Pan-blue legislators slammed the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) yesterday for "not standing up to Japan," with one prominent lawmaker calling Japan a "dangerous element" in the region on a par with North Korea.
The lawmakers made the comments while panning CGA Director Wang Chin-wang (
"There's been a lot a talk about the arms bill lately, but little said about our Coast Guard Administration, which is oftentimes the only line of defense for our maritime territory, including our economic zones," said Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Joanna Lei (雷情) during the meeting.
Lei added that the coast guard focused too much on intercepting Chinese vessels while Japan bullied Taiwanese fishing boats with virtual impunity.
"How many of our boats have Chinese authorities intercepted this year?" Lei asked Wang.
"None," Wong answered, adding that Japan refuses to recognize Taiwan's proposed maritime boundaries.
"So why are we stopping Chinese boats when they don't stop ours? Japan is our biggest bully. How come we're not doing more to assert our maritime sovereignty over Japan?" Lei asked.
KMT Legislator John Wu (
"Japan colonized us for half a century, and while their Self Defense Forces sound innocuous, they are actually very powerful," Wu said, adding that Japan was as dangerous as North Korea.
Regarding the Diaoyutai, Wu said that a Taiwan-Japan "showdown" was necessary to make the country's stance clear.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
Many Japanese couples are coming to Taiwan to obtain donated sperm or eggs for fertility treatment due to conservatism in their home country, Taiwan’s high standards and low costs, doctors said. One in every six couples in Japan is receiving infertility treatment, Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare data show. About 70,000 children are born in Japan every year through in vitro fertilization (IVF), or about one in every 11 children born. Few people accept donated reproductive cells in Japan due to a lack of clear regulations, leaving treatment in a “gray zone,” Taichung Nuwa Fertility Center medical director Wang Huai-ling (王懷麟)
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it
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