Japan said yesterday it was “disappointing” China did not send anyone to a ceremony marking the second anniversary of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, in the latest sign of deteriorating ties between the two countries.
Beijing’s apparent snub came after Japan invited representatives from Taiwan to take part on an equal footing with other diplomats in the national remembrance for people killed in the disaster.
The move also came as tensions between Tokyo and Beijing simmer over a territorial row, with Chinese government ships yesterday spotted in disputed waters, the latest salvo in a spat over the sovereignty of uninhabited Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台), also claimed by Taiwan.
“The Japanese government explained to China that we would treat Taiwan appropriately in this ceremony considering its enormous support to us,” Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said.
Tokyo told Beijing “that this would not change Japan’s position over the status of Taiwan as stipulated in the Japan-China Joint Communique, but China didn’t understand and was absent from the ceremony, which is extremely disappointing and a great pity,” he said.
In the 1972 joint communique, Japan recognized Beijing “as the sole legal government of China.”
Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Hua Chunying (華春瑩) said yesterday that Beijing had made its position known to Tokyo.
“We believe that Japan’s behavior has violated the principles and spirit of the China-Japan Joint Statement and the commitments of the Japanese side,” Hua said. “We urge Japan to match its words and deeds regarding the issue of Taiwan, to honor its commitment and not play games.”
Suga said that no diplomatic representative from South Korea had been at the tsunami ceremony. However, he said Seoul informed Tokyo on Monday that its envoy’s absence was due to a clerical error.
Japan and South Korea have a dispute over a different set of islands, which sit in the sea midway between the two nations.
Taiwan donated US$260 million in relief and reconstruction aid to Japan, the most of any country in the world, in the wake of the earthquake and tsunami.
On the first anniversary of the disaster, Japan’s then-government, led by former Japanese prime minister Yoshihiko Noda, excluded Taiwan’s representative from a list of countries and territories read out at the ceremony. Taiwan’s omission was at the time criticized by Japanese lawmakers and media as being ungrateful. Noda later openly apologized over the snub.
Japan’s representative office in Taipei had published half-page “thank you” advertisements in major newspapers in Taiwan, recording the government’s gratitude for aid from Taiwan.
Monday’s memorial service was held at the National Theater in central Tokyo at 2:46pm, the same time the devastating earthquake struck Japan two years ago.
The participants, including Japanese Emperor Akihiko, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, family members of the victims in hard-hit Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures, and foreign ambassadors, first observed a minute’s silence.
Japan expressed its appreciation for the concern shown by other nations at the time of the disasters and the assistance they provided.
The names of those countries were read out, with the “Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Japan” used for Taiwan.
Taiwan’s representative to Japan, Shen Ssu-tsun (沈斯淳), and ambassadors from other nations were then invited to present flowers in memory of the victims of the disaster, which left nearly 20,000 people dead.
Shen’s presence was notable because the Japanese government did not arrange for Taiwanese officials to sit in the areas for foreign ambassadors or allow them to go on stage to present flowers at last year’s anniversary event.
PROVOCATIVE: Chinese Deputy Ambassador to the UN Sun Lei accused Japan of sending military vessels to deliberately provoke tensions in the Taiwan Strait China denounced remarks by Japan and the EU about the South China Sea at a UN Security Council meeting on Monday, and accused Tokyo of provocative behavior in the Taiwan Strait and planning military expansion. Ayano Kunimitsu, a Japanese vice foreign minister, told the Council meeting on maritime security that Tokyo was seriously concerned about the situation in the East China and South China seas, and reiterated Japan’s opposition to any attempt to change the “status quo” by force, and obstruction of freedom of navigation and overflight. Stavros Lambrinidis, head of the EU delegation to the UN, also highlighted South China Sea
The final batch of 28 M1A2T Abrams tanks purchased from the US arrived at Taipei Port last night and were transported to the Armor Training Command in Hsinchu County’s Hukou Township (湖口), completing the military’s multi-year procurement of 108 of the tanks. Starting at 12:10am today, reporters observed more than a dozen civilian flatbed trailers departing from Taipei Port, each carrying an M1A2T tank covered with black waterproof tarps. Escorted by military vehicles, the convoy traveled via the West Coast Expressway to the Armor Training Command, with police implementing traffic control. The army operates about 1,000 tanks, including CM-11 Brave Tiger
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, said it expects its 2-nanometer (2nm) chip capacity to grow at a compound annual rate of 70 percent from this year to 2028. The projection comes as five fabs begin volume production of 2-nanometer chips this year — two in Hsinchu and three in Kaohsiung — TSMC senior vice president and deputy cochief operating officer Cliff Hou (侯永清) said at the company’s annual technology symposium in Silicon Valley, California, last week. Output in the first year of 2-nanometer production, which began in the fourth quarter of last year, is expected to
Taiwan’s drone exports surged past US$100 million in the first quarter, exceeding last year’s full-year total, with the Czech Republic emerging as the largest buyer, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said. Exports of complete drones reached US$115.85 million in the period, about 1.2 times the total recorded for all of last year, the ministry said in a report. Exports to the Czech Republic accounted for about US$100 million, far outpacing other markets. Poland, last year’s top destination, recorded about US$11.75 million in the first quarter. Taiwan’s drone exports have expanded rapidly in the past few years, with last year’s total
RSS