January 10, 2024
During a political briefing in Fukuoka Prefecture on January 8, Vice President of Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party Taro Aso publicly stated that, considering the rising tensions across the Taiwan Strait and the more than 20,000 Japanese expatriates residing in Taiwan, Japan would employ submarines and naval vessels to engage in military operations if armed conflict were to break out in the Taiwan Strait. He also said that a Taiwan emergency would represent an existential crisis for Japan.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) of the Republic of China (Taiwan) sincerely thanks Mr. Aso for once again expressing concern over the Taiwan Strait situation and demonstrating his staunch support for peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.
In August 2023, Mr. Aso visited Taiwan to attend the Ketagalan Forum—2023 Indo-Pacific Security Dialogue. In a speech delivered at the event, Mr. Aso emphasized that Taiwan was an extremely important partner and friend of Japan. Noting that peace and security across the Taiwan Strait were indispensable to the international community’s security and prosperity, he said that like-minded nations must cooperate to oppose the expansion of authoritarian forces and prevent the outbreak of conflict.
MOFA emphasizes once again that peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait are crucial to the global outlook and that Taiwan stands on the very front line of the democratic camp’s resistance to authoritarian powers. The government and people of Taiwan remain greatly determined to defend Taiwan and will continue to upgrade Taiwan’s self-defense capabilities, cooperating closely with the United States, Japan, and all like-minded nations to jointly advance peace, stability, and prosperity throughout the Indo-Pacific region.