The historical love-hate relationships between Taiwan, Japan and China are a frequent focus of discussion here in Taiwan.
When Motojiro Akashi (明石??G-|), the seventh Governor-General of Taiwan under Japanese rule, died in Japan, his body was buried in Taipei according to his will.
And when former Taipei Mayor Chen Shui-bian (
However, the service was met by protests from anti-Japanese elements. The issue may prompt another series of protests in mid-November, when Akashi's remains will be entombed in a Christian cemetery in Chinshan.
On the one hand, many Taiwanese people condemn the Japanese imperialists for their colonization and exploitation of Taiwan.
On the other hand, they salute the results of modernization during the Japanese colonial period.
During his tenure as governor-general, Akashi continued with the construction of a basic, largely capitalist infrastructure -- including utilities, railroads and general systematization.
This is the so-called theory of "Japanese bureaucratic versatility." What the anti-Japanese elements oppose is the legitimization of colonialism.
Akashi is a legendary figure in Japanese history.
After Japan won the Russian-Japanese war in 1904, Japan knew the limitations of its power and that it would not be able to hold out in a drawn-out war.
Therefore, the Japanese on the one hand tried to harass imperial Russia by having Akashi support Lenin's revolutionary movement in Europe.
On the other hand, Japan sent a mission to the US to lobby for President Theodore Roosevelt's mediation, which resulted in a peace treaty -- much to Akashi's credit.
In 1918, Akashi was appointed Governor-General of Taiwan, although his tenure lasted less than a year. He left his name in Taiwan mainly because of his "Taiwan complex."
Another Japanese who expressed his love for Taiwan by having his remains buried here was Naoki Tomita (
After WWII, the Commander-in-Chief of the Japanese invasion army was Reiji Okamura (
After the war, Chiang Kai-shek appointed Okamura as a high-level secret military advisor.
As a gesture of gratitude, Okamura put together a group of former Japanese military officers and set up an advisory team.
He also recommended Tomita as head of the team, which was also known as the "Pai team" after Tomita's pseudonym Pai Hung-liang (
The team, which consisted of 83 Japanese military officers, trained more than 20,000 people during its 20-year mission in Taiwan (1949-1968).
After Tomita died in Japan, half of his ashes were buried in Haiming Temple (
Both Chiang Kai-shek and Zhou Enlai (
Many Japanese believe Japan compensated China and Taiwan in the form of aid and loans.
The US also encouraged Japan to support China to lead it toward a moderate, open society.
Over the years, Japan's aid diplomacy has helped accelerate China's modernization, creating a mutual economic dependence between Japan and China in the process.
Under the principles of the UN Charter, Japan's former Prime Minister Kiichi Miyazawa (
Under these policies, aid programs exclude military objectives and avoid worsening international conflicts.
The military budgets of recipient nations should also be taken into consideration, as well as the production and trade of weapons of mass destruction, according to the policies.
As a result, Japan asked that China make its defense budget transparent. China's threats to "liberate" Taiwan by force and its purchase and production of sophisticated weapons were duly noted.
The Japanese Diet has already floated talk about the possibility of the country going nuclear.
Taiwan also has a huge "Japan complex."
A Japanese professor once asked Chu Chao-yang (|隄L陽), the late president of the Yenping College, why some Taiwanese still have nostalgia for things from the Japanese colonial era. Chu replied: "In fact, the Japanese treated Korea with more respect than they did Taiwan. Therefore, in theory, the Taiwanese should hate the Japanese more than the Koreans do.
The shadows of the February 28 incident and the White Terror period has haunted the Taiwanese to this day.
If we could step into their shoes and feel what they feel, then this kind of emotional transference among the Taiwanese people wouldn't be surprising."
That was why Liberty Times columnist Takefumi Hayata (
During a speech at a British Conservative Party meeting last month, former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher said, "All problems come from continental Europe, and all solutions come from English-speaking countries around the world."
Taiwan is in a similar situation.
Facing China's threats, the Taiwanese can only ask for help from countries around the world -- including Japan, of course.
While Japanese colonialization should not be legitimized, Japan's "Taiwan complex" deserves understanding.
Hsieh Tsung-min is a former legislator.
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