Taiwan independence activists in Japan have called for the Japanese government to recognize the government of Taiwan. Those remarks were given in a meeting of the Japan branch of the World United Formosans for Independence, a pro-independence organization with branches in several countries. The meeting took place on Sunday, which memorialized the anniversary of the 228 incident in Taiwan. In a timely but unrelated story, the former head of the Japan branch and longtime Taiwan independence activist Koo Kwang-ming passed away on Monday at the age of 97.
Head of the Japan branch Lin Jianliang (林建良), a Taiwanese doctor living in Japan, gave remarks calling for recognition from the Japanese government. He ridiculed those who say that a vote for DPP is a vote for war, saying that the KMT are the ones that make invasion more likely by not adequately preparing for conflict. He added that although China often intimidates Taiwan by saying that independence equals war, he believes it is the opposite, that war would result in independence. If a war begins, he says, there will be no reason for Taiwan not to declare independence. He added that under Japanese law, Taiwan is neither a place nor a country. This is like saying that a person exists, but they cannot have citizenship or an address.
Those in attendance included several former military generals and commanders from the Japanese Self Defense Force, as well as academics.