The security of Taiwan is directly linked with that of Japan, Japanese Minister of Defense Nobuo Kishi said on Thursday, as tensions around Taiwan build up and its defenses are increasingly overshadowed by China’s military might.
The comments from a Cabinet minister known for his close ties to Taipei came a week after China sent 28 warplanes near Taiwan, in the latest ratcheting up of military pressure around the nation, 110km from Japan at its nearest point.
“The peace and stability of Taiwan are directly connected to Japan, and we are closely monitoring ties between China and Taiwan, as well as Chinese military activity,” Kishi said in an interview.
Photo: Bloomberg
“As China strengthens its military, its balance with Taiwan is tipping heavily to the Chinese side,” he said, adding that the gap is widening every year.
Taiwan is crucial for Tokyo, with the Luzon Strait to the south of Japan an important shipping lane for the energy tankers that resource-poor Japan relies on to power its economy.
On April 17, Kishi visited Yonaguni, the nearest Japanese island to Taiwan, and the Fuji News Network reported him as saying days later at a ruling party seminar that if Taiwan “turns red,” the situation might change drastically, and Japan needs to be ready for that.
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the comments reckless and irresponsible.
The younger brother of former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, Kishi was among a group of lawmakers who visited Taipei last year to convey condolences over the death of former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝).
Taiwan has become an increasingly important topic for the US and its allies, many of whom are concerned about China’s growing assertiveness near the country, whose semiconductor industry has become a linchpin of the global supply chain.
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and US President Joe Biden emphasized the importance of reducing tensions in the Taiwan Strait following their April summit, the first mention of the issue in a joint statement since 1969.
In the same statement, Japan, whose pacifist constitution leaves it heavily dependent on the US for its “nuclear umbrella,” vowed to bolster its own defense capabilities.
In other news, Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Toshimitsu Motegi yesterday said that Japan would soon give Taiwan a second donation of 1 million doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.
The vaccines would arrive by the middle of next month, Motegi told a news conference, three weeks after Japan donated 1.24 million doses to Taiwan.
The donations are a gesture of gratitude for Taiwan’s aid to Japan in the aftermath of a devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan in 2011, Motegi said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Taipei issued a statement, thanking Japan for its generosity.
Additional reporting by CNA
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
RSS