The short visit of Tokyo governor Shintaro Ishihara is a first step in the normalization of relations between Taiwan and Japan, despite the fact that such a normalization may still be a long way off.
The highlight of his visit was the meeting with President Lee Teng-hui (
Taiwan was a Japanese colony for 50 years. Much of the island's important infrastructure is a Japanese legacy. Under Japanese colonial rule, Taiwan was way above China in living standards, education, transportation, food and nutrition, and agriculture. Ironically enough, the Republic of China, controlled by Chiang Kai-shek (
The Japanese conscripted more than 200,000 Taiwanese during their colonial rule. Among them, more than 30,000 died in action for the Japanese. They are now commemorated at a shrine in Tokyo.
China's experience with the Japanese has been totally the opposite. Chinese memories of Japan have been dominated by the Japanese invasion of China and the subsequent Sino-Japanese War, which left millions of Chinese dead, and the Nanjing massacre, better known as the Rape of Nanking.
Given the vast difference in their historical experiences over the past 100 years, it is not surprising that Taiwan and China differ in their attitudes toward Japan.
On the other hand, Japanese feelings toward China have also been rather complex, characterized as they have been by inferiority when it comes to culture and history, but by arrogance when it comes to political and economic development.
Japan launched its war in East Asia because it wanted to replace China as the big brother of Asian countries. Between the 1970s and the 1990s, the Japanese were very much fearful of China. Japanese media groups did not send any resident correspondents to Taiwan for fear of provoking Beijing. Eager to enter the China market, Japanese businesses were busy currying Beijing's favor. Facing the Chinese communist government, the Japanese government was not able to take any stance of its own. It had to rely on the umbrella of US protection.
However, things have changed since the end of the Cold War.
Japanese born after WWII now want a repositioning of their country to break free from the war's shadow, to rebuild national confidence -- and to develop normal relations with China.
Unfortunately, the Chinese leaders are busy trying to use nationalistic sentiment to fill the value vacuum left by the waning of communism.
On the one hand, the Chinese government uses Japanese feelings of guilt as leverage to demand more aid and to prevent the rise of Japan's status in the international arena. On the other, it cites Japan's colonialist history in Taiwan as a reason to prevent the development of normal Taiwan-Japan relations.
During the Chiang era on Taiwan, relations with Japan were completely distorted by KMT ideology. Harboring deep enmity against the Japanese, the KMT old guard brutally suppressed the former Japanese colony's citizens.
Things gradually returned to normal only after Lee came to power. In fact, Taiwanese born after the war have long left the bitter residue of their experiences with nationalism and colonialism behind.
As a global economic power, Japan is the only Asian country that can stand up to China. Whether for economic, diplomatic, cultural or other reasons, Taiwan needs to maintain good relations with Japan.
Even though we know that the normalization of Taiwan-Japan relations may still have a long way to go, we must move forward step by step.
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