The Taipei-based Institute for National Defense and Security Research recently announced that a delegation from the Japan Forum for Strategic Studies (JFSS) think tank, led by JFSS secretary-general Reiko Nagano, had visited the institute earlier this month.
The delegation included former Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force chief of staff Kiyofumi Iwata, former Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force chief of staff Tomohisa Takei and former Japanese Air Materiel Command commander Oue Sadamasa.
The JFSS announced that next month, it would hold in Tokyo a simulation of a military conflict across the Taiwan Strait. Two simulations have been held since the first in August 2021 and only involved the US and Japan, but the upcoming one would, for the first time, involve Taiwan.
This is significant in that it would be the first unofficial war game simulation between the US, Japan and Taiwan.
A private organization focused on diplomacy and defense strategy, the JFSS also specializes in analyzing international relations and Japanese politics, economy, military and technology as national policies. Composed of retired generals from the Japanese Ministry of Defense and experts from academia, industry and the government, the JFSS has influence and is also important for Taiwan.
Even though Taiwan and Japan do not have official diplomatic relations, on Taiwan’s Reports on Foreign Visits Web site, there have been official reports of the army sending serving military personnel to the institute for exchanges. This is enough to show that the JFSS has not only played the critical role of communicator between Taiwan and Japan, but is also a branch of the Japanese government.
In 2020, the institute published Shattering China’s Ambition to encourage further collaboration between Taiwan and Japan on countering Beijing and to build a shared defense strategy against a bellicose neighbor.
Given that the unofficial war game simulation between the US, Japan and Taiwan would serve as a precursor for official war games, as well as for joint operations and military cooperation, the government should mobilize civil power to support military operations and make preparations as soon as possible.
First, Taiwan needs to establish a hotline for maritime patrols, the navy and air force. As Taiwan’s and Japan’s air defense identification zone and exclusive economic zone overlap to a large extent, both should establish hotlines to deal with emergencies and unexpected scenarios.
Second, Taiwan should emulate the US in reinforcing collaboration between military institutions. As Taiwan’s army and several US military units are now sister troops, and Taiwanese military personnel are often sent to the US for exchanges and training, Taiwan should follow the US’ footsteps and step up collaboration with Japan. As joint military exercises between the US armed forces and Japan’s Self-Defense Forces have become common, Taiwan should not lag behind in this respect.
Third, Taiwan should promote civil-military collaborations. By promoting cooperation between Taiwan’s and Japan’s civil-military organizations, such as shooting associations, defense media networks, think tanks and military associations, the two nations can develop stronger ties and solidarity.
As one of the winners of World War II and a former colony of Japan, Taiwan should let go of any residual enmity for Japan during the colonial period and focus on the imminent threat to freedom and democracy from the Chinese Communist Party.
Let us hope for a joint military exercise between Taiwan, Japan and the US to keep China at bay.
Chu-Ke Feng-yun is a university assistant professor. He blogs about military affairs.
Translated by Rita Wang
We are used to hearing that whenever something happens, it means Taiwan is about to fall to China. Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) cannot change the color of his socks without China experts claiming it means an invasion is imminent. So, it is no surprise that what happened in Venezuela over the weekend triggered the knee-jerk reaction of saying that Taiwan is next. That is not an opinion on whether US President Donald Trump was right to remove Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro the way he did or if it is good for Venezuela and the world. There are other, more qualified
The immediate response in Taiwan to the extraction of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by the US over the weekend was to say that it was an example of violence by a major power against a smaller nation and that, as such, it gave Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) carte blanche to invade Taiwan. That assessment is vastly oversimplistic and, on more sober reflection, likely incorrect. Generally speaking, there are three basic interpretations from commentators in Taiwan. The first is that the US is no longer interested in what is happening beyond its own backyard, and no longer preoccupied with regions in other
As technological change sweeps across the world, the focus of education has undergone an inevitable shift toward artificial intelligence (AI) and digital learning. However, the HundrED Global Collection 2026 report has a message that Taiwanese society and education policymakers would do well to reflect on. In the age of AI, the scarcest resource in education is not advanced computing power, but people; and the most urgent global educational crisis is not technological backwardness, but teacher well-being and retention. Covering 52 countries, the report from HundrED, a Finnish nonprofit that reviews and compiles innovative solutions in education from around the world, highlights a
A recent piece of international news has drawn surprisingly little attention, yet it deserves far closer scrutiny. German industrial heavyweight Siemens Mobility has reportedly outmaneuvered long-entrenched Chinese competitors in Southeast Asian infrastructure to secure a strategic partnership with Vietnam’s largest private conglomerate, Vingroup. The agreement positions Siemens to participate in the construction of a high-speed rail link between Hanoi and Ha Long Bay. German media were blunt in their assessment: This was not merely a commercial win, but has symbolic significance in “reshaping geopolitical influence.” At first glance, this might look like a routine outcome of corporate bidding. However, placed in
RSS