February 24, 2024
No. 068
Minister of Foreign Affairs Jaushieh Joseph Wu hosted a dinner to welcome a delegation from the Sasakawa Peace Foundation on February 23. The group was led by Executive Director Nobukatsu Kanehara and included Izumi Hiroyasu, former Chief Representative of the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association.
In his remarks, Minister Wu stressed that the Sasakawa Foundation is one of Japan’s most influential think tanks. It has assisted South Pacific nations such as Palau with constructing basic infrastructure, thus curbing China’s influence into the region. Minister Wu pointed out that the Chinese economy has continued to decline under the autocratic government led by Xi Jinping. As such, Taiwan must remain cognizant that China may manufacture disputes to divert attention from domestic issues. He expressed hope for increased exchanges and dialogue between the think thanks of Taiwan, the United States, and Japan on security issues to increase mutual understanding of international trends.
Executive Director Kanehara congratulated Taiwan on successfully completing presidential and legislative elections in a democratic manner last month. He pointed out that over the past decade, China’s overall economic and military strength had continued to increase, constituting a threat to countries such as Japan, Europe, and the United States. He said he believed that Japan, on the basis of its military alliance with the United States, should cooperate with democracies such as Taiwan, the Republic of Korea, the Philippines, Australia, and European Union member states to make China understand clearly that, were it to start a war, it would pay a heavy price, so as to deter it from acting rashly.
During its visit from February 20 through February 24, the delegation called on President Tsai Ing-wen, National Security Council Secretary-General Wellington Koo, and Taiwan-Japan Relations Association Chairperson Su Jia-chyuan. It also visited think tanks such as the Prospect Foundation and the Institute for National Defense and Security Research.
Executive Director Kanehara is an expert in international diplomacy and regional security and previously served in such key roles as director general of the Bureau of International Law under Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs as well as deputy secretary general of the National Security Secretariat. (E)