Japanese lawmakers have been refraining from visiting China for fear of being arrested and not being able to return, while Taiwan is a popular destination, Japan’s Sankei Shimbun reported.
As 120 Japanese Diet members visited Taiwan last year and fewer than 10 went to China, Beijing hopes that they could visit China more often, Japanese Ambassador to China Kenji Kanasugi was cited as saying during a meeting of Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party on Thursday last week.
Kanasugi was in Japan to attend the Conference of the Ambassadors to Asian and Oceanian Countries and International Organizations, which was held on Thursday and Friday last week.
Photo courtesy of the Legislative Yuan
“Even if asked to pay a visit, I might be arrested and not be able to go home,” one of the legislators attending the meeting said.
Chinese authorities in March last year detained an employee of Japanese drugmaker Astellas Pharma Inc on a charge of contravening China’s anti-espionage law.
Japan’s efforts through official channels to have the man released have been in vain.
Former Japanese Diet member Shiori Kanno, who has long been concerned about human rights violations in Xinjiang and Hong Kong, was accused by the Hong Kong Department of Justice of being a “conspirator” with pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai (黎智英) for establishing the Japan Parliamentary Alliance on China.
The two did not know each other and had no interactions.
Japanese Diet member Arfiya Eri, who is of Uighur descent, on Tuesday last week said that Kanno could risk her safety if she went to China, or a country with which Beijing has an extradition treaty.
A survey conducted by Japan’s Nikkei newspaper last year showed that 74 percent of Japanese said they “dislike” China, a sentiment expressed by more than 70 percent of Japanese for six consecutive years, the paper reported last month.
On the other hand, 76.6 percent of Japanese said they felt “close” or “somewhat close” to Taiwan, a survey conducted last year by Tokyo-based Central Research Services showed.
Of the respondents, 65 percent said that Taiwan is “very trustworthy” or “trustworthy,” citing the two sides’ shared values.
Additional reporting by Liu Tzu-hsuan
The inspection equipment and data transmission system for new robotic dogs that Taipei is planning to use for sidewalk patrols were developed by a Taiwanese company, the city’s New Construction Office said today, dismissing concerns that the China-made robots could pose a security risk. The city is bringing in smart robotic dogs to help with sidewalk inspections, Taipei Deputy Mayor Lee Ssu-chuan (李四川) said on Facebook. Equipped with a panoramic surveillance system, the robots would be able to automatically flag problems and easily navigate narrow sidewalks, making inspections faster and more accurate, Lee said. By collecting more accurate data, they would help Taipei
TAKING STOCK: The USMC is rebuilding a once-abandoned airfield in Palau to support large-scale ground operations as China’s missile range grows, Naval News reported The US Marine Corps (USMC) is considering new sites for stockpiling equipment in the West Pacific to harden military supply chains and enhance mobility across the Indo-Pacific region, US-based Naval News reported on Saturday. The proposed sites in Palau — one of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies — and Australia would enable a “rapid standup of stored equipment within a year” of the program’s approval, the report said, citing documents published by the USMC last month. In Palau, the service is rebuilding a formerly abandoned World War II-era airfield and establishing ancillary structures to support large-scale ground operations “as China’s missile range and magazine
A 72-year-old man in Kaohsiung was sentenced to 40 days in jail after he was found having sex with a 67-year-old woman under a slide in a public park on Sunday afternoon. At 3pm on Sunday, a mother surnamed Liang (梁) was with her child at a neighborhood park when they found the man, surnamed Tsai (蔡), and woman, surnamed Huang (黃), underneath the slide. Liang took her child away from the scene, took photographs of the two and called the police, who arrived and arrested the couple. During questioning, Tsai told police that he had met Huang that day and offered to
A British man was arrested for attempting to smuggle 14.37kg of marijuana into Taiwan through Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Taipei Customs said late yesterday. The man, who arrived from Bangkok at 9pm on Friday, was asked by customs officers to open his luggage during a random inspection, Taipei Customs said in a news release. The passenger, whose identity was not disclosed, refused to open his suitcase and tried to flee the restricted area. He was eventually subdued by three customs officials and an Aviation Police Bureau officer. A later search of his checked luggage uncovered 14.37kg of marijuana buds. The case was handed over
RSS