Lee Teng-hui applauds Japan’s self-defense move

[Aepsilons]

Former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) endorsed Japan’s move to affirm its right to “collective self-defense,” saying it will strengthen the US-Japan strategic alliance and help stabilize the region.

The new rule was passed by the Cabinet led by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday and approves a reinterpretation of Article 9 in the constitution that allows the nation’s military to come to the aid of allies if they come under attack, even if Japan itself is not facing a foreign threat of force.

“The right to ‘collective self-defense’ is important to Japan and the US. Although the US has a powerful military, the nation is facing economic difficulty. Now that Japan is willing to exercise that right, the US will be more assured. It will also strengthen the US-Japan strategic alliance,” Lee said.

The former president said follow-up developments would see countries like the Philippines, Australia and India having closer military ties with Japan, and that Taiwan is to be affected as well.

Lee said the changed environment would lead to more restrained behavior by China, which behaves aggressively toward weaker nations amid its economic growth, such as by always bringing up [its claims on] the Diaoyutai Islands [釣魚台, or Senkaku Islands in Japan] and maritime disputes with Vietnam and the Philippines.

“After Japan’s approving the exercise of its right to collective self-defense, China will become less likely to make aggressive moves, so the entire Asian region will have more stability,” Lee said after attending a youth leadership training workshop.

“Japan should take this opportunity to amend Article 9 in its constitution. I also hope to see Japan make serious efforts to draft its own ‘Taiwan Relations Act,’ so Taiwan can have more stability,” he said.




Lee Teng-hui applauds Japan’s self-defense move - Taipei Times

“Japan should take this opportunity to amend Article 9 in its constitution. I also hope to see Japan make serious efforts to draft its own ‘Taiwan Relations Act,’ so Taiwan can have more stability,” he said.

 

[cirr]

Since when Li Denghui（Lee Teng-hui），a 92-year old retired politician of Japanese descent，is Taiwan？

 

[Pangu]

I would have no comment on Japan amending Article 9, it is their right. But coming into some kind of defense treaty with Taiwan is a power keg waiting to explode.

 

[Aepsilons]

Taiwan and Japan’s Collective Self-Defense


As is probably clear from listening to the podcast, there were slight disagreements on a couple of issues between Ankit and Clint on the one hand, and myself on the other. First, I felt that the purpose of the reinterpretation was to finally provide Japan with the inherent right to collective self-defense as enshrined in Article 51 of the UN Charter. Clint assured me that the reinterpretation was aimed at being much more limited.

Having the chance to read up more on the subject, I am unsurprised to learn that Clint was correct (after all, he is our resident Japan expert). First, unlike Article 51 which provides nations with the inherent right to come to the aid of allies even if the states themselves are not directly threatened, the reinterpretation of Article 9 only allows Tokyo to come to the defense of allies if it can be tied directly to its own defense. As the vice president of New Komeito, LDP’s coalition partner, Kazuo Kitagawa explained: “Collective self-defense under international law means defending other countries without considering if that would infringe on one’s own security, but we see this as part of the self-defense of Japan.”

Second, because of pressure from New Komeito, the revision doesn’t explicitly give Japan the right to collective self-defense, but rather says that some actions that are permitted could be construed as collective self-defense.

The other point of disagreement was over where Japan would apply it. We all agreed that it would be applied to its alliance with the U.S., and possibly in certain actions related to the Korean Peninsula, such as shooting down North Korean ballistic missiles headed for the United States (South Korea once again reiterated after this revision that it opposes Japan intervening on the Korean Peninsula without its explicit approval).

I argued, however, that one of the unsaid aims of the revision was to give Japan the ability to intervene on behalf of Taiwan if the People’s Republic of China ever sought to seize the island by force. Clint and Ankit were highly skeptical that this was the case.

After reading up more on the new revision, I still believe that this is the case. For example, the Japan Times explains that under the reinterpretation, three conditions must be met to allow Japan to come to the aid of a partner nation:

“The attack on that country poses a clear danger to Japan’s survival or could fundamentally overturn Japanese citizens’ constitutional rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

“There is no other way of repelling the attack and protecting Japan and its citizens.

“The use of force is limited to the minimum necessary.”

Previously it reported that the final draft of the Cabinet document said Japan could intervene militarily “when an attack on a country that ‘has close relations’ with Japan ‘poses a clear danger of threatening our country’s existence and fundamentally overthrowing our people’s lives, freedom and right to pursue happiness.’”

This seems to apply to Taiwan. As The Diplomat has noted, no country in Northeast Asia has as close and friendly of relations with Japan as Taipei. Secondly, China conquering and occupying Taiwan would present about as clear a danger to Japan’s survival as any event short of an attack on Japan itself. The Senkaku Islands are roughly half the distance from Taiwan as they are from mainland China, which would allow Beijing to bring far more force to bear in an attack on them. It would also allow Beijing to approach the islands from roughly two different directions. Furthermore, Taiwan’s strategic location would greatly enhance China’s ability to interdict maritime shipping to and from Japan.

Thus, China’s occupation would be a threat to both Japan’s territorial integrity as well as the “lives, freedom and right to pursue happiness” of the Japanese people. If the PLA was in the midst of an invasion of Taiwan, it’s hard to imagine any other way of repelling the attack then through intervening in support of Taiwan. In any case, one of the examples openly being espoused as an example of when Japan would exercise collective self-defense is when a U.S. ship came under attack on the high seas. This would almost certainly happen if America intervened in support of Taiwan, which would allow Japan to join the fight.

Thus, I think at the very least Japan’s right of collective self-defense is meant to apply to a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, even if this is left unsaid for obvious diplomatic reasons.




Taiwan and Japan’s Collective Self-Defense | The Diplomat

 

[Pangu]

Taiwan and Japan’s Collective Self-Defense



Thus, I think at the very least Japan’s right of collective self-defense is meant to apply to a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, even if this is left unsaid for obvious diplomatic reasons.




Taiwan and Japan’s Collective Self-Defense | The Diplomat

This ambiguity will give rise to miscalculation. I would like to hear official Japanese & Taiwanese statement on this, is there any info. disseminated so far?

 

[Aepsilons]

This ambiguity will give rise to miscalculation. I would like to hear official Japanese & Taiwanese statement on this, is there any info. disseminated so far?

This was the opinion piece of the writer, Zachary Keck. The position of the Government of Japan is not revealed.

 

[Edison Chen]

Li Denghui is Japanese.

 

[Aepsilons]

Since when Li Denghui（Lee Teng-hui），a 92-year old retired politician of Japanese descent，is Taiwan？

Li Denghui is Japanese.

This is incorrect. Lee Teng Hui is not Japanese, has no (0%) Japanese blood. He comes from a Hakka-ethnic family. He did grow up during the time when Taiwan was part of the Japanese Empire. He (Lee) attended Kyoto Imperial University. He served in the Imperial Japanese Army, was an Imperial officer.

So, naturally, he has very strong feelings for Japan.

 

[Edison Chen]

This is incorrect. Lee Teng Hui is not Japanese, has no Japanese blood. He comes from a Hakka-ethnic family. He did grow up during the time when Taiwan was part of the Japanese Empire. He (Lee) attended Kyoto Imperial University. He served in the Imperial Japanese Army, was an Imperial officer.

So, naturally, he has very strong feelings for Japan.

That's enough for him to be Japanese, I think. Does your self defense force let a foreigner to be a officer to command your army? Of course not. He is substantially a Japanese citizen and brazen licker.

 

[cirr]

This is incorrect. Lee Teng Hui is not Japanese, has no (0%) Japanese blood. He comes from a Hakka-ethnic family. He did grow up during the time when Taiwan was part of the Japanese Empire. He (Lee) attended Kyoto Imperial University. He served in the Imperial Japanese Army, was an Imperial officer.

So, naturally, he has very strong feelings for Japan.

I didn't say Li is Japanese。

Li is of Japanese descent。He was fathered by an unknown Japanese soldier

By the way，Li‘s command of Japanese is most probably better，way better，than yours。

 

[Aepsilons]

Don't demonize the man. He lived in a time era when Taiwan was Japanese soil. Taiwanese older generation have a very strong passionate sense of loyalty to Japan btw. They were developed and enjoyed much growth when they were part of the Empire.

The psychology of many Taiwanese is rather different from most mainlander Chinese. Especially in the fact that many Taiwanese have very strong favorable view towards Japan. Taiwan was largely untouched by the war.

@xudeen ,

There are no official government posts on our position with Taiwan. However, with the recent development of SDF's collective self defense position, this gives JSDF a new position to consider -- Taiwanese question. There is a large Japanese population presence in Taiwan, and many retired JSDF officers do live in Taiwan, so it cannot be negated of our national interest(s) in Taiwan. Definitely , a war or military take over of Taiwan would be contrary to our national interest.

We should be seeing more defense developments regarding Japan and Taiwan in the coming future.

Li is of Japanese descent。He was fathered by an unknown Japanese soldier

You keep on reiterating erroneous information. He is not part Japanese at all. His parents are all Hakka ethnics. His father served in the Japanese police, that doesn't mean he was part Japanese.

By the way，Li‘s command of Japanese is most probably better，way better，than yours。

Lee's command of English is , definitely, better than yours.

 

[Nan Yang]

Lee Teng Hui father was a middle-level Japanese police aide, and his brother joined police academy and soon volunteered as for the Imperial Japanese Navy and died in Manila.

After Japan lost the war his father returned to Japan. His mother married a local Taiwanese Chinese.

Lee Teng Hui being pro-Japan is nothing new. It is hardly big news.

 

[Raphael]

You shouldn't editorialize the title like that. Especially when your editorialized title posits that a Japanese man born in Taiwan represents the viewpoint of the RoC.

 

[xunzi]

Everyone knows a military defense treaty with Taiwan is a direct receip for possible future war with us. This is why even the USA had no such treaty despite the DDP party begging for it.

 

[terranMarine]

Our nipponjin member here is putting too much value on the words of a running out of time old senile. Japan protecting Taiwan in case the PLA come trashing the island?