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
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft