The foreign ministry issued a belated comment yesterday on Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's visit to the Yasukuni shrine, saying his move hurt the feelings of Japan's neighbors, but stopped short of expressing any protest or regret.
In a mild statement that contrasted starkly with strong protests from South Korea and China, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Katharine Chang (張小月) said Koizumi's visit to the controversial shrine, where some war criminals from World War II are commemorated, "undoubtedly hurt the feelings of the people in neighboring countries."
Chang said Koizumi has presumably taken into account opposition from other Asian countries by canceling a visit to the shrine originally scheduled for today, the anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II.
To tone down the symbolism of visiting a shrine that to the eyes of some Asians is a monument to Japanese militarism, Koizumi went two days ahead of the anniversary to keep his promise to visit the shrine.
Chang urged Japan to adopt a "forward-looking" vision to promote friendly ties with its neighbors and jointly contribute to the "freedom, democracy, stability as well as prosperity of the Asian region."
When challenged by reporters over the delay in Taiwan's response as well as the "soft tone" of the statement, Chang declined to comment further.
"This is a politically sensitive issue and we've responded to it only after thorough consideration ... Our stance has clearly been stated in the statement," Chang said.
Meanwhile, Ministry of National Defense spokesman Huang Shui-sheng (黃穗生) said his ministry "objected to" Koizumi's visit because the Chinese people paid a terrible price during the eight years of the Second Sino-Japanese War.
Vice chairman of the Council for Cultural Affairs Wu Mi-cha (吳密察), in his capacity as a historian at National Taiwan University, urged the government to express its stance to Japan over Koizumi's visit in a manner that was neither "to humble oneself nor to show disrespect" ( 不卑不亢).
Wu lamented that Taiwanese society has either been "going too far" or been "excessively weak" in facing controversial issues related to its former colonial ruler, including new Japanese textbooks that gloss over Tokyo's actions during the war, and the shrine visit.
Koizumi decided to speed up the visit because the plan to go on the anniversary had generated outrage from Japan's neighbors and concern among members of his own ruling coalition.
The last prime minister to go on the anniversary was Yasuhiro Nakasone in 1985. Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto went to Yasukuni on his birthday in July 1996, but the furor abroad was so intense he canceled subsequent visits while in office.
Taiwan was a Japanese colony from 1895 until 1945. Some of the 35,000 Taiwanese who fought for Japan during the war are worshipped in the shrine, including former president Lee Teng-hui's (李登輝) elder brother Lee Teng-chin (李登欽), who was killed in the Philippines in 1942.
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
LANDSLIDES POSSIBLE: The agency advised the public to avoid visiting mountainous regions due to more expected aftershocks and rainfall from a series of weather fronts A series of earthquakes over the past few days were likely aftershocks of the April 3 earthquake in Hualien County, with further aftershocks to be expected for up to a year, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Based on the nation’s experience after the quake on Sept. 21, 1999, more aftershocks are possible over the next six months to a year, the agency said. A total of 103 earthquakes of magnitude 4 on the local magnitude scale or higher hit Hualien County from 5:08pm on Monday to 10:27am yesterday, with 27 of them exceeding magnitude 5. They included two, of magnitude
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique