The China Post
Date: November 2, 2017
By Joseph Yeh
TAIPEI (CNA) – It will be difficult for Taiwan to persuade the Japanese Diet to adopt a
Frank Hsieh responds to questions at a Legislative hearing on Taiwan-Japan relations on Nov. 2, 2017. The nation’s top envoy to Japan said it will be difficult for Taiwan to persuade the Japanese Diet to adopt a Japanese version of the U.S. Taiwan Relations Act. (CNA)
Japanese version of the U.S. Taiwan Relations Act (TRA), the nation’s top envoy to Japan said on Thursday in Taipei.
Fielding questions at a Legislative hearing during which he briefed lawmakers on Taiwan-Japan relations, Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) noted that the two countries are close partners on various fronts including regional security.
However, a major obstacle to achieving even closer ties, Hsieh added, is the lack of official diplomatic relations.
Hsieh said that because Japan severed official diplomatic relations with Taiwan abruptly in 1972, Tokyo does not have a law like the TRA. As a result, Taipei can only operate in an unofficial capacity in Japan, which “makes things very hard for Taiwan,” he added. [FULL STORY]
