT TO THE WORLD: The delegation’s visit aims to send a clear message that bipartisan support for Taiwan is consistent, US Senator Jeanne Shaheen said The US Senate’s bipartisan support for Taiwan remains strong and Taiwan-US ties would continue for decades to come, a US Senate delegation said in Taipei yesterday, while calling on the legislature to swiftly pass a special defense budget bill. A US delegation led by Democratic US Senator Jeanne Shaheen and Republican US Senator John Curtis — both members of the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations — arrived in Taiwan yesterday for a two-day visit. The other senators of the delegation included Senate Taiwan Caucus cochair Thom Tillis and Senate Committee on Armed Services senior member Jacky Rosen. Shaheen told a news
RSS