The Japanese media recently reported that Kenichi Mizuno, parliamentary secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, had tendered his resignation in protest over Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi's rejection of his request to visit Taiwan.
The incident highlights the fact that the so-called "China gang" inside Japan's foreign ministry still dominates Taiwan policy. Because of the particularly sensitive nature of Taiwan-China relations, Japan, South Korea and other Asian nations are forced to recognize the pressure applied by China in their relations with Taiwan. If Taipei is eager to break new ground in foreign relations, it may have to consider how to cope with the pressure that Beijing applies on other governments, or it could misjudge the situation.
In terms of Taiwan-Japan relations, the "China gang" in Japan's foreign ministry contributes much to Taiwan's failure to make substantial contact with the Japanese government. The "gang" took shape and grew in strength when Kakuei Tanaka was prime minister. In order to forge diplomatic ties with China before the US did, Tanaka wasted no time in severing ties with Taiwan through crude diplomatic means. At the same time, Japan's Taiwan policy was presented as one that separated politics from economics, so that official contact with Taiwan could be avoided. Only non-governmental exchanges were approved.
Japan's tilt toward China continued after the Hashimoto faction, Tanaka's clique, become the biggest faction in the Liberal Democratic Party. Officials in the Hashimoto faction often acted as Beijing's mouthpiece and China rewarded them for doing so. In addition, the continued abuse of post-World War II "expiation diplomacy" and the powerful influence of "toady-to-China" advocates strengthened its pro-China stance.
The Hashimoto faction capitalized on the pro-China sympathies of officials in the foreign ministry to win development projects to be funded by the Japanese government in China. At the same time, backed by the Hashimoto faction, those same pro-China forces in the foreign ministry gained a leading role in the ministry's Taiwan policy. The two developments complemented each other.
On the face of it, of course, Mizuno's Taiwan visit was refused by Kawaguchi, who said that official contacts are not appro-priate in Taiwan-Japan relations. But the real reason might in fact be behind-the-scenes harassments from the Hashimoto faction and pro-China officials.
In fact, most of the younger generation of Japanese parliamentarians, like Mizuno, have a global vision and their own political ideals. They have the courage to confront the old system and hold a balanced view on Taiwan-Japan-China relations. They thus help to foster change in Japan's traditional, conservative bureaucratic system and to correct the continual slant toward China in Japan's Asia Pacific policy.
To improve bilateral relations with Japan, South Korea or other countries, Taiwan should first strengthen economic and trade exchanges or use parliamentary diplomacy to fight the frontline battle. Through exchanges with Japan's Diet, Taipei can call on the Japanese government to value its relations with Taiwan, dispel its excessive fear of China and conduct official visits and dialogue with Taiwan.
As China seeks left, right and center in the international arena to keep Taiwan down, Taiwan's foreign ministry should first assess the internal political and economic factions of the host nations when planning visits by Taiwanese leaders or government officials. Otherwise, the visits will be more symbolic than substantative and nothing will be achieved for the good of Taiwan's foreign relations.
Wang Tuoh is a DPP legislator.
Translated by Jackie Lin
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