Japan's plan to redraw its air defense identification zone (ADIZ) westward, overlapping with parts of Taiwan's own zone, has serious implications for Taiwan, and the government's outright opposition represents a missed opportunity for dialogue and reaffirming relations, academics said.
A report by Sankei Shinbum on May 26 said Japan brought up the issue with Taiwan through the Interchange Association (Japan) in Taipei, which represents Japanese interests in the absence of diplomatic ties.
On May 29, Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement saying it found the expansion plan “unacceptable,” citing “integrity of the nation's airspace and sovereignty” and expressed “regrets over Japan coming to a decision without consulting Taiwan in advance.”
Commenting on the matter, former Taiwanese representative to the US Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) said the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) government's handling of the case was in line with its foreign policy, which Wu described as “pandering to China while distancing [Taiwan] from the US and Japan.”
Saying that AIDZ demarcation is “not a zero-sum issue,” Wu said the government should have sat down and negotiated a compromise with Japan instead of flatly rejecting a possible rezoning.
“Rejecting the plan was not necessarily in our interests, as we have to consider the possibility that Japan might side with us if conflict arises in our relationship with China and vice versa. Taiwan is Japan's ally on many issues such as North Korea,” said Wu, a research fellow at National Chengchi University's Institute of International Relations.
Given Taiwan and Japan's various common interests, it was inappropriate for the government to elevate the issue to a question of sovereignty and incite anti-Japanese sentiment in Taiwan.
Wu said the real issue that the government failed to mention was that it is China's rapidly growing military buildup that prompted Japan to make the move.
After the end of World War II, the US military drew the AIDZ for Yonaguni Island, Japan's westernmost territory, which lies 108km from Taiwan's east coast. The air space above the western two-thirds of the island now falls under Taiwan's ADIZ.
According to Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lin Yu-fang (林郁方), although Taiwan holds jurisdiction over this airspace, it has never operated military aircraft within the 12 nautical miles (22km) west of Yonaguni and thus poses no threat to the integrity of Japan's territorial air space.
During a meeting of the legislature's Foreign and National Defense Committee on May 31, Lin asked Minister of Foreign Affairs Timothy Yang (楊進添) to explain why Japan suddenly wanted to make the change.
In response, Yang said it was because the Japanese government, headed by then-prime minister Yukio Hatoyama, wished to meet the demands of residents of the island to ease public dissatisfaction with him backtracking on his pledge to move Futenma, the US army base, from Okinawa, Yang said.
Hatoyama resigned as Japan's prime minister on June 2.
Wang Kun-yi (王崑義), adjunct professor at Tamkang University's Graduate Institute of International Affairs and Strategic Studies, said he found Yang's explanation unconvincing.
“If the rationale behind the Japanese decision to move its ADIZ westward was as simple as [Yang had said], Hatoyama would not have had to step down,” Wang said.
Wang said Tokyo was concerned that the cross-strait detente might give China a chance to expand beyond the island chain, the first line of defense for the US-Japan alliance to prevent China from enhancing its clout in the Pacific.
“It could be seen as a preemptive action against a possible loophole in the first island chain, as Yonaguni occupies a key strategic location in the chain. Given the US-Japan security alliance in the region, Japan would not have made the move without US backing,” he said.
Regaining jurisdiction of the air space above Yonaguni Island would help Japan better monitor the Chinese People's Liberation Army's maneuvers and trace the progress of its blue-water ambition, Wang observed.
“Several large-scale exercises conducted by China in the East China Sea and the frequent appearance of Chinese ocean research vessels in the Pacific waters pose serious threats to Japan,” he said. “The [Taiwanese] government's cross-strait policy has also made Japan feel insecure about looking to Taiwan to contain China.”
During a roundtable discussion with local reporters on June 4, American Institute in Taiwan Chairman Raymond Burghardt was asked about the US’ position on the matter. Burrhardt did not answer, saying he was not sure about the accuracy of the report in the Japanese newspaper.
Yang Chun-chih (楊鈞池), an associate professor specializing in East Asia research at National Kaohsiung University, said the move could be seen as a continuation of a plan Japan had came up with at the end of 2008 to station army personnel on Yonaguni and establish a radar detection facility.
The KMT government expressed its opposition to the plan then, citing national security concerns as Taiwan's military activities would be exposed to the radar system if it is launched, Yang said.
“Likewise, if Japan redraws its ADIZ, it would also cause security concerns in Taiwan,” he said.
“Taiwan should conduct sincere talks with Japan on this for its own interests. [The talks] could also boost bilateral relations [as it could be a medium for Japan to air] any doubts over improvements in cross-strait ties,” Yang said.
Yangmingshan National Park authorities yesterday urged visitors to respect public spaces and obey the law after a couple was caught on a camera livestream having sex at the park’s Qingtiangang (擎天崗) earlier in the day. The Shilin Police Precinct in Taipei said it has identified a suspect and his vehicle registration number, and would summon him for questioning. The case would be handled in accordance with public indecency charges, it added. The couple entered the park at about 11pm on Thursday and began fooling around by 1am yesterday, the police said, adding that the two were unaware of the park’s all-day live
A former soldier and an active-duty army officer were yesterday indicted for allegedly selling classified military training materials to a Chinese intelligence operative for a total of NT$79,440. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office indicted Chen Tai-yin (陳泰尹) and Lee Chun-ta (李俊達) for contravening the National Security Act (國家安全法) and the Anti-Corruption Act (貪污治罪條例). Chen left the military in September 2013 after serving alongside then-staff sergeant Lee, now an army lieutenant, at the 21st Artillery Command of the army’s Sixth Corps from 2011 to 2013, according to the indictment. Chen met a Chinese intelligence operative identified as “Wang” (王) through a friend in November
Minister of Digital Affairs Lin Yi-ching (林宜敬) yesterday cited regulatory issues and national security concerns as an expert said that Taiwan is among the few Asian regions without Starlink. Lin made the remarks on Facebook after funP Innovation Group chief executive officer Nathan Chiu (邱繼弘) on Friday said Taiwan and four other countries in Asia — China, North Korea, Afghanistan and Syria — have no access to Starlink. Starlink has become available in 166 countries worldwide, including Ukraine, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam, in the six years since it became commercial, he said. While China and North Korea block Starlink, Syria is not
The Grand Hotel Taipei has rejected media reports claiming that the hotel had prevented CBS from broadcasting coverage of the Beijing summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) on its premises. Media reports alleging that the hotel owner, dissatisfied with CBS’s coverage, prohibited the network from broadcasting political content on the hotel premises, are not true, the hotel said in a statement issued last night. The reports were “inconsistent with how the hotel actually handled the matter,” it said. The hotel said it received a refund request from a
RSS