The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) expressed its hope that Japan would continue to maintain mutually beneficial relations with Taiwan in the future, no matter who the next prime minister is, MOFA spokesman David Wang (
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe earlier on Wednesday had announced his resignation.
Wang expressed gratitude to Abe for his promotion of Taiwan-Japan relations during his term as prime minister and chief Cabinet secretary. Wang said the MOFA fully understood Abe's difficulties in dealing with political entanglements and his intention to resign.
Wang said the new prime minister is very likely to follow the same fundamental policies on Japan-Taiwan, or Japan-China relations and avoid involvement with controversial issues such as visiting the Yasukuni Shrine to prevent worsening relations between Japan and China.
Philip Yang (楊永明), a professor at the Department of Political Science of the National Taiwan University, said that Abe's support rating had dropped from 70 percent to 30 percent within a year.
Yang said the drop in popularity came as a result of Abe's inability to implement policies to address the economy, and his scandal-scarred Cabinet, with four Cabinet ministers forced to resign over the past year.
Lo Fu-cheng (羅福全), Taiwan's former representative to Japan, and chairman of the East Asia Relations Commission, said that Taro Aso, secretary-general of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and a former Japanese foreign Minister, is Abe's most probable successor.
Abe has actively expanded Japan's involvement in international affairs and has made strides in combating terrorism and pursuing regional peace. Japan-Taiwan relations have improved in leaps and bounds during Abe's term, Lo said, quoting President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) as saying that Taiwan and Japan have enjoyed their best relations since the two countries ended official diplomatic ties in 1972.
Lo said Aso wrote a book called Arc of Freedom and Prosperity in which he argued for "value-oriented diplomacy" in Japan. The approach would allow Japan to solicit "value alliances" such as those with India and members of ASEAN, which pursue values of freedom and democracy.
If elected prime minister, Aso would likely follow Abe's principles for Japan's international relations, Lo said.
Lo added that Aso might also continue to pursue current policies on Japan-China relations, and urge China to become a "constructive" and "responsible" member of the international community.
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Monday called for greater cooperation between Taiwan, Lithuania and the EU to counter threats to information security, including attacks on undersea cables and other critical infrastructure. In a speech at Vilnius University in the Lithuanian capital, Tsai highlighted recent incidents in which vital undersea cables — essential for cross-border data transmission — were severed in the Taiwan Strait and the Baltic Sea over the past year. Taiwanese authorities suspect Chinese sabotage in the incidents near Taiwan’s waters, while EU leaders have said Russia is the likely culprit behind similar breaches in the Baltic. “Taiwan and our European
The Taipei District Court sentenced babysitters Liu Tsai-hsuan (劉彩萱) and Liu Jou-lin (劉若琳) to life and 18 years in prison respectively today for causing the death of a one-year-old boy in December 2023. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said that Liu Tsai-hsuan was entrusted with the care of a one-year-old boy, nicknamed Kai Kai (剴剴), in August 2023 by the Child Welfare League Foundation. From Sept. 1 to Dec. 23 that year, she and her sister Liu Jou-lin allegedly committed acts of abuse against the boy, who was rushed to the hospital with severe injuries on Dec. 24, 2023, but did not
Taiwanese indie band Sunset Rollercoaster and South Korean outfit Hyukoh collectively received the most nominations at this year’s Golden Melody Awards, earning a total of seven nods from the jury on Wednesday. The bands collaborated on their 2024 album AAA, which received nominations for best band, best album producer, best album design and best vocal album recording. “Young Man,” a single from the album, earned nominations for song of the year and best music video, while another track, “Antenna,” also received a best music video nomination. Late Hong Kong-American singer Khalil Fong (方大同) was named the jury award winner for his 2024 album
Hong Kong singer Eason Chan’s (陳奕迅) concerts in Kaohsiung this weekend have been postponed after he was diagnosed with Covid-19 this morning, the organizer said today. Chan’s “FEAR and DREAMS” concert which was scheduled to be held in the coming three days at the Kaohsiung Arena would be rescheduled to May 29, 30 and 31, while the three shows scheduled over the next weekend, from May 23 to 25, would be held as usual, Universal Music said in a statement. Ticket holders can apply for a full refund or attend the postponed concerts with the same seating, the organizer said. Refund arrangements would
RSS