Taiwanese official urges Japan to speak for Taiwan

Japan should voice its support for Taiwan's plea for an active UN role in maintaining peace across the Taiwan Strait, a Taiwan official stationed in Tokyo said yesterday.

Chu Wen-ching (朱文清), the information division chief at Taiwan's representative office in Japan, made the call in a letter to the editors of the Japan Times that was carried in the English-language daily's edition yesterday.

In the letter, Chu said 13 of Taiwan's diplomatic allies sent a letter to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Aug. 11 demanding that the UN pay more heed and play an active role in ensuring cross-strait peace.

Because of China's opposition, the proposal was not included in the agenda of the ongoing plenary session of the UN General Assembly that opened on Sept. 13.

Since Japan has voiced support for Taiwan in many fields, including Taiwan's bid to join the World Health Assembly -- the World Health Organization's governing body -- as an observer and listing the Taiwan Strait peace as one of the strategic objectives of the US-Japanese defense cooperation, Chu said he is hopeful that Japan can uphold this consistent stance and speak out for Taiwan's cause at the UN General Assembly general debate session.

Chu said Japan's explicit support is important for Taiwan and for regional peace and stability because China has stepped up its military threat against Taiwan.