Taipei yesterday protested the seating arrangement at the Nagasaki atomic bombing memorial ceremony, saying that the Nagasaki City Government’s decision to place its representative outside the diplomatic delegation area slighted Taiwan’s national status and played into Beijing’s efforts to suppress the nation.
Representative to Japan Lee Yi-yang (李逸洋) said he declined to attend the event, because the seat placement deliberately diminished Taiwan’s status and dignity, with Chen Ming-chun (陳銘俊), head of the Fukuoka Branch of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Osaka, attending in his place.
Taiwan is known worldwide for its commitment to peace and democracy, Lee said, adding that many Taiwanese were among the victims of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki 81 years ago.
Photo: EPA/Jiji Press
Taiwan attends peace memorial ceremonies to reaffirm its commitment to peace and working with democratic countries toward that goal, but the Nagasaki government has taken a pro-China stance, he said.
The nation was also treated unfairly at last year’s event, he added.
Over the past year, prominent Taiwan-friendly lawmakers have urged Nagasaki to treat Taiwan appropriately, but the city has failed to treat Taiwan properly, so a lower-ranking representative was sent to the ceremony instead, Lee said.
Photo: Taipei Times
Nagasaki deliberately denied Taiwan’s status as a country through its seating arrangement, disregarding Taiwan’s sovereignty and dignity, he said.
The decision advanced China’s claim that Taiwan is not a country, has no sovereignty and is part of China, he added.
Taiwan is a sovereign and independent nation, and has never been a part of China, Lee said, condemning Nagasaki for yielding to China.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s (台積電) investment in a plant in Kumamoto, Japan, is expected to generate ￥2.3 trillion (US$14.57 billion) in economic benefits for the Kyushu region over 10 years, which would also benefit Nagasaki, he said.
The nation has also consistently provided Japan with aid following natural disasters, he added.
Lee also emphasized the strong friendship between the two countries, saying that 3.97 million Taiwanese visited Japan in the first half of this year, the second highest among all countries, with their spending totaling ￥752.3 billion, also the highest.
Although Taiwan ranks 57th in the world in terms of population, it ranks fourth in stock market capitalization and is a key global hub for high-tech hardware, he said, adding that the economy grew 13.72 percent in the first half of the year, making its global importance impossible to ignore.
China is the region’s biggest threat to peace, as it has continued to expand its nuclear arsenal and conduct military exercises across the Indo-Pacific region, he said.
The Nagasaki memorial calls for the abolition of nuclear weapons and pursuit of peace, and it is regrettable that its city government sided with China and belittled Taiwan, considering Taipei’s commitment to peace, he added.
In Taipei yesterday, Democratic Progressive Party caucus whip Chuang Jui-hsiung (莊瑞雄) expressed support for Lee’s decision not to attend the event.
The Nagasaki atomic bomb memorial is intended to honor the lessons of war and pursue peace, not serve as a political tool for China to suppress Taiwan, Chuang said.
It is ironic that Nagasaki called for nuclear disarmament and peace while yielding to Chinese pressure, when Beijing is expanding its nuclear arsenal and using military force to threaten peace in the Taiwan Strait, Chuang added.
However, Nagasaki’s erroneous decision should not affect Taiwan and Japan’s deep friendship, he said, calling on Japan to correct the issue and not allow a ceremony commemorating peace to become a platform for China to suppress Taiwan.
Additional reporting by Lin Che-yuan
See NAGASAKI on page 5
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