Ex-Japan PM Aso to visit Taiwan next week as ruling LDP vice head

Kishida next? Good to see people unbowed by Chinese threats.

Please, please don’t let him open his mouth while he’s there.

Please, please don’t let him open his mouth while he’s ther

Nah, he will be watching YouTube then fall asleep. Same thing he does when he is here.

How will he stick his foot in his mouth this time? Perhaps he'll wax nostalgically about Aso Cement Taiwanese factories during the colonial days and what friendship Japanese and Taiwanese had back then.

Cool! He gets a fully paid trip to Taiwan for wining and dining at girly bars. This is your taxes at work people!

This is good news as support for Taiwan only increases and becomes more overt. But I really hope Aso doesn't say anything stupid to rock the boat.

I happen to be an admirer of Taiwan and its democratic society. It is my "favorite" country in East Asia. But can we risk nuclear confrontation with China over the island territory? If Japan and the US keep giving moral and material support to President Tsai's government, aren't we risking just that?

Are Japanese and American young people willing to fight and die for Taiwan?

Kishida next? Good to see people unbowed by Chinese threats.

Good old US putting pressure on its puppets.. Pffff!!..

If China claims Taiwan as Chinese territory and does not abandon the possibility of aggression, the United States and Japan will have to support Taiwan.

Japan's Self-Defense Forces are voluntary, so young Japanese people don't have to give up their lives, but Taiwanese people need to be prepared to fight China to protect Taiwan's independence.

Aso is an awful person but he does wield a lot of influence in the Japanese halls of power, so this visit should be good for Taiwan, Japan, and the democratic world.

China is doing its usual whining, but it has simply nothing to do with them: Taiwan is not, and will not be, part of China.

Donald SeekinsToday 11:23 am JST

If Japan and the US keep giving moral and material support to President Tsai's government, aren't we risking just that?

The moral and material support are nothing new that hasn't been offered over the last 75 years.

Aso Cement Taiwanese factories during the colonial days and what friendship Japanese and Taiwanese had back then.

I assume no one knows about that or camp 26...

Taro Aso...ah the Japanese living fossil and a bigotted, racist nasty old man.

Taro Aso...ah the Japanese living fossil and a bigotted, racist nasty old man.

Yep Aso going adds even more credibility to this farce.

Is he still alive and in politics? Where is his dynastic successor?

YamanekoToday 02:27 pm JST

The moral and material support are nothing new that hasn't been offered over the last 75 years.

It's about time to brush up on history and get up to speed because Japan switched It's recognition of Taiwanese official government to Beijing quite some time ago.

The Support changed during the past 75 years.

It's almost as if that doesn't matter much at all. The US is the weapons supplier and has continued to do so.

Hello ?

Hello to you too.

So in reality Japan dropped support for Taiwan government solely for economic reasons by recognizing Beijing and It's one China two systems.

Nothing that isn't a game played by all the major countries to appease the babies in Peking.

And in actual fact Japan lost Taiwan It's new found status as an independent internationally recognized republic of Formosa by invading and taking It's sovereignty.

Which wasn't necessary.

Which matters nothing to the maintaining of Taiwan's independence today.

YamanekoAug. 5  02:27 pm JST

And in actual fact Japan lost Taiwan It's new found status as an independent internationally recognized republic of Formosa by invading and taking It's sovereignty.

Which wasn't necessary.

Total nonsense. Formosa belonged to China(Qing Dynasty) and was handed over to Japan by the Treaty of Shimonoseki (1895). Formosa's independence lasted 151 days between the hand over from the Qing to Japan. Formosa, previously a Spanish and Dutch colony before Qing China was never recognized as independent by any country in the world. Japan did not "invade" a sovereign nation.

YamanekoToday 12:55 am JST

@ TaiwanisNotChina

And in actual fact Japan lost Taiwan It's new found status as an independent internationally recognized republic of Formosa by invading and taking It's sovereignty.

Which wasn't necessary.

Sounds like a problem for Japan, not for the ROC.

Which matters nothing to the maintaining of Taiwan's independence today.

If you were actually aware that Taiwan isn't actually independent then your comment wouldn’t be so ridiculous.

To reiterate and clarify it for you as It's obviously a struggle for you to comprehend - if Japan hadn't colonized Taiwan then it would probably still be and independent sovereign republic nation.

You can pretend all you want that history doesn't matter

You can jump up and down all you want, it still doesn't make it CCP held territory.

However it most certainly does and especially with the current predicament Taiwan is dealing with.

I like Taiwan and have visited several times and is extremely close to home.

My wife is part native of that area and also Japanese.

We are definitely more qualified to be concerned of the Taiwan situation than some American as yourself that lives in America that has no real awareness of whats actually happening here other than media reports !

Then you can stop claiming that Taiwan going back to the mainland is inevitable and start looking for ways to kill PLA and PLN members.