On Wednesday, China abruptly suspended imports of Japanese seafood, citing the need for further monitoring of water conditions, and halting imports of Hokkaido scallops, which had just embarked on their first trip to China. However, the move is not really due to a technical issue — it is another blatant act of political retaliation. China’s weaponization of the economy is nothing new, and what Japan faces is all too familiar to Taiwan.
In 2021, China, with the intention of creating internal turmoil in Taiwan and making farmers blame the government for damages, suspended Taiwanese pineapple imports right at the peak of harvest season. However, Beijing never anticipated that Taiwan’s true friend — Japan — would step up at such a crucial moment.
On March 11 that year — which coincided with the tenth anniversary of the 2011’s massive, deadly earthquake — Japanese who had long remembered Taiwan’s support during the disaster stepped forward to return the favor. Within just a few days, Japanese orders for Taiwanese pineapples surged to three times the total of the previous year.
Even during the off-season and cold weather, Japanese consumers still grabbed up box after box of pineapples. By contrast, pineapples from the Philippines — which were half the cost — received little attention. Japan did more than provide verbal support — it used genuine sentiment and concrete action to tell Taiwan: “You are not alone.”
The situation Japan faces is almost identical to what Taiwan dealt with back then. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s statement that a Chinese naval blockade of Taiwan would constitute a “survival-threatening situation” merely reflects geopolitical reality, yet China continues to retaliate. Now, it is attempting to use seafood as a tool for exerting political pressure.
US Ambassador to Japan George Glass immediately voiced public support, sharing a social media post calling China’s previous ban on Japanese seafood “unjustified” and describing Hokkaido scallops as “the perfect start to any meal.” He criticized the ban as economic coercion — a “hard habit to break” for Beijing.
“But just as the US stood by Japan during China’s last unwarranted ban on Japanese seafood, we will be there for our ally again this time,” he said.
The US’ swift response demonstrates the unshakable strength of the US-Japan alliance, once again exposing the Chinese Communist Party’s “wolf warrior” tactics to the world.
Taiwan and Japan are not just neighboring countries, but a community with a shared destiny.
Former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe’s famous remark that “a Taiwan contingency is a Japan contingency” reflects an undeniable geopolitical truth.
By simply reiterating this fact, Takaichi has incurred China’s sweeping retaliation through the tourism, entertainment and trade sanctions — the very tactics typically used on Taiwan, directed at Japan.
True friendship is revealed in times of adversity. When Taiwan needed help the most, Japan stepped up without hesitation to help pineapple farmers overcome their worries.
Now that Japanese fishermen are under the same pressure and Takaichi has even received death threats for supporting Taiwan, how could Taiwanese — who have always valued reciprocity — turn a blind eye?
A Japan contingency is a Taiwan contingency. If we do not stand with Japan’s scallops now, when would we?
Wang Hui-sheng is a founding member of the East Asian Research Institute.
Translated by Kyra Gustavsen
President William Lai (賴清德) attended a dinner held by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) when representatives from the group visited Taiwan in October. In a speech at the event, Lai highlighted similarities in the geopolitical challenges faced by Israel and Taiwan, saying that the two countries “stand on the front line against authoritarianism.” Lai noted how Taiwan had “immediately condemned” the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel by Hamas and had provided humanitarian aid. Lai was heavily criticized from some quarters for standing with AIPAC and Israel. On Nov. 4, the Taipei Times published an opinion article (“Speak out on the
More than a week after Hondurans voted, the country still does not know who will be its next president. The Honduran National Electoral Council has not declared a winner, and the transmission of results has experienced repeated malfunctions that interrupted updates for almost 24 hours at times. The delay has become the second-longest post-electoral silence since the election of former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernandez of the National Party in 2017, which was tainted by accusations of fraud. Once again, this has raised concerns among observers, civil society groups and the international community. The preliminary results remain close, but both
News about expanding security cooperation between Israel and Taiwan, including the visits of Deputy Minister of National Defense Po Horng-huei (柏鴻輝) in September and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) this month, as well as growing ties in areas such as missile defense and cybersecurity, should not be viewed as isolated events. The emphasis on missile defense, including Taiwan’s newly introduced T-Dome project, is simply the most visible sign of a deeper trend that has been taking shape quietly over the past two to three years. Taipei is seeking to expand security and defense cooperation with Israel, something officials
The Taipei Women’s Rescue Foundation has demanded an apology from China Central Television (CCTV), accusing the Chinese state broadcaster of using “deceptive editing” and distorting the intent of a recent documentary on “comfort women.” According to the foundation, the Ama Museum in Taipei granted CCTV limited permission to film on the condition that the footage be used solely for public education. Yet when the documentary aired, the museum was reportedly presented alongside commentary condemning Taiwan’s alleged “warmongering” and criticizing the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government’s stance toward Japan. Instead of focusing on women’s rights or historical memory, the program appeared crafted
RSS