Three Taiwanese legislators visiting Japan demanded yesterday that Japanese Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka retract her recent remarks on Taiwan's future.
The three female lawmakers from the DPP said they admire Tanaka's courage in pushing for bureaucratic reforms but regret her lack of international vision and knowledge about Taiwan's history and status.
The trio -- Tang Pi-o (唐碧娥), Wang Li-ping (王麗萍) and Chang Hsiu-chen (張秀珍) -- said at a news conference that Tanaka owes the people of Taiwan an apology for her comment that she is hopeful that in the future, the Taiwan issue will turn out in a way similar to that of Hong Kong.
The former British colony reverted to Chinese rule in July 1997 under a "one country, two systems" formula.
Tang said Tanaka's remarks not only hurt the feelings of the people of Taiwan but also undermined Japan's national dignity.
Stressing that the future of Taiwan should be determined by the 23 million residents of the nation in a democratic manner, Tang said Tanaka's statements marked a gross interference with Taiwan's domestic affairs and an infringement upon Taiwan's sovereignty.
Moreover, Tang said, any issues between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait should be resolved through peaceful consultations on an equal footing.
Tang reminded Tanaka never to forget that she is a Japanese foreign minister, not a mouthpiece of China, whenever she addresses Taiwan-related issues.
Tang and her two colleagues arrived in Tokyo Friday night for a goodwill visit to promote parliamentary exchanges between the two countries.
"After our arrival, we decided to call an impromptu news conference this morning to voice our protests to the Japanese government over Tanaka's remarks and demand an apology from Tanaka herself," Tang said.
The Taiwan government already lodged a formal protest with Japan Wednesday over Tanaka's comments.
On Friday, Taiwan Representative to Japan Lo Fu-chuan (
Lo demanded to know whether Tanaka's remarks signify a change in Tokyo's stance on the issue. Without taking sides, Tokyo has traditionally called for Taipei-Beijing disputes to be resolved through peaceful means.
In his statement, Lo expressed regret and indignation at Tanaka's statement, stressing that Taiwan is a sovereign nation, that Taiwan is not Hong Kong and that Taiwan's future must be decided by its 23 million residents.
Tanaka said at a news conference earlier Friday that when she said she hoped Taiwan could be like Hong Kong, she meant that the Hong Kong issue was resolved peacefully, and that she hopes the Taiwan issue will be resolved through peaceful negotiations without the use of force.
Tokyo switched its diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1972, when Tanaka's father was prime minister.
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