Japan must show resolve to defend Taiwan: former Japan PM

2023-08-08

Former Japanese Prime Minister Aso Taro says Japan needs to show resolve to defend Taiwan in the event of an emergency. Speaking at a forum in Taipei, Aso said that “the most important thing now” is to prevent war in the Taiwan Strait. He called on Japan, Taiwan, the U.S., and other likeminded countries to form a deterrence strategy against aggressors. Aso emphasized that showing the resolve to defend Taiwan was a key form of deterrence against aggressors.

On his second day in Taiwan, former Japan PM and Liberal Democratic Party Vice President Aso Taro attended the Ketagalan Forum alongside President Tsai Ing-wen. In her opening remarks, Tsai thanked Aso for his support for Taiwan. She also spoke on cross-strait relations and regional cooperation.

Tsai Ing-wen
President
Taiwan does not take out security partners’ backing for granted. While we don’t seek military confrontation and hope for a peaceful, stable and beneficial coexistence with our neighbors, Taiwan is always ready to defend our democracy and way of life.

In his keynote speech, Aso addressed security in the Indo-Pacific and more specifically, the Taiwan Strait. He mentioned former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan last year. It had prompted China’s military intimidation, which included the launch of five ballistic missiles that landed in Japan’s exclusive economic zone. Aso stressed that ensuring a stable and peaceful Indo-Pacific was a matter of life or death for Japan.

Aso Taro
Former Japan PM
The importance of stability in the Taiwan Strait is becoming a global consensus. I think that for us, the most important thing now is to ensure that there is no war in the region, including in the Taiwan Strait. For that we must have strong deterrence capabilities.

Aso reiterated that Taiwan, Japan and the U.S. needed to put together a deterrence strategy against China. He even said that Japan should use force to defend Taiwan if necessary.

Aso Taro
Former Japan PM
Japan, Taiwan, the U.S., and other likeminded countries must wake up and develop strong deterrence capabilities. We have to come to this realization: We must be mentally ready to fight. It’s not just about being able to put up a good defense. We must have the resolve to use force to defend Taiwan in the event of an emergency.

Aso spoke at length on the Taiwan Strait, stressing that Taiwan was an indispensible friend to the Asia-Pacific region.

麻生太郎演說談區域和平攸關日本生死存亡課題

2023-08-08

日本前首相、自民黨副總裁麻生太郎率團週一抵台訪問，週二出席凱達格蘭論壇發表專題演講。總統蔡英文在開幕致向他致意，兩人都提到台海關係。麻生太郎還表示，確保區域和平穩定對日本而言，是攸關生死存亡的課題。也強調台灣、日本、美國必須覺醒。要讓對手知道，「為了維護台海安全我們有可能動用武力」。

日本自民黨副總裁、前首相麻生太郎，來台第二天，受邀參加凱達格蘭論壇，總統蔡英文也親臨現場開幕致詞，感謝麻生太郎支持外，特別提到台海關係以及區域合作。

[[總統蔡英文]]
“台灣不會將安全夥伴的協助，視為理所當然。我們不會尋求軍事對抗，並盼與周邊國家在和平，穩定且互惠的原則下共存，但我們隨時準備好，捍衛我們的民主和生活方式。”

麻生太郎也針對印太關係，發表演講，接續台海議題，提到去年美國前眾議院議長裴洛西訪台，中國一連串文攻武嚇，甚至飛彈進到日本海域，他認為確保區域和平穩定對日本而言，是攸關生死存亡的課題。

[[日本前首相麻生太郎]]
“台海穩定日本的重要性，正在成為全世界的共識，我認為，現在對我們來說最重要的是，包括台灣海峽在內的，這一地區沒有戰爭，是要有強大的威嚇能力。”

麻生太郎不斷重申，台灣、日本、美國必須覺醒，要發揮嚇阻能力，甚至喊出日本必要時"可能動用武力"護台。

[[日本前首相麻生太郎]]
“日本、台灣、美國等，有志一同的國家必須覺醒，發揮強大的嚇阻能力，我們必須要有這樣的覺悟，必須要有打仗的心理準備，而不是只有防衛的力量就可以，要有萬一的時候，我們會動用武力防守台灣的意志力。”

麻生太郎大篇幅發表台海論述，強調台灣對整個亞太地區而言，是不可或缺的朋友。