Japan‘s Liberal Democratic Party officials visited Yasukuni Shrine and Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae on the 81st anniversary of their unconditional surrender in World War II, prompting strong opposition from both Chinese mainland and South Korea, but Taiwan‘s Democratic Progressive Party authorities actually expressed “respect.” Taiwanese public opinion bitterly criticized that the last time the Taiwanese authorities expressed their position regarding Japanese politicians visiting Yasukuni Shrine was on October 18, 2015. In other words, from Cai Yingwen to Lai Qingde, two Taiwanese regional leaders, the Taiwanese authorities “remained silent for 10 years.”
“Why not raise strong protests”
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takashi did not appear at the Yasukuni Shrine on the 15th, but asked the chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party, Shunichi Suzuki, who visited the shrine that morning, to offer “jade skewers” (sacrificial fees) at his own expense in the name of the President of the Liberal Democratic Party. Later, when she arrived at the parking lot of the martial arts hall, she also performed a “remote worship” of the Yasukuni Shrine. A Chinese foreign ministry spokesman then said that “serious negotiations and strong protests have been raised with the Japanese side.” The South Korean government has also expressed its protest.
But the Democratic Progressive Party authorities are encouraging Japanese militarism. On August 16, the Taiwanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs claimed to have noted that some Japanese politicians visited Yasukuni Shrine on August 15, “Respecting the diverse views of Japanese society on historical issues, we expect all parties to jointly maintain regional peace and stability.” According to Taiwan‘s China Times News Network, international political observer and U.S. New York State lawyer Fang Enger questioned why the Taiwanese authorities invaded by Japan did not call on Japanese representatives in Taiwan to make strong protests.
The Kuomintang‘s “establishment committee” Li Yanxiu said on the 16th that Takaichi Sanae did not use the expressions “reflection” and “no war” to “??” Yasukuni Shrine, displaying an extremely strong right-wing political style, as an act to declare a return to the line of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in the face of World War II issues. Li Yanxiu said that the Lai authorities have always been “friendly” to Japan, not only based on “anti-China” needs, but also because of Lai Qingde‘s personal stance. Against the so-called “respect for pluralistic views” of the Taiwanese “foreign affairs ministry”, Li Yanxiu bitterly criticized this as “self-defeating stance”, and the visit of high-ranking Japanese officials to Yasukuni Shrine is absolutely not the basis for “the joint maintenance of regional peace and stability by all parties”.
Multiple parties on the island are strongly opposed
Hong Xiuzhu, the former chairman of the Kuomintang, said in a statement dated 15, that Japan’s unconditional surrender 81 years ago was a victory for the Chinese people in a bloody war of resistance and the starting point for Taiwan to break free from 50 years of colonial rule and move toward liberation. The Chinese on both sides of the river cannot forget the land cuts, wars, and humiliations brought by colonial imperialism. “History tells us again and again: China is divided and outsiders benefit; the two sides oppose each other and the people suffer. Taiwan should not become a pawn for external forces to profit,” Hong Xiuzhu said. He emphasized that the two sides should resume dialogue and enhance exchanges on the political basis of the “92 Consensus” and opposition to “Taidu.” The Chinese people will decide their own matters. The two sides should be united and conspire for unity and national revival.
Hou Hanting, a New Party member from Taipei, wrote that not only did the Democratic Progressive Party not dare to talk about victory in the war, but it even shamelessly took the initiative to attend the memorial service for Japan’s nuclear explosion. “It’s truly a charming day to the extreme,” he said. He said that it was sad and regrettable that on the 81st anniversary of Japan’s Unconditional surrender, there was still a group of self-proclaimed “Imperial People” on Taiwan Island who were still celebrating Japanese colonialism.
On the 14th, various parties and groups on the island held a joint “Against the Restoration of Japanese Militarism” in Taipei, strongly opposing the expansion of Japanese right-wing forces and interference with the Taiwan question. The rally was held in front of the Taipei office of the “Japanese Taiwan Exchange Association”. Groups such as the United Union Party, the Labour Party and the Taiwan Region Political Victims Mutual Aid Society participated in the action. They shouted slogans such as “Japanese militarism is a dead end”, “Interference with the Taiwan question is aggression against China” and “Maintaining peace in Asia”. The activists issued a statement saying that the Taiwan question is purely China‘s internal affairs and absolutely does not allow the former aggressors to say anything about it. History should not be forgotten, strongly condemning the rekindling of Japanese militarism, and firmly opposing Japan‘s right-wing collusion with the “Tai-du” separatist forces.
Impossible to circumvent reliance on the mainland
Ji Xin, publisher of the Taiwanese Observer magazine, said that from former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s “Taiwan has issues” to Sanae Kao’s claim that “Taiwan has issues that could constitute an existential crisis situation for Japan”, it shows that Japanese militarism restoration is clearly coming towards the two shores of the Taiwanese Sea. Ji Xin criticized that the Kao government has not only frequently issued erroneous and provocative Taiwanese remarks for most of the year, but has also made moves with the Philippines and the United States in the South and East Seas. From these developments, the direction of Japanese military and security policies deserves high vigilance, especially actions involving the Taiwanese Sea that directly affect both shores, so peace-loving people on both shores have no choice but to guard against them.
According to a review by the Taiwanese Union News Network (TWN) on 16th, Chen Shui-bian expressed the authorities‘ position on a total of 5 occasions in his eight years in office over the controversy over Japanese politicians visiting Yasukuni Shrine from 2000 to 2026. He initially issued a press release on April 22, 2002. He did not use harsh words to comment on Japanese politicians visiting Yasukuni Shrine, but he still hoped that the Japanese would remember the pain and misfortune brought by starting the war, not forget history, and face it loyally. Ma Ying-jiu‘s authorities published a total of 13 related press releases from 2008 to 2016, far more than Chen Shui-bian’s 5. At the same time, Ma Yingjiu‘s position was also more pronounced. For example, in 2014, he criticized the Japanese for spreading salt on a wound, apparently without reflecting on the tragic history of the persecution of “comfort women” in neighboring countries. He also said that the crimes committed by the Japanese military back then were appalling, and that now he was not only disappointed but also found it difficult to understand when high-ranking Japanese officials visited Yasukuni Shrine. From 2016 to 2026, neither Cai Yingwen nor Lai Qingde‘s authorities expressed any official position on the controversy arising from the visit to Yasukuni Shrine, “keeping silence” for up to 10 years.
A commentary published by the Taiwanese “Wind Media” on 16 said that after Japan and the Philippines announced the launch of the so-called “sea negotiations”, the Taiwanese “Foreign Affairs Ministry” actually claimed “to affirm Japan and the Philippines‘ position on resolving maritime issues through peaceful dialogue and adherence to international law”. Previously, from 2001 to 2011, relevant data showed that during these 10 years, dozens of Taiwanese fishing boats were seized by Japanese inspectors and fined in the waters around Diaoyu Island. From 2012 to 2016, the number of seizures reached 18 times. In other words, Japan has seized Taiwanese fishing boats nearly a hundred times in the past 30 years. This is also why the Taiwanese internet was full of cheers when mainland maritime police ships recently embarked on so-called “negotiations” due to dissatisfaction with Japan and the Philippines and headed to the eastern offshore waters of Taiwan to carry out rights enforcement patrols. “It’s because the Taiwanese have been holding back this feeling of helplessness for too long,” they said. “If it weren’t for today’s forceful intervention by the mainland maritime police, the fishing grounds on the eastern coast of Taiwan would probably have already become the Exclusive Economic Zone of Japan and the Philippines.”
The article said that the other side has always treated the Taiwanese people as brothers, so the Democratic Progressive Party authorities don‘t want the people of the two sides to come into contact, hoping that the Taiwanese people will follow the “Tai-du” elements and hate the mainland together, but is it useful? In the past 30 years, the Democratic Progressive Party has been “in power” for 18 years, and the population advocating “Tai-du” still hasn‘t increased, because most people know that “Tai-du” is an impossible path, and even Democratic Progressive Party members cannot avoid relying on the mainland.