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Liu Zhen

Beijing has protested to Tokyo over the appointment of a former Japanese military chief as an adviser to the Taiwanese government.
Taiwanese media reported on Friday that Shigeru Iwasaki, former chief of the Joint Staff of the Japan Self-Defence Forces (JSDF) and a four-star air force general, had been confirmed as an honorary adviser to the Executive Yuan, the Taiwanese government’s highest administrative body.
An official from the Executive Yuan did not give details of the position but was quoted as saying they were “willing to listen to and promote any administrative proposal [from the adviser] as long as it is beneficial to Taiwan’s development”.
The post is unpaid.


In Beijing, foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning repeated Beijing’s position that Taiwan was an inseparable part of China and any external interference on this issue would not be tolerated.
The Taiwanese authorities would not succeed in their attempt to “collude with external forces in pursuit of ‘independence’”, she said, adding that this year was the 80th anniversary of the end of the second Sino-Japanese war.
“Japan bears historical crimes and responsibility towards the Chinese people regarding the issue of Taiwan, therefore they should be particularly cautious about what they say and how they behave,” said Mao, referring to Japanese colonisation of the island from 1895-1945 after the first Sino-Japanese war.
She said Japan must implement its commitment to the one-China principle that was the political foundation of Beijing-Tokyo relations.
Beijing sees Taiwan as a province of China to be reunited by force if necessary. Most countries, including Japan, do not recognise Taiwan as an independent state. But Japan has said it opposes any attempt to take the self-governed island by force.
As Japan’s chief of the Joint Staff from 2012 to 2014, Iwasaki was the highest-ranking uniformed officer in the country and third in the military command chain after the prime minister and defence minister.
News of Iwasaki’s hiring and arrival in Taipei was broken by the Japanese CEO of the Taipei-based Indo-Pacific Strategy Thinktank. The Taiwanese government does not usually announce such appointments, according to local media reports.
It comes as Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is in Tokyo for meetings with his Japanese and South Korean counterparts. Wang is also scheduled to meet Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.


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Diplomacy

Retired air force general Shigeru Iwasaki takes up unpaid position with the island’s Executive Yuan


Retired air force general Shigeru Iwasaki takes up unpaid position with the island’s Executive Yuan.


Japan