The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday recalled Taiwan’s representative to Japan in response to Japan’s decision to nationalize some of the disputed Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台).
Minister of Foreign Affairs Timothy Yang (楊進添) said at a press conference that the ministry filed a strong protest against Japan’s move and said the ministry has sent a telegram asking envoy Shen Ssu-tsun (沈斯淳) to return home.
The ministry wants him to return to Taiwan “in the shortest possible time” to explain the situation, and he could return home as soon as today, Yang said.
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
Earlier yesterday, Yang summoned Japan’s representative to Taiwan, Sumio Tarui, to protest the decision made by Japan’s government at a Cabinet meeting yesterday morning to buy three of the Diaoyutai islands from their private owner for ￥2.05 billion (US$26.18 million).
The Japanese government later signed a contract with the owners to cement the deal, according to Japanese media.
Yang said he told Tarui that Japan’s move had not only seriously infringed on Taiwan’s territorial sovereignty, hurt Taiwan-Japan relations and intensified regional tensions, but had also hurt the Taiwanese people’s feelings toward Japan.
He told the Japanese representative that Taiwan would “absolutely not accept and absolutely not recognize” Japan’s actions, and he urged the Japanese government to immediately withdraw its decision or be held responsible for the consequences.
Yang said he also reiterated the government’s stance that the Diaoyutais “are the inherent territory of the Republic of China,” which he said is a historical fact that cannot be changed.
Japan should first admit to the fact that there are territorial disputes surrounding the Diaoyutais to help resolve the issue, Yang said.
After meeting Yang, Tarui was mobbed by reporters as he walked out of the ministry, but he declined to answer questions.
The Diaoyutai Islands, called the Senkakus in Japan, lie about 120 nautical miles (220km) northeast of Taiwan. The island group is claimed by Taiwan, Japan and China.
China acknowledges that the islands fall under the jurisdiction of Taiwan, but stakes its claim to the Diaoyutais on its contention that Taiwan is part of its territory.
Meanwhile, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislative cacus yesterday called for lawmakers across party lines to jointly make a visit to the Diaoyutais to assert the nation’s sovereignty over the island chain.
However, the Democratic Progressive Party caucus said that the KMT government, aside from stating that the Republic of China does not recognize the validity of the so-called purchase of the islands by the Japanese government from the private owner, should also make its stance clear and lodge a protest against China over the latter’s claiming of the Diaoyutais.
Additional reporting by Shih Shiao-kuang and Chen Ching-min
A car bomb killed a senior Russian general in southern Moscow yesterday morning, the latest high-profile army figure to be blown up in a blast that came just hours after Russian and Ukrainian delegates held separate talks in Miami on a plan to end the war. Kyiv has not commented on the incident, but Russian investigators said they were probing whether the blast was “linked” to “Ukrainian special forces.” The attack was similar to other assassinations of generals and pro-war figures that have either been claimed, or are widely believed to have been orchestrated, by Ukraine. Russian Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, 56, head
SAFETY FIRST: Double the number of police were deployed at the Taipei Marathon, while other cities released plans to bolster public event safety Authorities across Taiwan have stepped up security measures ahead of Christmas and New Year events, following a knife and smoke bomb attack in Taipei on Friday that left four people dead and 11 injured. In a bid to prevent potential copycat incidents, police deployments have been expanded for large gatherings, transport hubs, and other crowded public spaces, according to official statements from police and city authorities. Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said the city has “comprehensively raised security readiness” in crowded areas, increased police deployments with armed officers, and intensified patrols during weekends and nighttime hours. For large-scale events, security checkpoints and explosives
‘POLITICAL GAME’: DPP lawmakers said the motion would not meet the legislative threshold needed, and accused the KMT and the TPP of trivializing the Constitution The Legislative Yuan yesterday approved a motion to initiate impeachment proceedings against President William Lai (賴清德), saying he had undermined Taiwan’s constitutional order and democracy. The motion was approved 61-50 by lawmakers from the main opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the smaller Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), who together hold a legislative majority. Under the motion, a roll call vote for impeachment would be held on May 19 next year, after various hearings are held and Lai is given the chance to defend himself. The move came after Lai on Monday last week did not promulgate an amendment passed by the legislature that
PENTAGON ASSESSMENT: A US report said that even as China and Russia deepen their partnership, cooperation is hindered by a ‘mutual distrust’ of each other The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) as of October had doubled the number of ships and airplanes deployed around Taiwan compared with the previous two years, Vice Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) said yesterday, a day after the opposition-controlled legislature voted against reviewing the government’s general budget for next year, including a NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.71 billion) special defense spending bill. The legislature’s vote against the Ministry of National Defense’s spending plans was regrettable, as the budget was designed to respond to the developing Chinese military threat, Hsu said on the sidelines of a legislative meeting on the general budget. Defense
RSS