President Lee Teng-hui
Tokyo, Sept. 19 (CNA) Former President Lee Teng-hui said Friday in Osaka that he agreed with the idea of having Japan enact its own version of the Taiwan Relations Act but that he understood it would be very difficult for Japan to do.
Lee expressed his views on several topics at a press conference after arriving in Osaka earlier Friday on a week-long private visit to Japan, his sixth such trip in 14 years, according to the Friends of Lee Teng-hui Association, which helped organize the trip.
Asked by Japanese media about what a Japanese version of the U.S. Taiwan Relations Act would say, Lee did not offer a substantive answer but noted that Taiwan's relationship with Japan is special and different from its relationship with other countries and that he supported the idea advocated by the association.
Lee acknowledged, however, that it would be difficult to promote a Japanese version of the Taiwan Relations Act because Japanese people are split over whether Taiwan or China is more important to them.
Instituting a Japanese version of the Taiwan Relations Act would also be unlikely to bring significant economic benefit to Taiwan, Lee said, adding that currently, the most important thing was how to improve the friendship between the people of the two countries.
The Taiwan Relations Act requires the United States to provide Taiwan with arms of a defensive character and help in matters of national defense.
Lee was also asked if the promise by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to remove the ban on the use of collective self-defense rights was related to the Taiwan Relations Act idea, but Lee answered that it was not.
Abe's unprecedented push for the right to collective self-defense has drawn the attention of many regional neighbors, including the Philippines, Indonesia, Australia and India, which have become more interested in forging close ties with Japan.
Ex-president agrees with idea of Japanese Taiwan Relations Act | Politics | FOCUS TAIWAN - CNA ENGLISH NEWS
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