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The complex relationship between Japan and Taiwan dates back to 1592 during the
Sengoku period The was the period in History of Japan, Japanese history in which civil wars and social upheavals took place almost continuously in the 15th and 16th centuries. The Kyōtoku incident (1454), Ōnin War (1467), or (1493) are generally chosen as th ...
of Japan when the Japanese ruler
Toyotomi Hideyoshi , otherwise known as and , was a Japanese samurai and ''daimyō'' (feudal lord) of the late Sengoku period, Sengoku and Azuchi-Momoyama periods and regarded as the second "Great Unifier" of Japan.Richard Holmes, The World Atlas of Warfare: ...
sent an envoy named Harada Magoshichirou to the Takasago Koku (, contemporary name referred to Taiwan). The bilateral trading relations continued through the Dutch colonial rule and the Tungning Kingdom of Taiwan in 17th century before the completion of Japan's
Sakoku is the most common name for the isolationist foreign policy of the Japanese Tokugawa shogunate under which, during the Edo period (from 1603 to 1868), relations and trade between Japan and other countries were severely limited, and almost all ...
policy. After the
Meiji restoration The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored Imperial House of Japan, imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Althoug ...
in the latter half of the 19th century, Japan resumed its expansionist ambition upon Taiwan and successfully annexed Taiwan from 1895 to 1945, until the
surrender of Japan The surrender of the Empire of Japan in World War II was Hirohito surrender broadcast, announced by Emperor Hirohito on 15 August and formally Japanese Instrument of Surrender, signed on 2 September 1945, End of World War II in Asia, ending ...
after
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. Control over the island of Taiwan was also surrendered by Japan to the
Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...
on 25 October 1945. After the Japan–China Joint Communiqué in 1972, Japan no longer recognizes the
Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...
as the sole official government of China, and official diplomatic relations between the two countries were ceased. However, Japan has maintained non-governmental, working-level relations with Taiwan.


History


Early relations

In the 1600s, there was considerable trade between Japan and Taiwan. The Dutch colonized Taiwan as a base for trade with Japan in 1624. During the
Kingdom of Tungning The Kingdom of Tungning, also known as Tywan, was a dynastic maritime state that ruled part of southwestern Taiwan and the Penghu islands between 1661 and 1683. It is the first predominantly ethnic Han state in Taiwanese history. At its z ...
era (1662–83),
Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
bought deerskin,
sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose Glucose is a sugar with the Chemical formula#Molecular formula, molecul ...
and
silk Silk is a natural fiber, natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be weaving, woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is most commonly produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoon (silk), c ...
from Taiwan and sold
precious metal Precious metals are rare, naturally occurring metallic chemical elements of high Value (economics), economic value. Precious metals, particularly the noble metals, are more corrosion resistant and less reactivity (chemistry), chemically reac ...
,
porcelain Porcelain (), also called china, is a ceramic material made by heating Industrial mineral, raw materials, generally including kaolinite, in a kiln to temperatures between . The greater strength and translucence of porcelain, relative to oth ...
, armors and cotton cloth. Japanese money could be used in Taiwan during that period and Japanese merchants were permitted to live in
Keelung Keelung ( ; zh, p=Jīlóng, c=基隆, poj=Ke-lâng), Chilung or Jilong ( ; ), officially known as Keelung City, is a major port city in northeastern Taiwan. The city is part of the Taipei–Keelung metropolitan area with neighboring New Ta ...
.《臺灣政治史》,頁62-63 In 1874, Japanese troops invaded southern Taiwan to attack aboriginal tribes, in revenge for the killing of 54 Ryukyuan sailors in 1871.


Taiwan under Japanese rule

Japan's victory over
Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...
in the
First Sino-Japanese War The First Sino-Japanese War (25 July 189417 April 1895), or the First China–Japan War, was a conflict between the Qing dynasty of China and the Empire of Japan primarily over influence in Joseon, Korea. In Chinese it is commonly known as th ...
resulted in the 1895
Treaty of Shimonoseki The , also known as the Treaty of Maguan () in China or the in Japan, was signed at the hotel in Shimonoseki, Japan, on April 17, 1895, between the Empire of Japan and Qing China. It was a treaty that ended the First Sino-Japanese War, ...
, in which Taiwan was ceded to Japan. Taiwan was then ruled by the
Empire of Japan The Empire of Japan, also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was the Japanese nation state that existed from the Meiji Restoration on January 3, 1868, until the Constitution of Japan took effect on May 3, 1947. From Japan–Kor ...
until 1945. The Japanese Imperial Army defeated the native aborigine rebels in the
Tapani incident The Tapani incident or Tapani uprising in 1915 was one of the biggest armed uprisings by Taiwanese Han Chinese, Han and Taiwanese aborigines, Aboriginals, including Taivoan people, Taivoan, against Taiwan under Japanese rule, Japanese rule in T ...
of 1915 and the
Musha Incident The Musha Incident (; ), also known as the Wushe Rebellion and several other similar names, began in October 1930 and was the last major uprising against colonial Japanese forces in Japanese Taiwan. In response to long-term oppression by Japanes ...
of 1930. During that time, Taiwan was Japan's first
colony A colony is a territory subject to a form of foreign rule, which rules the territory and its indigenous peoples separated from the foreign rulers, the colonizer, and their ''metropole'' (or "mother country"). This separated rule was often orga ...
and can be viewed as the first step in implementing their " Southern Expansion Doctrine" of the late 19th century. Japanese intentions were to turn Taiwan into a showpiece "model colony" with much effort made to improve the island's economy,
public works Public works are a broad category of infrastructure projects, financed and procured by a government body for recreational, employment, and health and safety uses in the greater community. They include public buildings ( municipal buildings, ...
,
industry Industry may refer to: Economics * Industry (economics), a generally categorized branch of economic activity * Industry (manufacturing), a specific branch of economic activity, typically in factories with machinery * The wider industrial sector ...
, cultural
Japanization Japanization or Japanisation is the process by which Japanese culture dominates, assimilates, or influences other cultures. According to ''The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language'', "To japanize" means "To make or become Jap ...
, and to support the necessities of Japanese military aggression in the Asia-Pacific. After Japan's surrender at the end of
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, Taiwan was placed under the governance of the
Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...
.


Modern era


Japan–Republic of China relations

After the war between Republic of China and Japan, during the
occupation of Japan Japan was occupied and administered by the Allies of World War II from the surrender of the Empire of Japan on September 2, 1945, at the war's end until the Treaty of San Francisco took effect on April 28, 1952. The occupation, led by the ...
,
Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...
Shigeru Yoshida was a Japanese diplomat and politician who served as prime minister of Japan from 1946 to 1947 and again from 1948 to 1954, serving through most of the country's occupation after World War II. Yoshida played a major role in determining the cour ...
(officially the last prime minister under the
royal decree A decree is a legal proclamation, usually issued by a head of state, judge, royal figure, or other relevant authorities, according to certain procedures. These procedures are usually defined by the constitution, Legislative laws, or customary l ...
by the Japanese emperor), intended to approach the newly established
People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
economically Economics () is a behavioral science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interac ...
and diplomatically. However, the US rectified this
initiative Popular initiative A popular initiative (also citizens' initiative) is a form of direct democracy by which a petition meeting certain hurdles can force a legal procedure on a proposition. In direct initiative, the proposition is put direct ...
and threatened to
boycott A boycott is an act of nonviolent resistance, nonviolent, voluntary abstention from a product, person, organisation, or country as an expression of protest. It is usually for Morality, moral, society, social, politics, political, or Environmenta ...
the 1951
Treaty of San Francisco The , also called the , re-established peaceful relations between Japan and the Allied Powers on behalf of the United Nations by ending the legal state of war, military occupation and providing for redress for hostile actions up to and inclu ...
if Japan did not engage with
Republic of China (Taiwan) Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...
and the later formation of the Sino-Japanese Peace Treaty (a parallel treaty to the
Treaty of San Francisco The , also called the , re-established peaceful relations between Japan and the Allied Powers on behalf of the United Nations by ending the legal state of war, military occupation and providing for redress for hostile actions up to and inclu ...
between Japan and the two Chinas that were excluded). The US required Japan to accept diplomatic relations with the Republic of China; otherwise,
sovereignty Sovereignty can generally be defined as supreme authority. Sovereignty entails hierarchy within a state as well as external autonomy for states. In any state, sovereignty is assigned to the person, body or institution that has the ultimate au ...
to the country would not be restored, effectively maintaining
war War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or between such organi ...
with the US and keeping it under US
military occupation Military occupation, also called belligerent occupation or simply occupation, is temporary hostile control exerted by a ruling power's military apparatus over a sovereign territory that is outside of the legal boundaries of that ruling pow ...
. By taking everything into consideration, in the midst of the US creating its containment policy in
Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...
, Prime Minister Yoshida shifted his stance with regard to the US administration (to then-
US Secretary of State The United States secretary of state (SecState) is a member of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States and the head of the U.S. Department of State. The secretary of state serves as the principal advisor to the p ...
John Foster Dulles John Foster Dulles (February 25, 1888 – May 24, 1959) was an American politician, lawyer, and diplomat who served as United States secretary of state under President Dwight D. Eisenhower from 1953 until his resignation in 1959. A member of the ...
), as detailed in the Yoshida Letter, to negotiate a
peace treaty A peace treaty is an treaty, agreement between two or more hostile parties, usually country, countries or governments, which formally ends a declaration of war, state of war between the parties. It is different from an armistice, which is an ag ...
with Taipei instead. Also as a result of
ratification Ratification is a principal's legal confirmation of an act of its agent. In international law, ratification is the process by which a state declares its consent to be bound to a treaty. In the case of bilateral treaties, ratification is usuall ...
of the
Treaty of San Francisco The , also called the , re-established peaceful relations between Japan and the Allied Powers on behalf of the United Nations by ending the legal state of war, military occupation and providing for redress for hostile actions up to and inclu ...
by the
US Congress The United States Congress is the legislature, legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, including a Lower house, lower body, the United States House of Representatives, ...
and
Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
, he officially ended Japan's status as an imperial power, officially relinquishing of the island of Taiwan and Pescadores. These actions were drafted into Article 9 of the new liberal democratic
Japanese Constitution The Constitution of Japan is the supreme law of Japan. Written primarily by American civilian officials during the occupation of Japan after World War II, it was adopted on 3 November 1946 and came into effect on 3 May 1947, succeeding the Mei ...
which dismantled the country's military capabilities to
declare war A declaration of war is a formal act by which one state announces existing or impending war activity against another. The declaration is a performative speech act (or the public signing of a document) by an authorized party of a national gover ...
on another country with the reservation of
self-defense Self-defense (self-defence primarily in Commonwealth English) is a countermeasure that involves defending the health and well-being of oneself from harm. The use of the right of self-defense as a legal justification for the use of Force (law), ...
limitations and later stipulated the
Security Treaty Between the United States and Japan The was a treaty signed on 8 September 1951 in San Francisco, California by representatives of the United States and Japan, in conjunction with the Treaty of San Francisco that ended World War II in Asia. The treaty was imposed on Japan by the ...
, which was also passed and enacted by the majority members of the new Japanese Diet with subsequent
security Security is protection from, or resilience against, potential harm (or other unwanted coercion). Beneficiaries (technically referents) of security may be persons and social groups, objects and institutions, ecosystems, or any other entity or ...
treaties A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between sovereign states and/or international organizations that is governed by international law. A treaty may also be known as an international agreement, protocol, covenant, convention ...
in the
post-war A post-war or postwar period is the interval immediately following the end of a war. The term usually refers to a varying period of time after World War II, which ended in 1945. A post-war period can become an interwar period or interbellum, ...
era. With the eruption of the
Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...
and US and UN intervention in that war, diplomatic relations between the governments of Japan and the government of Republic of China were established following the termination of US occupation of Japan in 1952. Japan led the
logistics Logistics is the part of supply chain management that deals with the efficient forward and reverse flow of goods, services, and related information from the point of origin to the Consumption (economics), point of consumption according to the ...
and
artillery Artillery consists of ranged weapons that launch Ammunition, munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, and l ...
production/
manufacturing Manufacturing is the creation or production of goods with the help of equipment, labor, machines, tools, and chemical or biological processing or formulation. It is the essence of the secondary sector of the economy. The term may refer ...
industry to support the US in the Korean War, which acted as the major stimulus for the revival of its economy, especially in
heavy Heavy may refer to: Measures * Heavy, a characterization of objects with substantial weight * Heavy, a wake turbulence category used by pilots and air traffic controllers to refer to aircraft with a maximum takeoff mass of 136,000 kgs or mo ...
and
light industry Light industry are Industry (economics), industries that usually are less Capital intensity, capital-intensive than heavy industry, heavy industries and are more consumer-oriented than business-oriented, as they typically produce smaller consum ...
, soon evident in the
Japanese post-war economic miracle The Japanese economic miracle () refers to a period of economic growth in the post–World War II Japan. It generally refers to the period from 1955, around which time the per capita gross national income of the country recovered to pre-war leve ...
. On April 28, 1952, a formal
peace treaty A peace treaty is an treaty, agreement between two or more hostile parties, usually country, countries or governments, which formally ends a declaration of war, state of war between the parties. It is different from an armistice, which is an ag ...
was concluded between Japan and what Republic of China. In Article 10 of the Sino-Japanese Peace Treaty that retrospects: Bilaterally, Japan had, and still has from members of the Japan Business Federation, strong trading ties with Taiwan. Japan played a key
financial Finance refers to monetary resources and to the study and Academic discipline, discipline of money, currency, assets and Liability (financial accounting), liabilities. As a subject of study, is a field of Business administration, Business Admin ...
role of governmental
loan In finance, a loan is the tender of money by one party to another with an agreement to pay it back. The recipient, or borrower, incurs a debt and is usually required to pay interest for the use of the money. The document evidencing the deb ...
s to the ROC government to help with the burgeoning country's economic development on various levels before the Nixon Shock and the severing of ties between the two governments. In 1958, the Sino-Ryukyuan Economic and Cultural Association was established at
Naha is the Cities of Japan, capital city of Okinawa Prefecture, the southernmost prefecture of Japan. As of 1 June 2019, the city has an estimated population of 317,405 and a population density of 7,939 people per km2 (20,562 persons per sq. mi.). ...
,
Okinawa most commonly refers to: * Okinawa Prefecture, Japan's southernmost prefecture * Okinawa Island, the largest island of Okinawa Prefecture * Okinawa Islands, an island group including Okinawa itself * Okinawa (city), the second largest city in th ...
, which was the strategic headquarters of the US Armed Forces in the region. In 1972, Okinawa was returned to Japan by the U.S., but the association remained as an institution to foster relations, dialogue and academic exchange between Japan, Okinawa and Taiwan.


Student dormitory case

The Guang Hua Liao (Kokaryo) case involved the ownership of a dormitory that the ROC purchased in 1952 to house students, yet the PRC controlled and operated since the 1960s. The ROC, seeking to take control of the dormitory, asked the students to sign a lease contract, and when the ROC received no response, it filed a lawsuit as "the State of China" in Kyoto District Court in 1967, seeking removal of the students living in the dormitory. In 1977, 10 years after the ROC filed its original lawsuit, the Kyoto District Court gave a verdict: The dormitory belonged to the PRC. The case was appealed in 1982 to the Osaka High Court, which ordered the Kyoto District Court to reconsider its ruling. The Kyoto court did, and in February 1986 the decision was reversed and the dormitory was returned, in name, to the ROC. The Osaka High Court found in favor of Taiwan because of "incomplete succession of government" in the case of "the State of China." In 2007, the Japanese Supreme Court quashed the decision. The Supreme Court held that Japan's recognition of Beijing in 1972 rendered the ROC's representation on behalf of "the State of China" invalid.Annex 5: Supreme Court of Japan Judgment (March 27, 2007), reprinted in 25 Chinese (Taiwan) YB Int'l L. Aff. 139, 156–60 (2007) Notably, the Japanese decision carefully focused on a narrow ground of standing as "the State of China," which Japan recognizes as the PRC. It did not foreclose the possibility of refiling the case as the Republic of China.


Joint Communiqué, 1972

Regarding the "
One-China policy ''One China'' is a phrase describing the relationship between the People's Republic of China (PRC) based on mainland China, and the Republic of China (ROC) based on the Taiwan Area. "One China" asserts that there is only one ''de jure'' C ...
", Japan had been an earnest ally to Taiwan, but global politics pushed Japan to overturn its position. As the attempt to belligerently recover
mainland China "Mainland China", also referred to as "the Chinese mainland", is a Geopolitics, geopolitical term defined as the territory under direct administration of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in the aftermath of the Chinese Civil War. In addit ...
failed and faded and the Republic of China government was expelled, voted out of UN in a General Assembly vote, by majority
UN member states The United Nations comprise sovereign states and the world's largest intergovernmental organization. All members have equal representation in the UN General Assembly. The Charter of the United Nations defines the rules for admission of ...
via
United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758 The United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758, titled ''Restoration of the lawful rights of the People's Republic of China in the United Nations'', was passed in response to the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 1668 that requir ...
(Japan voted against ominous UNGA Resolution 2758), soon after US President
Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 until Resignation of Richard Nixon, his resignation in 1974. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican ...
's visit to People's Republic of China in 1972 and the release of the " Joint Communiqué of the United States of America and the People's Republic of China," Japan's Liberal Democratic Party-majority government led by
Kakuei Tanaka was a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan, prime minister of Japan from 1972 to 1974. Known for his background in construction and earthy and tenacious political style, Tanaka is the only modern Japanese prime minister who ...
decided to establish formal diplomatic relations with the PRC. Before this, Japan had already had robust
non-governmental A non-governmental organization (NGO) is an independent, typically nonprofit organization that operates outside government control, though it may get a significant percentage of its funding from government or corporate sources. NGOs often focus ...
trading relations with the PRC without formal
diplomatic recognition Diplomatic recognition in international law is a unilateral declarative political act of a state that acknowledges an act or status of another state or government in control of a state (may be also a recognized state). Recognition can be acc ...
. According to ''The New York Times'', about one month before Japanese Prime Minister Tanaka travelled to Beijing, Japanese business representatives assured Taiwanese business associates and employees in Taipei that economic relations between Japan and Taiwan would be maintained. As a pre-condition for building ties with the PRC, Japan abrogated and made defunct the Sino-Japanese Peace Treaty in relation to the Republic of China. According to the "1972 Japan–China Joint Communiqué", the Japanese government fully understood and respected the position of the government of the PRC that Taiwan was an inalienable
territory A territory is an area of land, sea, or space, belonging or connected to a particular country, person, or animal. In international politics, a territory is usually a geographic area which has not been granted the powers of self-government, ...
of the PRC, and it firmly maintained its stance under Article 8 of the
Potsdam Declaration The Potsdam Declaration, or the Proclamation Defining Terms for Japanese Surrender, was a statement that called for the surrender of all Japanese armed forces during World War II. On July 26, 1945, United States President Harry S. Truman, ...
, which stated "The terms of the Cairo Declaration shall be carried out and Japanese sovereignty shall be limited to the islands of
Honshū , historically known as , is the largest of the four main islands of Japan. It lies between the Pacific Ocean (east) and the Sea of Japan (west). It is the seventh-largest island in the world, and the second-most populous after the Indonesian ...
,
Hokkaidō is the second-largest island of Japan and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by railway via the Seikan Tunnel. The ...
,
Kyūshū is the third-largest island of Japan's four main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands (i.e. excluding Okinawa and the other Ryukyu (''Nansei'') Islands). In the past, it has been known as , and . The historical regio ...
,
Shikoku is the smallest of the List of islands of Japan#Main islands, four main islands of Japan. It is long and between at its widest. It has a population of 3.8 million, the least populated of Japan's four main islands. It is south of Honshu ...
and such minor islands as we determine." Statements and principles set in the Joint Communiqué of 1972 were written in the Treaty of Peace and Friendship between Japan and the People's Republic of China in 1978. Japan and the PRC agreed to continue abiding by the treaty when former Prime Minister of Japan
Shinzo Abe Shinzo Abe (21 September 1954 – 8 July 2022) was a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan and President of the Liberal Democratic Party (Liberal Democratic Party (Japan), LDP) from 2006 to 2007 and again from 2012 to 2020. ...
visited
Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...
on October 8, 2006.


Japan–China Joint Declaration, 1998

In 1998, Japan and the PRC signed the Japan–China Joint Declaration on Building a Partnership of Friendship and Cooperation for Peace and Development that stated that Japan was to continue to side with the PRC on the "One-China policy", that it "continues to maintain its stand on the Taiwan issue as set forth in the Joint Communiqué of the Government of Japan and the Government of the People's Republic of China and reiterates its understanding that there is only one China." Japan reiterated it will maintain its exchanges with Taiwan, however in a private and
regional In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...
forms.


Recent initiatives, 2005–present

Japan grants
Taiwanese passport The Republic of China (Taiwan) passport is the passport issued to nationals of the Republic of China (ROC, commonly known as Taiwan). The ROC passport is also generally referred to as a Taiwanese passport. In September 2020, approximately 60.87 ...
holders visa exemption for 90 days. This rule became effective on September 20, 2005, in line with a move aimed at attracting more
tourists Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the Commerce, commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. World Tourism Organization, UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as ...
to Japan. Jiro Akama, Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs and Communication was the highest ranking cabinet official since 1972 to visit Taiwan on March 25 to celebrate the tourist event and promote Japanese regional revitalization, amid with the ban of Japanese agricultural exports to Taiwanese public. In the press conference on January 31, 2006, Deputy Press Secretary Tomohiko Taniguchi announced that, in a speech a year earlier, Minister of Foreign Affairs Tarō Asō had expressed concern regarding peace and stability across the
Taiwan Strait The Taiwan Strait is a strait separating the island of Taiwan and the Asian continent. The strait is part of the South China Sea and connects to the East China Sea to the north. The narrowest part is wide. Names Former names of the Tai ...
on the basis of the 1972 Japan–PRC Joint Communiqué. The announcement reiterated the Japanese government's position "that we do not take a
policy Policy is a deliberate system of guidelines to guide decisions and achieve rational outcomes. A policy is a statement of intent and is implemented as a procedure or protocol. Policies are generally adopted by a governance body within an or ...
of
two Chinas The concept of Two Chinas refers to the political divide between the People's Republic of China (PRC) and the Republic of China (ROC). Founded in 1912, the ROC governed mainland China until the Chinese Communist Party established the PRC in 1 ...
or
one China ''One China'' is a phrase describing the relationship between the People's Republic of China (PRC) based on mainland China, and the Republic of China (ROC) based on the Taiwan Area. "One China" asserts that there is only one ''de jure'' Ch ...
and one Taiwan." In 2020 Japan received donations of equipment and supplies as part of Taiwan's medical diplomacy in response to the COVID-19 epidemic. More than 2 million face masks were delivered in mid April 2020. As the
People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
banned Taiwanese pineapples, the Japanese diplomatic missions in Taipei expressed support for Taiwanese pineapple consumption, and Taiwanese pineapples became a hot commodity in Japan. Japan has been drawing closer to Taiwan as a result of their concerns over Beijing's economic and military power. In 2021 Japan's annual military
white paper A white paper is a report or guide that informs readers concisely about a complex issue and presents the issuing body's philosophy on the matter. It is meant to help readers understand an issue, solve a problem, or make a decision. Since the 199 ...
explicitly mentioned Taiwan for the first time. In September 2021, Taiwan donated 10000 pulse oximeters and 1008
oxygen concentrator An oxygen concentrator is a device that concentrates the oxygen from a gas supply (typically ambient air) by selectively removing nitrogen to supply an oxygen-enriched product gas stream. They are used industrially, to provide supplemental oxygen ...
s to Japan Japan Prime Minister
Yoshihide Suga is a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan and President of the Liberal Democratic Party (Liberal Democratic Party (Japan), LDP) from 2020 to 2021. He had served as Chief Cabinet Secretary during the second administration ...
thanked Taiwan for the medical equipment, including a "''Thank you Taiwan''" written in
traditional Chinese characters Traditional Chinese characters are a standard set of Chinese character forms used to written Chinese, write Chinese languages. In Taiwan, the set of traditional characters is regulated by the Ministry of Education (Taiwan), Ministry of Educat ...
, and adding that Japan and Taiwan have cultivated their friendship by helping each other in times of natural disasters and pandemics. On July 12, 2022, Taiwanese Vice President
Lai Ching-te Lai Ching-te (; pinyin: ''Lài Qīngdé''; born 6 October 1959), also known as William Lai, is a Taiwanese politician and former physician who is currently serving as the eighth president of the Republic of China (Taiwan) since May 2024. He is ...
attended the funeral of
Shinzo Abe Shinzo Abe (21 September 1954 – 8 July 2022) was a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan and President of the Liberal Democratic Party (Liberal Democratic Party (Japan), LDP) from 2006 to 2007 and again from 2012 to 2020. ...
at
Zōjō-ji is a Jōdo-shū Buddhist temple in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. It is the main temple of the Jōdo-shū ("Pure Land") Chinzei sect of Buddhism in the Kantō region. Its mountain name is San'en-zan (三縁山). Zōjō-ji is notable for its relations ...
temple. Lai was instructed by President Tsai Ing-wen to make a visit as a special envoy.


Territory issues

The ROC is a claimant to a group of East China Sea islands (it calls these the Diaoyutai Islands) which are disputed with Japan (which calls them the Senkaku Islands) and the PRC (which calls them the Diaoyu Islands). The United States proposal in 1971 to transfer the islands to Japan prompted the development of the Baodiao movement. This movement began among students from Taiwan and Hong Kong studying in the United States, and then spread to Taiwan (and also Hong Kong, then under British rule). Protests directly related to the Baodiao movement ended in 1972. On 29 September 1990, Japanese media reported that the Japanese Maritime Safety Agency was preparing to recognize (as an official navigation mark) a lighthouse that a right-wing Japanese group built on the main island of the disputed island group. The Taiwan government protested immediately following the reports.


Fisheries

Japan insists, on the basis of
United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), also called the Law of the Sea Convention or the Law of the Sea Treaty, is an international treaty that establishes a legal framework for all marine and maritime activities. , 169 sov ...
, that Japan is privileged on the fishery demarcation to the southern tip of its surrounding
territorial waters Territorial waters are informally an area of water where a sovereign state has jurisdiction, including internal waters, the territorial sea, the contiguous zone, the exclusive economic zone, and potentially the extended continental shelf ( ...
, whereas Taiwan asserts that it participates as a fishing entity in the
Regional Fisheries Management Organisation A regional fishery body (RFB) is a type of international organization that is part of an international fishery agreement or arrangement to cooperate on the sustainable use and conservation of marine living resources (fish and marine mammals) and/or ...
on the basis of United Nations Fish Stocks Agreement, such as the admission of IATTC, that also applies on the issue of fishery demarcation with Japan. There were sixteen fishery conferences in total between the two stakeholders, Interchange Association, Japan and Association of East Asian Relations of Taiwan, on fishery demarcation from 1996 to 2009, and the dispute of
exclusive economic zone An exclusive economic zone (EEZ), as prescribed by the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, is an area of the sea in which a sovereign state has exclusive rights regarding the exploration and use of marine natural resource, reso ...
between Japan and Taiwan is still not resolved pertaining to future negotiations between the two sides. Despite this dispute, the two sides reached a fisheries resource management agreement on April 10, 2013.


Response to the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake

A few days after Japan was struck by the Tōhoku earthquake in March 2011, the Taiwanese government pledged to donate 100 million NTD to assist Japan. Many Taiwanese citizens and news media also followed suit and urged people to donate to Japan. By May 2012, Taiwan had donated up to 6.6 billion NTD from the government and private donations combined. By March 2013, donations had reached US$260.64 million, which is the highest amount from any nation despite only having 23 million people. At this time, it is known that 90 percent of the amount came from private donations. Such number of donations have been the result of Japan's aid to Taiwan when a powerful earthquake hit Taiwan on September 21, 1999, sending a 145-person rescue team and donating US$37 million in aid of the catastrophe. Taiwan's donations assisted Fukushima in performing several vital reconstructions, which include rebuilding schools and hospitals. Despite Taiwan being the nation that donated the most money to Japan in response to the earthquake, the government did not publicly thank Taiwan along with other nations. The Japanese government placed ads in multiple nations to show gratitude of the donations, but not Taiwan. This prompted Japanese citizens to thank Taiwan individually. Japanese designer Maiko Kissaka started a fundraiser on April 19, 2020, in an attempt to place ads on two newspapers to show gratitude to the Taiwanese people for donations. This started a series of attempts from individuals and organizations to thank Taiwan for the donations across the next few years. A notable organization named Arigatou Taiwan was created for the sole purpose of thanking Taiwan and planned to hold an event each year starting on 2012, and managed to include several earthquake survivors at the event in 2015. In 2018, local governments which were affected by the earthquake started fundraisers to show gratitude for Taiwan's help in 2011. The Japanese government did not hold any public activities to thank Taiwan at the first few years after the earthquake, and wrote a letter in private to the Taiwanese government to express gratitude instead. However, starting in 2014, the government started holding events publicly in Taiwan to express gratitude, starting from the governments of six prefectures in Japan collaborated for a four-day event in Taipei, Taiwan, aimed to repay the generosity during Japan's earthquake. During the 5th anniversary event of the 2011 earthquake in Taiwan, the Japanese Representative to Taiwan described Taiwan as a "true friend" and further stated "With the gratitude for the generosity of our friends in Taiwan, we vow to try our best to strengthen the relationship between Japan and Taiwan." Japan also stated that its donations of US$1.2 million to Taiwan due to a powerful earthquake hitting southern Taiwan is an attempt to repay Taiwan's generosity a few years ago. In 2019, the 8th anniversary of the earthquake was held, in which Japan's Representative to Taiwan stated that "There was already a special bond between Japan and Taiwan before the disaster" and that "The northeastern Japan earthquake made apansee it more clearly." These statements contradict what was suggested from Taiwanese newspapers which stated that the donations Taiwan contributed was a turning point between the relations of the two nations. However, it is undeniable that Taiwan and Japan's relations have strengthened a lot due to the exchanges after the catastrophe, both on a governmental and private level. Due to the closer relations Japan and Taiwan has after the catastrophic event, tourism bloomed between both nations. Japanese tourism to Taiwan rose by 19.9 percent in 2011, which comes with an increase of nearly 50 percent exchange revenue due to this change.


COVID-19 vaccines

In the context of the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
, Japan sent 1.24 million doses of vaccine to Taiwan for free on June 4, 2021. This prompted a wave of gratitude from Taiwanese people, while the PRC condemned Japan's move. This was followed by 5 other shipments over 2021, totaling 4.2 million doses, with the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs saying it is an expression of warm friendship and good will.


Education

Overseas Chinese schools, like those in many other countries, are administratively and financially supported by the Taiwan (R.O.C.) government's Overseas Community Affairs Council. In Japan, before 2003, Overseas Chinese School graduates did not qualify for Japanese college entrance exam. The future task lies on the legalization of the Overseas Chinese School by the Japanese Government and international educational agency accreditation (such as
International Baccalaureate The International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), more commonly known as the International Baccalaureate (IB), is a nonprofit foundation headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and founded in 1968. It offers four educational programmes: the I ...
,
Cambridge International Examinations Cambridge International Education (abbreviated CIE, informally known as Cambridge International or simply Cambridge and formerly known as CAIE, Cambridge Assessment International Education and CIE, Cambridge International Examinations) is a pro ...
and Advanced Placement accreditation ), or similar international recognition of Taiwan's education, for qualifying the legal international status of Overseas Chinese School in Japan. Those supported by the ROC are: *
Tokyo Chinese School Tokyo Chinese School (TCS) is a Chinese International school in (五番町), Chiyoda, Tokyo, Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) accredits the school.Gottlieb, Nanette. "Japan: Languag ...
* Yokohama Overseas Chinese School * Osaka Chinese School Japan operates three ''
nihonjin gakkō , also called Japanese school, is a full-day school outside Japan intended primarily for Japanese citizens living abroad. It is an expatriate school designed for children whose parents are working on diplomatic, business, or education missions ...
'' (overseas Japanese schools operated by a Japanese association) on the island of Taiwan: *
Taipei Japanese School Taipei Japanese School (TJS) is a Japanese international school located in Shilin District, Taipei. TJS was established in 1947 and mainly serves the children (up to junior high school) of Japanese expatriates in Taiwan. Traditionally, TJS stu ...
*
Taichung Japanese School Taichung Japanese School is a Japanese international school in Daya District, Taichung, Taiwan in the Republic of China.Home page
Taichun ...
*
Kaohsiung Japanese School The Kaohsiung Japanese School is a Japanese international school on the campus of Kaohsiung Municipal Lingya District Jhong-Jheng Elementary School ( 高雄市苓雅區中正國民小學) in Lingya District, Kaohsiung, Taiwan in the Republic of ...


Culture

On April 21, 2010, Taiwan established the Taipei Cultural Center in
Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...
, Japan and was subsequently renamed Taiwan Cultural Center. On November 27, 2017, Japan established the Japanese Cultural Center in
Taipei , nickname = The City of Azaleas , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Taiwan#Asia#Pacific Ocean#Earth , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country ...
, Taiwan.


See also

* China–Japan relations *
Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office The Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO), also known as Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO), Taipei Representative Office (TRO) or Taipei Mission, is an alternative diplomatic institution serving as a ''de facto'' e ...
* Association of East Asian Relations * wikisource:Potsdam Declaration * History of cross-strait relations


References


Further reading

*Cohen, J 1973 ''The Dynamics of China's Foreign Relations,'' p. 50-56, Harvard University Press, Cambridge * Dreyer, June Teufel. "The Japan-Taiwan Relationship: An Unstable Stability." ''Asia Policy'' 26.1 (2019): 161–166
online
*Iriye, A. and Cohen, W 1989 ''The United States and Japan in the Postwar World,'' p. 21-34, The University Press of Kentucky *Hu, S. ‘Japan and the Cross-Taiwan Strait Conflict,’ ''Journal of Chinese Political Science'', Vol. 11, No. 2 (Fall 2006): pp. 83–103. *Schonberger, H 1989 ''Aftermath of War - Americans and the Remaking of Japan, 1945–1952,'' p. 275–285, The Kent State University Press, * Watanabe, Toshio. 2022 ''The Meiji Japanese Who Made Modern Taiwan'' (2022); se
online book review
*Wilkins, Thomas, 2012 "Taiwan-Japan Relations in an Era of Uncertainty" ''Asia Policy,'' Vol. 13, (January 2012), pp. 113–132.


External links








Irchina.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Japan-Taiwan relations
Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...
Bilateral relations of Taiwan Relations of colonizer and former colony