Cabinet spokesperson Lo Ping-cheng says that extending military conscription could have a negative impact on young people's career prospects. Lo was responding on Thursday to lawmakers' calls for Taiwan's conscripts to have a longer training period.
Lengthening conscription has become a hotly debated issue since the beginning of the war in Ukraine. As Russian forces overtake Ukrainian cities, Taiwanese lawmakers have questioned their own country's defense preparations in case of an attack.
Right now, men in Taiwan have to do four months of military service. The length of time has steadily decreased over the past thirty years. In 1991, most conscripts served for two years.
Lo says that increasing the length of service, even by two months, could have a major impact on the young people's ability to search for jobs after they graduate. He says that the defense and interior ministries will need to discuss the effects of lengthening conscription before making a final decision.
Lo says that if the government decides to extend the length of conscription, the change will not go into effect until a year after the announcement.