After calling Taiwan a “country” last week, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga also said that he supports Taiwan’s participation in the World Health Assembly (WHA). But this time, it wasn’t because of “spoken words.”

According to Taiwan’s “China Times News Network” report, Yoshihide Suga expressed at the G7 summit on the 12th local time that he supports Taiwan’s participation in the World Health Assembly as an observer. He also claimed that “in the global response to the new crown epidemic, there should be no geographic gaps.”

On the previous day (11th), the Japanese Senate also unanimously passed the so-called resolution to support Taiwan’s participation in the World Health Assembly.

As soon as Yoshihide Suga made his remarks, the Taiwan authorities immediately responded enthusiastically. Taiwan’s foreign affairs department said, “Suga’s remarks further highlight the importance and urgency of Taiwan’s participation in the WHO, and also symbolize that the friendship between Taiwan and Japan has become stronger and stronger. Japan’s warm support will be remembered in the heart.”

In fact, on the occasion of the 74th World Health Assembly held last month, the foreign ministers of the Group of Seven countries had publicized Taiwan-related issues and issued a so-called joint statement to invite Taiwan to participate. But then, the President of the 74th World Health Assembly clearly announced that Taiwan-related proposals would not be included in the agenda of the meeting.

In this regard, Zhu Fenglian, a spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, once pointed out that Taiwan’s political lie about the so-called “international epidemic prevention gap” is only an excuse for the DPP authorities to use the epidemic to seek “independence.” The DPP authorities refused to recognize the “92 Consensus,” which embodies the one-China principle, and stubbornly adhered to the separatist stand of “Taiwan independence,” which led to the disappearance of the political basis for Taiwan’s participation in the World Health Assembly.

The Governor of Chang’an Avenue noted that Japanese officials such as Yoshihide Suga have been making “small moves” on Taiwan-related issues recently. In Japan, Yoshihide Suga’s government has been criticized for fighting the new crown epidemic and the organization of the Tokyo Olympics.

According to “Yomiuri Shimbun” reports, Suga Yoshihide met with the Japanese Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare and the Minister of Economic Regeneration at the Prime Minister’s residence on the 15th to discuss the possibility of lifting the pandemic emergency declaration in 10 prefectures on the 20th of this month.

Yukio Edano, representative of the Cadet Party, pointed out that the continued ruling of Yoshihide Suga’s cabinet will put people’s lives and lives in a greater crisis.

Source: Governor of Chang’an Avenue Text: Sky

Sheet South China Morning Post Taiwan announced on April 22 that it would protect its own security, after Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said that Tokyo would not engage in the military if Taiwan was attacked. Ms. Au Giang An (Joanne Ou) – spokesperson for Taiwan External Relations – said on April 22: “Self-protection of security is an unshakeable task for us and Taiwan will take on your own responsibility to protect people’s homes and protect this island ”. Ms. Au Giang An (Joanne Ou) – the spokesperson of the Taiwan External Relations Agency. Photo: TAIWAN NEWS Earlier, speaking at the National Assembly on April 20, Prime Minister Suga emphasized that although the US-Japan Joint Declaration, issued after the summit between Mr. Suga and US President Joe Biden, mentioned the issue. But Japanese forces will not engage in any military situation around the island. In response to a question from an opposition politician in the National Assembly on April 20 about the details of Japan’s commitment to Taiwan, Mr. Suga stated “no military participation is expected”. According to the SCMP Analysts say Japan’s constitution will not allow the military to enter the war in the event that China tries to capture Taiwan by force, but Tokyo can provide the United States with logistical and rear-end support. In the statement, Mr. Biden and Mr. Suga called for “peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait”. This is the first time the US and Japan have mentioned the Taiwan issue in a joint statement in more than 50 years. The two sides also said they would counter China’s “threat” in the Asia-Pacific region. The US-Japan statement has aroused strong protests from China, when it warned that Tokyo and Washington should stay away from “internal affairs” related to Taiwan. Over the weekend, the Chinese military’s Eastern Zone, which oversees the Taiwan Strait, deployed dozens of H-6K strategic bombers to participate in a nine-hour live-fire drill. , according to the China Central Television (CCTV) . Previously, the Taiwan External Relations Agency on April 22 said the US-Japan defense alliance is the foundation of peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region. The agency also said the reference in the joint statement reflects the two countries’ strong consensus on security in the Taiwan Strait and Indo-Pacific. “We welcome the international community’s concern about trans-strait peace and stability … and it is our responsibility to protect our security,” the statement said. “Taiwan will continue to liaise and cooperate closely with the US, Japan and other like-minded countries in maintaining stability across the strait as well as maintaining security and prosperity in the Indian Ocean region. – Pacific “- stated clearly. China always considers Taiwan its territory and does not rule out the possibility of using force to unify. The Taiwan-strait relations have been strained since Thai Anh Van, who opposed the “one China” policy, became the island’s leader in 2016.

The statement came days after Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga stressed that the Japanese military would not engage in any military situation around Taiwan. The Japanese leader asserted that the mention of Taiwan in his joint statement with the United States did not make assumptions about Japanese military involvement. Taiwan claims to defend itself after Japan’s declaration of non-interference. (Photo: EPA-EFE) After meeting at the White House last week, Mr. Suga and President Biden issued a joint statement, which outlined “the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait”. Both leaders encouraged the peaceful settlement of cross-strait Taiwan issues. In a statement released on April 22, Taiwan’s diplomatic mission said the US-Japan defense alliance is the foundation for peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region and is referenced in a joint statement. reflecting the two countries’ strong consensus on security in the Taiwan Strait and Indo-Pacific. The statement also noted Mr. Suga’s earlier assertion that the dispute in the Taiwan Strait should be settled by peaceful means. “We welcome the international community’s concern for peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait… and it is our responsibility to protect the security of the island. Taiwan will continue to liaise and cooperate closely with the US, Japan and like-minded countries in maintaining stability in the strait as well as maintaining security and prosperity in the Indian Ocean region – Pacific”, the statement clearly stated. China has always asserted that Taiwan is an inseparable territory and does not rule out the possibility of using force to unify the island. The Chinese military’s time increased military operations near Taiwan as tensions between Washington and Beijing escalated.

Hundreds of tanks contain radioactive wastewater outside the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan. Photo: AP Since then, the authorities have used millions of tons of water to cool the reactors, and store waste water in giant tanks on site. 10 years have passed, the operator of the nuclear plant Tokyo Electric Power Co (TepCo) is now alerting the danger of running out of water storage space from the cooling process, estimated to reach a threshold of about 1.3 million tons of water. year 2022.
Environmental groups, including Greenpeace, have recommended the Tokyo government to build more tanks to keep water outside the plant, rather than opting for an ocean discharge option. Japan has considered several other options, such as evaporation or underground storage of contaminated water from factories. In the end, however, the Tokyo government decided to dilute the huge mass of polluted water and release it into the sea, when it found this option more technically feasible and cost-effective. The process is expected to begin in the next 2 years. Currently, all wastewater is filtered to remove most of the radioactive elements, but some dangerous substances remain, including Tritium, which has been identified as harmful to humans.
Evaluation of Tokyo’s solution, expert Ken Buesseler at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute in Falmouth, Massachusetts, noted: “Tritium is light and can float as far as the west coast of the United States within 2 years”. More serious problems are thought to lie in potentially dangerous radioactive isotopes in water, including strontium-90 and iodine-129. In theory, filtration can reduce their concentration, to about 70% for water that has not undergone secondary filtration. But scientists are not sure whether the actual filtration results are according to plan.
A poll conducted by the Asahi Shimbun newspaper in January 2021 found that 55% of Japanese respondents opposed the Tokyo government’s plan to discharge radioactive wastewater from Fukushima into the sea, while 32% said that they support. At the Tokyo government’s earlier hearing on the release of nuclear radioactive water into the sea, some industry and local representatives continued to oppose the decision believed to undermine efforts to revive the affected areas. disaster, blowing past efforts to restore the reputation for local products. “We will die from releasing polluted water into the oceans, as it could have a catastrophic impact on the future of the Japanese fishing industry” – Hiroshi Kishi, head of the Federation of Water Cooperatives National real estate said. Mr. Kishi emphasized that the discharge of radioactive water into the ocean may cause other countries to tighten restrictions on imports of Japanese seafood products, reversing the recent trend of loosening policies.
Japan’s April 13 announcement also immediately drew concerns in neighboring countries, including China and South Korea, about the possible impact on human health as well as seafood businesses. . Beijing calls for Tokyo’s “responsible” attitude, along with “prudent” disposal of nuclear waste, arguing that it involves “the interests of the international community and the vital interests of neighboring countries ”. Meanwhile, Seoul said that “it will be unacceptable if the Japanese side decides to discharge polluted water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant without full consultation”.

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