MEDIA REACTION: JAPANESE HISTORY TEXTBOOK

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 TAIPEI 001769

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR INR/R/MR, EAP/RSP/TC, EAP/PA, EAP/PD -
ROBERT PALLADINO
DEPARTMENT PASS AIT/WASHINGTON

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OPRC KMDR KPAO TW
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: JAPANESE HISTORY TEXTBOOK
CONTROVERSY

Summary: The increasingly intense anti-Japanese
protests in China have finally caught the attention of
the pro-independence Chinese-language newspapers in
Taiwan April 13. The pro-independence "Liberty Times,"
Taiwan's largest daily, and the "Taiwan Daily" both
quoted Japan's Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry
Shoichi Nakagawa by printing in their front page
headlines that "China is a terrible country." The
"Liberty Times" also ran a banner headline on a page-
three story that read: "China hates Japan, and Japanese
companies will not hesitate to withdraw their
investments [in China.]" A separate story on page
three of the "Liberty Times" had the headline:
"[Taiwan's] Council for Economic Planning and
Development: [the anti-Japanese protests in China] will
help bring more Japanese firms to Taiwan."
Interestingly, the pro-unification "United Daily News"
and the centrist "China Times" merely carried a wire
service report on the China-Japan dispute in their
cross-Strait news page April 13. Editorially, the pro-
independence "Liberty Times" called on Taiwan to watch
out for the rise of China's nationalism, which will
target either Japan or Taiwan. Taiwan could easily
become sacrificed to China's nationalism, the "Liberty
Times" editorial said, given the recent passage of the
Anti-Secession Law. A limited-circulation, pro-
independence English-language "Taiwan News" editorial
focused on how Taiwan could use this opportunity to
promote a more accurate view of the character of the
PRC regime among opinion leaders in the international
community. End summary.

A) "Taiwan Must Watch out for the Return of Chinese
Nationalism by Way of [China's Dispute with] Japan"

The pro-independence "Liberty Times" [circulation:
800,000] editorialized (4/13):

". Given Taiwan's close geographical bond and entangled
historical association with China and Japan, the people
of Taiwan can probe deeper into the disputes between
the two countries and observe their further
development. [Because of its] position, there is
evidently no need for Taiwan to get involved in the
historical resentment or act arbitrarily as a mediator
between China and Japan. Instead, Taiwan should pay
attention to whether the anti-Japanese protests in
China indicate the rise of China's nationalism and
whether it will have a serious impact on Taiwan even
though Japan is now the target [of Chinese
nationalism].

"We are concerned that the rise of China's nationalism
is no longer a hypothetical issue but an emerging fact.
In other words, in the face of China's failure with its
experiment with socialism, which could hardly find a
way out for its country, [Chinese] Communism has given
way to a free economy. But in terms of politics,
nationalism has replaced proletarian internationalism
in China, which has re-emerged in the field of
international politics in an aggressive manner. . Now
that China is no longer a vulnerable and feeble country
[as it was in the past], it shows its intention to hide
[its desire of] becoming a regional hegemony or its
attempt to compete with the United States with its
growing economic and military strength. Under such a
situation, China's nationalism as manifested by the
anti-Japanese protests in its major cities can no
longer be viewed simply as a release valve for the
Chinese people's anti-Japanese sentiments; instead, it
should be closely [monitored] as a possible force for
China's [military] expansion. Once China decides to
expand, the first to bear the brunt of it will be
either Japan or Taiwan. Taiwan should all the more
guard against China's invasive ambitions because given
Japan's national strength, China still has misgivings
about using force against Japan. On the other hand,
however, China claimed that Taiwan is part of its
territory, and the recently passed Anti-Secession Law
has `legalized' Beijing's attempt to use force against
the island. It is thus easy for Taiwan to become
expendable with the rise of China's nationalism.
However, Taiwan needs not worry too much about being
isolated [in the international community]. The
emergence of Chinese hegemony has created a threat to
the Asia-Pacific area as well as the whole world. The
new U.S.-Japan security pact announced lately has
turned Taiwan into a `tacit partner' with the United
States and Japan in fighting against Chinese hegemony.
As long as Taiwan does not split from inside and as
long as fewer people rush to China - an act that would
mislead international views and off-set Taiwan's
unified power -- Taiwan should feel safe under the
joint concern of the United States and Japan. ."

B) "PRC Also Needs to Face Realities"

The pro-independence "Taiwan News" [circulation:
20,000] noted in an editorial (4/13):

". In any case, the continuation of such indoctrination
has had a significant influence on China's youth, but
the degree to which highly educated college students
can take actions as irrational or violent as shown in
the current anti-Japanese rioting gives even greater
cause for concern about the future of China and peace
in Asia. .

"How Taiwan can use this opportunity to establish long-
term strategies to promote a more accurate view of the
character of the PRC regime among opinion leaders in
the United States, Japan, the European Union and
neighboring countries in the Asia-Pacific region, so
that they may change their positions on the question of
our own U.N. representation, should be a major task for
our government."

PAAL