The Japanese-language Nikkei Shimbun on Friday published a full-page story calling for Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party’s (LDP) leadership hopefuls to be aware of and to prepare for a potential crisis in the Taiwan Strait.
The candidates of the LDP leadership race must have a “vision” in case of a Chinese invasion in Taiwan, the article said, adding that whether the prospective president of the LDP and the future prime minister of Japan have the ability to lead the public and private sectors under this circumstance would be examined in the coming election.
The “2027 Theory” of a Taiwan contingency is becoming increasingly possible. Therefore, the incoming prime minister should be ready for a crisis during their first three years.
The article also mentioned Chinese military aircraft’s alleged intrusion into Japan’s territorial airspace for the first time, and an incident in which Chinese ballistic missiles landed in Japan’s exclusive economic zone during a military exercise in the Taiwan Strait in 2022.
There is no way for Tokyo to distance itself in such a situation. A Taiwan contingency is no longer someone else’s problem.
The article mentioned three LDP presidential candidates’ stances on this matter:
Former LDP secretary-general Shigeru Ishiba during his visit to Taiwan on Aug. 13 said he hoped Japan and Taiwan could share the same values to ensure regional deterrence.
Japanese Minister of State for Economic Security Sanae Takaichi on Aug. 31 wrote on X that Japan has to ensure its defense capability and diplomatic strength so it can nullify threats to pressure the country.
LDP Secretary-General Toshimitsu Motegi on Sept. 4 announced his candidacy, during which he said the government should not raise taxes to build up defense, and should seek other funding sources.
To avoid complicating the situation, candidates in the LDP’s presidential race tend to be silent or ambiguous about the Taiwan issue, which is sensitive in itself.
However, we can almost smell the smoke of war in the Taiwan Strait, according to the Nikkei. How could a Japanese leader deal with an all-out war without envisioning and preparing for the situation?
A tossed stone raises a thousand ripples. With the Nikkei’s story published, the LDP’s candidates would be eager to share their position over this issue under the pressure of the anti-China and pro-Taiwan public amid the escalation of the leadership race.
As the Taiwan issue would be an issue in the coming election, it would be best for Taiwan to stay out of the debate by not commenting on the issue.
Whenever Taiwan is placed under the spotlight by the Japanese media, Taiwan’s representative in Japan receives much attention.
Taiwan’s newly appointed representative to Japan, Lee Yi-yang (李逸洋), is assuming that role during this sensitive period. He would be the one whom the candidates and media outlets would try hard to win over.
President William Lai (賴清德) is a visionary for choosing Lee, one of the Neo Formosa Incident (蓬萊島事件) trio, to take up this diplomatic position. Lee is truly a gentleman, who for years has distanced himself from any power struggles in the political arena, despite being in high-ranking positions.
During a time of fierce competition and hot debate, Lee gracefully takes office in the mold of a Confucian gentleman, which Confucius (孔子) described as: “The superior man is dignified, but does not wrangle. He is sociable, but not a partisan.” The Japanese would be impressed.
Wang Hui-sheng is chief director of the Kisei Ladies’ and Children’s Hospital in Japan and a founding member of the East Asian Research Institute.
Translated by Fion Khan
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