In the news

The headline in today's Japan Times ジャパンタイムズ says it all: "Japan plans big presence at Taiwan president's inauguration":

"Japan will have the second-largest foreign delegation after the United States when Taiwan holds its presidential inauguration next week...Japan plans to send 76 politicians and other dignitaries to the ceremony Tuesday in Taipei, including Tōkyō Gov. Shintarō Ishihara and Yokohama Mayor Hiroshi Nakada..."

Of the 76 guests, 30 will be lawmakers, with Takeo Hiranuma 平沼赳夫, who heads a pro-Taiwan caucus in Japan's Parliament, the Diet 国会, being the most prominent. The remaining 46 attendees will be analysts from think tanks and local government officials. According to the article:

"The size of the delegation will showcase the strength of Japan-Taiwan ties as Tōkyō welcomes the incoming Taipei government."

The story goes on further to say:

"(President-elect) Ma (Ying-jeou) clinched the presidency on vows to improve relations with rival China, but he also emphasized a desire to deepen ties with and sign a free-trade agreement with Japan. In November, Ma traveled to Japan to woo power brokers at the height of his campaign. He appeared to be on particularly good terms with Nakada, whom he embraced repeatedly at a press conference in Yokohama."

One thing that stands out in this story is how Taiwan's best friends in countries like Japan (and the United States) tend to be right-wing reactionaries - Ishihara, in particular, has been a notorious figure ever since his book "The Japan That Can Say No" 「NO」と言える日本 came out in 1989. You can get a feel for his political views by reading the Wikipedia entry on him. Hiranuma also raised a stir a couple of years ago when, during the debate on whether to allow a woman to succeed to the Imperial throne 皇位継承問題, he argued that an empress could one day marry and have children with a "blue-eyed foreigner", as if that was enough justification for ensuring only males could rule (and ignoring the equally implausible possibility that an emperor might also want to marry and have kids with a 外人. Heaven forbid!). If Ma (or any other influential figure in Taiwanese politics, for that matter) is sincere in wanting to improve ties with Japan, he should be looking to expand contacts with those from the Japanese center and the left.