Japan sends letter to UN chief rebutting China’s claims over Taiwan remarks
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Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has been accused of expressing ambitions to intervene militarily in Taiwan.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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TOKYO – Japan’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Mr Kazuyuki Yamazaki, sent a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Nov 24 rebutting the claims in a Chinese request that Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi retract remarks on a Taiwan contingency.
In the letter, Mr Yamazaki emphasised that Japan’s basic policy is an exclusively defence-oriented strategy. He argued that China’s claim, suggesting Japan would exercise its right to self-defence even if there is no armed attack, is incorrect.
Mr Yamazaki also said that his country’s position on Taiwan has not changed since the 1972 Japan-China Joint Communique, when the two nations normalised diplomatic ties, adding that Tokyo expects the Taiwan question to be resolved peacefully through dialogue.
Pointing out that China has curtailed its people-to-people and economic exchanges with Japan, including trade in seafood products, Mr Yamazaki said Japan will address the matter calmly through dialogue.
Last week, China’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Mr Fu Cong, said in a letter to Mr Guterres that Ms Takaichi’s comments marked “the first time Japan has expressed ambitions to intervene militarily in the Taiwan question”, according to the Chinese state-run news agency Xinhua.
Japan and China have been locked in a diplomatic row since Beijing harshly criticised Ms Takaichi’s response to parliamentary questions on Nov 7, in which she said a military attack on Taiwan could present a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan.
Her remarks were interpreted as indicating that her government could authorise the Self-Defence Forces to take action in support of the US if China were to impose a maritime blockade on Taiwan or engage in other forms of coercion.
On Nov 24, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said that easing tensions through dialogue is essential as relations between Japan and China deteriorate.
Regarding how the letter sent by Mr Fu would be handled, he said only that the UN would fulfil its responsibility to share it with member states. KYODO NEWS
