Former Prime Minister Taro Aso on Tuesday described Taiwan as an important "country" for Japan, possibly triggering strong backlash from China, which considers the self-ruled democratic island part of its territory.
Aso's remarks were made during a ceremony in Tokyo related to Taiwan. Communist-led Beijing and Taipei have been governed separately since they split due to a civil war in 1949. Aso now serves as supreme adviser to the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.
At the event to mark a major public holiday on the island, Aso, a former vice president of the LDP, said Taiwan is a "country close to Japan," and emphasized the significance of maintaining friendly relations despite the lack of diplomatic ties.
In January, Aso, known as a conservative lawmaker, also said an emergency surrounding Taiwan would be "undoubtedly a crisis for Japan's existence," as tensions have been escalating between the island and the mainland.
Japan cut diplomatic ties with Taiwan and established them with Beijing in 1972, but Tokyo and Taipei have boosted private-sector-led economic relations and people-to-people exchanges in a wide array areas, ranging from education, art and sports to health care.
© KYODO
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awomde
Because you know what ..... TAIWAN IS AN INDEPENDENT COUNTRY! Who cares what the UN voted on when Nixon was still President. Who cares what the corrupt IOC said 40 years ago. Who cares what the delusional bullies in Beijing say. If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it is a duck! Time for countries to face reality and recognise Taiwan for what it is - an independent self governing country. The One China policy of the early 1970's is long dead, nobody in Taiwan believes they have the right to govern the mainland anymore. All it's gonna take is a major country/leader with balls to stand up to PRC China and be the first to recognise Taiwan and the rest will follow. Time to step up to the plate Donald next January
TaiwanIsNotChina
You said it, but Trump will only do what he is paid to do, including defend Taiwan.
Legrande
Formerly the Republic of Formosa, woild be interesting if it turns out Aso's father's mining company had one there and if so did they employ slave labor as they did in Japan.
Chico3
Aren't many countries important?
shogun36
nobody asked him.
what does it matter to him, anyway?
and why would he interrupt his daily nap from doing nothing all day, to just make random statements?
Ken
Did I miss something? Last I remembered Trump didn't care to help out foreign countries if I remember how vocal he has been about Ukraine. US resources, military and assets cost money and Trump is not known as The Giver especially with his only game plan being about increasing the prices on tariffs.
Ken
Taiwan is an important country for everyone. We can see the tears shed and silent screaming coming from the people of Hong Kong. The people of Taiwan don't want that same fate and they don't deserve it either
isabelle
One of the few areas I agree with Aso on.
...with absolutely no justification for doing so.
As Taiwan's democratically-elected government has stated many times: "Taiwan is already a sovereign, independent country called the Republic of China," and "The Republic of China and the People’s Republic of China are not subordinate to one another."
https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2023/08/16/2003804803
isabelle
Indeed, and Resolution 2758 is misused by the CCP and its baying hordes to claim falsely that it meant that the UN recognizes Taiwan as part of the PRC. It does not. The vote only determined who would represent "China" at the UN; Taiwan wasn't even mentioned.
It's a very important point, and one that is constantly abused by the CCP, so everyone must be fully aware of this abuse.
https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/editorials/archives/2024/04/23/2003816809