Japan made two important defence personnel appointments last week
in the face of China’s increasing military manoeuvres near Taiwan and Japan, reported
Voice of America (VOA).
Analysts think the moves reflect the growing level of importance
that Tokyo attaches to the status across the Taiwan Strait.
A regional security expert at the International Christian
University in Japan, Stephen Nagy told VOA in a phone interview, “China has
engaged in a lot of provocative activities near Taiwan and the Japanese are
deeply worried about these.”
“Japan is sending a signal to Beijing that they seek to prioritize
peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait by appointing pro-Taiwan
individuals to defence-related positions,” he added.
Last week, Japan appointed a serving Defence Ministry official as
its de facto defence attaché in Taiwan, reversing the previous policy of
appointing retired Japan Self-Defense-Force officers to the role at the
Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association, the organization that represents Japanese
interests in Taipei.
Experts say this development shows Tokyo’s desire to improve the
quality of conversations related to the security situation across the Taiwan
Strait. They hope to achieve the goal by appointing the right person to be the
de facto defence attaché.
Professor of war and strategy in East Asia at King’s College
London, Alessio Patalano, said, “This (move) speaks to the ability to develop
stronger ties at the human level.”
“Stability across the Taiwan Strait has an inevitable repercussion
for Japanese security and there is a growing perception in Tokyo that having
someone in Taipei makes it easier to have a better quality conversation,” he
added.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida also appointed Minoru Kihara,
a politician with a track record of promoting stronger ties between Tokyo and
Taipei, as Japan’s new Defence Minister.
Kihara’s appointment is part of the cabinet reshuffle announced by
the Japanese Government on September 13.
Kihara was secretary general of the Japan-Taiwan
inter-parliamentary group and visited Taiwan as part of a Japanese
parliamentary delegation last August.
Patalano from King’s College says his appointment shows Tokyo wants
to have someone capable of understanding what role Japan may or may not play
amid rising tensions across the Taiwan Strait.
“Kihara has served as a junior minister at the Ministry of Defence
before, he has visited Taiwan and he has a personal interest in cross-Strait
stability. It shows that Japan is taking development across the Taiwan Strait
seriously,” he told VOA.
ANI
