Japan delegation visits Taiwan; ‘ attempt to rope in island delusional’

Tokyo is stepping up its plot to collude with the separatist authority on the island of Taiwan in an attempt to form an anti- mainland clique under the so- called Indo- Pacific strategy with its latest move of sending a delegation from the Youth Division of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party ( LDP) to the island on Tuesday.

The division, regarded as an important platform for exchanges between Taiwan island and Japan and also a talent pool for party leaders, sent the delegation led by the division’s head Masanobu Ogura, a member of the Japanese House of Representatives, to Taiwan region for a five- day visit, the division’s first Taiwan trip since the COVID- 19 pandemic started, Taiwan media reported.

On Wednesday, the delegation launched a high- profile event by paying their respects at the grave of “Godfather of Taiwan secessionism” Lee Teng- hui, the former leader of the island. The event sparked antipathy from some locals on the island. A Taiwan netizen mocked “Japanese devils worshipped another devil!” Some said “the ghost of Lee” should be brought back to Japan.

The core of this visit is how to collude against the Chinese mainland, and in order to achieve this goal, the visit is expected to cover the following topics, said Liu Jiangyong, vice dean of the Institute of Modern International Relations at Tsinghua University.

First, to strengthen security cooperation with Taiwan region, and even to draw Taiwan into the so- called free and open Indo- Pacific strategy, Liu believes. Second, to pave the way for potential visits by former Japanese prime minister Abe and other pro- Taiwan senior politicians, Liu said, citing a verbal invitation by Tsai Ingwen in late March.