2013年 03月 13日 10:47
Japan, China Bicker Over 3/11 Service
Japan and China showed there’s rarely
an inappropriate moment for public bickering Monday, when China skipped
Japan’s memorial service for the victims of March 11 tsunami disaster,
citing Japan’s treatment of Taiwan as an independent state at the
ceremony.
Japan’s top government spokesman, Yoshihide Suga, called the absence of Chinese representatives “regrettable and disappointing” Tuesday. China, which considers Taiwan part of its territory, accused Tokyo of backing out of its 1972 declaration with Beijing that recognized Taiwan as part of China. He said that’s why China withheld its ambassador from the national service that commemorated the second anniversary of the earthquake and tsunami that left over 18,000 dead or missing. A government spokesman said “about 160″ diplomats attended the ceremony.
At a daily press briefing on Monday, China Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said Beijing had told Japanese officials it was “strongly dissatisfied” that Taiwan officials were placed in the same area as diplomatic envoys. “We urge the Japanese side to correct the mistake and live up to its commitment,” she said.
The handling of Taiwan under the current ruling Liberal Democratic Party is a sharp contrast with how the Democratic Party of Japan, in power a year ago, dealt with the matter during the first anniversary memorial.
The DPJ ─ which took control of the government in 2009 promising closer ties with Beijing ─ kept Taiwan off the list of countries present at the first memorial service on March 11, 2012. Instead, Taiwan’s representative was seated in the general seating area, crammed together with other “private sector representatives.”
That seemed a harsh snub, given that Taiwanese donors sent an unmatched Y18 billion in aid to Japan in the first six months after the disaster, compared to the Y17.5 billion total by 127 other countries, regions and international organizations in two years. Japanese media and opposition lawmakers accused then-Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda of committing a diplomatic faux-pas. Mr. Noda eventually apologized to Taipei.
Mr. Abe’s more conservative LDP ousted Mr. Noda and the DPJ in December, after a campaign that included promises to take a tougher line on China. An Abe spokesman told reporters last week that, this time, Taiwan would be included in the A-class list of country reps in Monday’s ceremony, NHK reported.
“We explained to China the objective of the ceremony, as well as our intention to respond befittingly to Taiwan’s remarkable aid to Japan,” Mr. Suga said. “It’s unfortunate that China couldn’t understand this point.”
China wasn’t the only neighboring nation undergoing a tense time with Tokyo that wasn’t represented at the ceremony. The South Korean government didn’t send somebody either. Mr. Suga said that was not a protest, but the result of a “clerical mistake,” without elaborating on which side made the error, or what it was.
A spokesman for the South Korean embassy echoed that explanation Tuesday, also without elaboration, saying there was no dispute between the two countries over the ceremony.
Toko Sekiguchi
Japan’s top government spokesman, Yoshihide Suga, called the absence of Chinese representatives “regrettable and disappointing” Tuesday. China, which considers Taiwan part of its territory, accused Tokyo of backing out of its 1972 declaration with Beijing that recognized Taiwan as part of China. He said that’s why China withheld its ambassador from the national service that commemorated the second anniversary of the earthquake and tsunami that left over 18,000 dead or missing. A government spokesman said “about 160″ diplomats attended the ceremony.
At a daily press briefing on Monday, China Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said Beijing had told Japanese officials it was “strongly dissatisfied” that Taiwan officials were placed in the same area as diplomatic envoys. “We urge the Japanese side to correct the mistake and live up to its commitment,” she said.
The handling of Taiwan under the current ruling Liberal Democratic Party is a sharp contrast with how the Democratic Party of Japan, in power a year ago, dealt with the matter during the first anniversary memorial.
The DPJ ─ which took control of the government in 2009 promising closer ties with Beijing ─ kept Taiwan off the list of countries present at the first memorial service on March 11, 2012. Instead, Taiwan’s representative was seated in the general seating area, crammed together with other “private sector representatives.”
That seemed a harsh snub, given that Taiwanese donors sent an unmatched Y18 billion in aid to Japan in the first six months after the disaster, compared to the Y17.5 billion total by 127 other countries, regions and international organizations in two years. Japanese media and opposition lawmakers accused then-Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda of committing a diplomatic faux-pas. Mr. Noda eventually apologized to Taipei.
Mr. Abe’s more conservative LDP ousted Mr. Noda and the DPJ in December, after a campaign that included promises to take a tougher line on China. An Abe spokesman told reporters last week that, this time, Taiwan would be included in the A-class list of country reps in Monday’s ceremony, NHK reported.
“We explained to China the objective of the ceremony, as well as our intention to respond befittingly to Taiwan’s remarkable aid to Japan,” Mr. Suga said. “It’s unfortunate that China couldn’t understand this point.”
China wasn’t the only neighboring nation undergoing a tense time with Tokyo that wasn’t represented at the ceremony. The South Korean government didn’t send somebody either. Mr. Suga said that was not a protest, but the result of a “clerical mistake,” without elaborating on which side made the error, or what it was.
A spokesman for the South Korean embassy echoed that explanation Tuesday, also without elaboration, saying there was no dispute between the two countries over the ceremony.
Toko Sekiguchi
中國代表未參加日本大地震紀念活動
週
一﹐日本和中國顯示了幾乎沒有什麼時候不能公開發生口角。週一﹐中國沒有參加日本紀念311海嘯遇難者的活動﹐說原因是日本在紀念活動將台灣作為獨立國家對待。
European Pressphoto Agency
3月11日，東京，日本首相安倍晉三在紀念311地震海嘯遇難者的全國活動中向遇難者靈位鞠躬。
中國外交部發言人華春瑩週一在記者會上說﹐日方在今年的追悼儀式上把台方人員與外交使團和國 際機構人員安排在一起﹐這違反中日聯合聲明的有關原則和精神以及日方在台灣問題上所作承諾。中方向日方表明了堅決反對的態度。我們已向日方提出嚴正交涉﹐ 對日方所作所為表示強烈不滿和抗議。
目前的執政黨自由民主黨(Liberal Democratic Party)處理台灣問題的方式﹐與一年前執政的日本民主黨(Democratic Party of Japan)在311週年紀念活動上的做法形成了鮮明的對比。
日本民主黨於2009年上台﹐曾承諾拉近與北京的關係。在2012年3月11日舉行的311週年紀念活動上﹐日本民主黨沒有將台灣列在出席國家的名單內﹐而是將台灣代表安排在一般座位區﹐與其他私營部門代表擠在一起。
鑒 於台灣捐款人在災難發生後的前六個月內向日本提供了高達180億日圓的援助﹐這樣的做法似乎過於冷落了台灣。相比之下﹐其他127個國家、地區和國際組織 在兩年內共提供了175億日圓的援助。日本媒體和反對派議員指責時任首相的野田佳彥(Yoshihiko Noda)犯了一個外交錯誤。野田佳彥最終向台北道歉。
去年12月﹐安倍晉三領導的更為保守的自由民主黨將野田佳彥和日本民主黨趕下台。安倍晉三在競選中承諾對中國採取更加強硬的立場。據日本廣播公司NHK報道﹐安倍晉三的一位發言人上週對記者說﹐這次在週一舉行的紀念活動中﹐台灣將被包括在A級國家代表名單中。
菅義偉說﹐我們向中國解釋了紀念活動的目的﹐以及我們打算對台灣向日本提供的巨額援助做出適宜的回應。遺憾的是﹐中國無法理解這點。
中國並非唯一一個眼下與東京關係緊張、沒有代表出席311紀念活動的鄰國。韓國政府也沒有派出代表。菅義偉說﹐這不是在抗議﹐而是“辦事員錯誤”造成的﹐他沒有詳細說明哪方出的錯或出了什麼錯。
韓國大使館發言人週二回應了上述解釋﹐但也沒有詳細說明﹐只是說兩國在紀念活動一事上沒有爭議。
Toko Sekiguchi
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