Taiwan should maintain communications with Japan, as Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is to lead a revision of security documents, Taiwanese academics said yesterday.
Tensions have risen between Japan and China over remarks by Takaichi earlier this month that the use of force against Taiwan would constitute a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan.
Prospect Foundation president Lai I-chung (賴怡忠) yesterday said Takaichi’s stance regarding Taiwan is the same as past Japanese prime ministers, but her position is clearer than that of her predecessors Fumio Kishida and Shigeru Ishiba.
Photo: AP
Although Japan views a “Taiwan contingency” as a “survival-threatening situation,” which would allow its military to be mobilized, that does not mean Tokyo would directly assist Taiwan’s military operations, Lai said.
Instead, it would mean Japan would have a more direct role within the security framework of the US-Japan alliance, requiring Tokyo to fulfill corresponding duties and actions, he said.
Taiwan should offer “moral support” for Takaichi, Lai said, adding that the nation should also maintain communications with Japan, as Takaichi is to lead the revision of three security documents that reflect the direction of Japan policy.
The three documents are the National Security Strategy, the National Defense Strategy and the Defense Build-up Plan.
Meanwhile, National Sun Yat-sen University Institute of China and Asia-Pacific Studies director Kuo Yu-jen (郭育仁) said security legislation implemented by Japan in 2015 mandates that national policies must promote the greatest welfare of the people.
Takaichi’s response to the question, “If China uses force to invade Taiwan and blockades Taiwan, and the US military comes to its aid, would this meet the conditions for exercising collective self-defense?” was made from a legal perspective, Kuo said, adding that it was not a new policy, but an interpretation of existing legal framework and consistent with the stance of former Japanese prime ministers.
As for China-Japan relations, he said: “It can’t be reversed.”
Chinese authorities would adopt a long-term and comprehensive pressure strategy, primarily to prevent a “domino effect,” Kuo said.
If China allows Japan to speak this way, neighboring countries such as the Philippines, Vietnam or South Korea might follow suit, he said, adding that Beijing also aims to prevent an internal “domino effect” within Japan.
The next Japanese leader could make the same remarks as Takaichi, which China would certainly not tolerate, Kuo said.
China’s future retaliatory measures would be more severe and diversified, he said, adding that the scale of its military exercises might expand and move closer to Japan.
The sanctions could extend from agricultural and fishery products to industrial goods, and large-scale anti-Japan protests might take place in the coming months, Kuo said.
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