The Japanese Foreign Minister's repeated remarks calling Taiwan
"a nation" and glorifying Japan's past colonial rule there gravely
undermine Sino-Japanese ties by distorting history and violating
the 1972
Sino-Japanese Joint Statement.
In response to a question on Japan-Taiwan relations at a session
of the House of Councilors Budget Committee on Thursday, Taro Aso
said Taiwan "is a country that shares values with Japan," the Kyodo
News Agency reported.
Shortly after his statement on Thursday, Aso amended it,
"calling it (Taiwan) 'a region' would have been accurate," he said.
However, it was not the first time that Aso had made such a
blatantly false statement about Taiwan by distorting history.
On Feb. 4, the foreign minister called Taiwan "a nation" during
a speech in Fukuoka.
Taiwan has always been an inalienable part of China. In 1895,
after a war of aggression against China, Japan compelled the Qing
government to sign the one-sided Treaty of Shimonoseki and forcibly
occupied Taiwan.
Following Japan's World War II defeat in 1945, Taiwan was
returned to China as required by the 1945 Potsdam Proclamation and
the 1943 Cairo Declaration.
Chinese diplomatic experts have said that Aso's blatant and
repeated provocative remarks, which distorted history, reflected
the position of Japan's right-wing forces and his personal
political ambition.
Aso has taken an uncompromisingly hard-line attitude toward
China, in a bid to win over the Japanese right-wing and create an
image of a tough politician.
As Japan's top diplomat, Aso has also failed to honor the
Japanese government's commitment, and has thus weakened Tokyo's
credibility.
In the joint communique signed by China and Japan in 1972 on the
normalization of their diplomatic ties, Japan recognizes the
government of the People's Republic of China (PRC) as the only
legitimate government of China, and indicates that it fully
understands and respects the Chinese government's position on
Taiwan as being an inalienable part of the territory of the
PRC.
China was shocked by the Japanese Foreign Minister's recent
remarks which contradicted the China-Japan Joint Statement, said
Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang on Thursday.
On February 4, the foreign minister attributed the currently
high education standards of Taiwan to Japan's colonization during
its militaristic era and called Taiwan "a nation" during a speech
in Fukuoka.
Aso said in his speech that "thanks to the significant
improvement in educational standards and literacy (during the
colonization), Taiwan is now a country with a very high education
level and keeps up with the current era."
In fact, the Taiwanese people were forced to study and speak
Japanese during Japan's cruel colonial rule. The compulsory
education implemented by Japan was actually part of its enslavement
policy aimed at enforcing the Taiwanese people's obedience.
Aso received strong international criticism for his comments
which both cast a slur on Chinese people, and appeared to celebrate
his nation's destructive militaristic era.
International news media said Aso lacked the required basic
political qualifications as a foreign minister because he
frequently contradicted himself.
An editorial carried by the New York Times said that
his "sense of diplomacy is as odd as his sense of history."
By glorifying Japan's colonial rule in Taiwan and once again
calling the Chinese island province "a country", Aso, in his
high-profile role, has grossly interfered with China's domestic
affairs and undermined Sino-Japanese relations.
It is extremely unwise for a Japanese foreign minister to make
provocative remarks time and time again on the issue of Taiwan,
which is of central interest to China.
Aso's remarks will only negatively impact on Japan's diplomatic
profile in Asia, and its international image, causing damage to
relations between China and Japan which are crucial for both
sides.
"The move, just like lifting a rock only to drop it on his own
feet, defies human justice and conscience and will ultimately not
be of benefit to Japan itself," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman
Kong Quan said, commenting on Aso's remarks.
(Xinhua News Agency March 13, 2006)
