Japan is expected to station a serving military officer in Taiwan for the first time, which shows how significant ties to Taipei are for Tokyo, retired Taiwanese generals and defense experts said yesterday.
The placement, first reported by the daily Sankei Shimbun, would facilitate Taiwan-Japan military collaboration and intelligence sharing, they said.
Institute for National Policy Research executive director Kuo Yu-jen (郭育仁) said stationing retired military officers in Taiwan, as Japan currently does, is ineffective, as they would not have a direct channel to the Japanese Ministry of Defense.
Photo: CNA
Japan would likely dispatch a major, lieutenant colonel or colonel to Taiwan, Kuo said.
Institute for National Defense and Security Research senior analyst Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲) said the placement would represent a structural change in the Japanese government’s attitude toward Taiwan.
Japan’s reliance on importing natural resources, mostly via maritime routes near Taiwan, and the growing threat posed by an increasingly belligerent Chinese navy in those waters, make safety in the Bashi Channel and the Taiwan Strait a significant part of Japanese strategic interest, Su said.
Retired air force lieutenant general Chang Yan-ting (張延廷) said Japan’s decision is in line with actions by the US and South Korea, adding that US armed forces personnel are stationed at the American Institute in Taiwan and South Korea has a lieutenant colonel in Taiwan.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs deputy spokesman Tsui Ching-lin (崔靜麟) said the foreign ministry has repeatedly called on like-minded countries to pay more attention to the situation in the waters near Taiwan, but refused to comment on the Japanese newspaper reports.
Tsui thanked Japan for echoing Taiwan’s call for increased attention on the region and joint action on defending democratic values.
The Ministry of National Defense said it welcomes all military exchange activities that can help enhance regional peace and stability.
Additional reporting with CNA
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