Sun, Nov 14, 1999 page6

• Editorial: Lee Teng-hui's northern stategy

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  Tokyo governor Shintaro Ishihara is the highest-ranking Japanese politician to visit Taiwan in recent times, and also the most controversial. His visit will inevitably bring animosity from Beijing, but symbolizes a breakthrough in Taiwan-Japan relations by dispelling the taboo against visits by Japanese officials.

  Shintaro Ishihara is a prize-winning novelist who served in the Japanese parliament from 1968 until his resignation in 1995. He is among Japan's most colorful and outspoken politicians, and established himself as the spokesperson for the new Japanese nationalism by penning the book, The Japan That Can Say No. His comments on China have angered Beijing, and have got him branded him as being a representative of the revival of Japanese militarism.

  Ishihara believes that China's economic development will soon lead to demands for cultural and religious autonomy, followed by regional economic independence. The last of the great imperial states is already riven by economic fault lines, and this will drive China to accept a federation, claims Mr. Ishihara.

  His predictions sound logical and rational, but have deeply wounded Chinese sensibilities.

  In fact, Sino-Japanese relations are already teetering on the brink of a vast crevasse. During a visit to the US in 1997, Jiang Zemin (江澤民) brought up the alliance between the US and China during WWII against Japan, raising eyebrows back in Tokyo. Later, he publicly entreated Japan's emperor to learn from Japan's mistakes throughout history, further enraging the Japanese. Pressure from Beijing also led Clinton to cancel a stopover in Japan on his way to China last year, further souring Sino-Japan relations.

  Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs often complains that China keeps the public ignorant of Japan's massive economic aid to China over the past 30 years, and instead appeals to Japan's sense of historical guilt. Japan's historical debt is a political token in China's eyes. Pro-China forces in Japan have as a result weakened in recent years, while vocal support for Taiwan is on the rise.

  The US and Japan are Taiwan's two most important allies, and both are concerned about China's increasing clout. But rising tension in the Taiwan Strait is a more imminent concern for Japan. It will be a disaster for Japan if it falls for China's trap. The interests of Taiwan and Japan overlap in this respect, and this is the real reason behind President Lee Teng-hui's (李登輝) attempts to consolidate Taiwan-Japan relations, not his personal nostalgia for Japan.

  Lee Teng-hui was a Japanese citizen for 22 years, and has tried to use his knowledge of Japan and connections there to strengthen relations between all sectors of society in Japan and Taiwan, and establish venues of friendship and communication. Many people criticize Lee for being too pro-Japan, yet in fact he is only acting in Taiwan's strategic foreign interests. Unfortunately, none of the presidential candidates shares his vision or his connections.

  Shintaro Ishihara is a conservative hard-liner, and we may not agree with all of his ideas. But we should welcome his visit to Taiwan as we welcome other foreign politicians, and use the opportunity to improve relations between Japan and Taiwan. As the Chinese saying goes, "A near neighbor is better than a distant cousin," and sometimes Taiwan's relationship with Japan is more important that Taiwan-US ties.
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