Japanese Representative Mikio Numata yesterday confirmed that he would not attend a military display tomorrow celebrating the Republic of China’s (ROC) victory over Japan in World War II.
“Saturday? This coming Saturday? I have other things to do,” Numata told reporters as he was leaving a reception marking the US Independence Day holiday in Taipei yesterday.
Asked if he received an official invitation to tomorrow’s event, Numata said he had not so far, but a colleague of his had received one.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
Having answered the questions in Chinese, when asked how he felt about extended celebrations in Taiwan for the 70th anniversary of the victory over Japan, Numata switched to English.
“No comment,” he said, and quickly walked away.
The celebrations marking the anniversary of the end of World War II in Taiwan this year have become a sensitive issue between Taipei and Tokyo, as the Ministry of National Defense has decided to set the ROC’s War against Japanese Aggression and the victory over Japan as the main themes.
The ministry triggered an expression of “concern” from Japan after it painted several fighters in a style reminiscent of one employed during World War II that used small Japanese flags to indicate the number of Japanese warplanes each had shot down.
In addition, while the ministry said that it delivered invitations on Friday last week to an official with the Interchange Association, Japan, the Japanese representative office said that it never received one.
In related news, during the July 4th reception, American Institute in Taiwan Acting Director Brent Christensen said that Taiwan and the US are important partners with continuously improving relations and shared values.
“On the Fourth of July, we reflect upon the values of freedom, democracy, equality, and justice that shape the United States — values that we share with Taiwan,” Christensen said. “The friendship between the people of Taiwan and the United States has only grown closer through the years, and the US-Taiwan relationship today is stronger than ever.”
The manufacture of the remaining 28 M1A2T Abrams tanks Taiwan purchased from the US has recently been completed, and they are expected to be delivered within the next one to two months, a source said yesterday. The Ministry of National Defense is arranging cargo ships to transport the tanks to Taiwan as soon as possible, said the source, who is familiar with the matter. The estimated arrival time ranges from late this month to early next month, the source said. The 28 Abrams tanks make up the third and final batch of a total of 108 tanks, valued at about NT$40.5 billion
Two Taiwanese prosecutors were questioned by Chinese security personnel at their hotel during a trip to China’s Henan Province this month, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. The officers had personal information on the prosecutors, including “when they were assigned to their posts, their work locations and job titles,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. On top of asking about their agencies and positions, the officers also questioned the prosecutors about the Cross-Strait Joint Crime-Fighting and Judicial Mutual Assistance Agreement, a pact that serves as the framework for Taiwan-China cooperation on combating crime and providing judicial assistance, Liang
A group from the Taiwanese Designers in Australia association yesterday represented Taiwan at the Midsumma Pride March in Melbourne. The march, held in the St. Kilda suburb, is the city’s largest LGBTQIA+ parade and the flagship event of the annual Midsumma Festival. It attracted more than 45,000 spectators who supported the 400 groups and 10,000 marchers that participated this year, the association said. Taiwanese Designers said they organized a team to march for Taiwan this year, joining politicians, government agencies, professionals and community organizations in showing support for LGBTQIA+ people and diverse communities. As the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex
MOTIVES QUESTIONED The PLA considers Xi’s policies toward Taiwan to be driven by personal considerations rather than military assessment, the Epoch Times reports Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) latest purge of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) leadership might have been prompted by the military’s opposition to plans of invading Taiwan, the Epoch Times said. The Chinese military opposes waging war against Taiwan by a large consensus, putting it at odds with Xi’s vision, the Falun Gong-affiliated daily said in a report on Thursday, citing anonymous sources with insight into the PLA’s inner workings. The opposition is not the opinion of a few generals, but a widely shared view among the PLA cadre, the Epoch Times cited them as saying. “Chinese forces know full well that
RSS