A Taiwan relations act for ties with Japan

Starting this month, Japan is to allow professional licenses for doctors and other credentialed occupations to list “Taiwan” as their place of origin. That might appear to be nothing more than a one-word change in official documents, but when viewed alongside a series of recent reforms, it becomes clear that Japan’s policy toward Taiwan is gradually shifting.

The prospect of Japan enacting its own version of the US’ Taiwan Relations Act is beginning to come into view.

In 2012, Japan began allowing “Taiwan” to be listed on residence cards issued to foreign nationals. In May last year, it began permitting “Taiwan” to be entered into the nationality field of family registers.

In June, the Japan-Republic of China (ROC) Diet Members’ Consultative Council, an organization established more than half a century ago, changed its official name to the Japan-Taiwan Diet Members’ Consultative Council. This month, the Japanese government completed revisions to its national qualification system, reviewing 322 national qualifications and amending the regulations governing about 100 of them that include a nationality field.

The reforms were hard-won, as Japan’s administrative system has traditionally been quite rigid and resistant to change, with reforms often requiring years of coordination. The changes they introduced — from recognizing “Taiwan” in family registers and national professional licenses to renaming a parliamentary organization from “Japan-ROC” to “Japan-Taiwan” — not only demonstrate the efforts of Japanese lawmakers, but also highlight the heightened attention of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s Cabinet to Taiwan-related issues.

Even more noteworthy is that last month a cross-party Japanese parliamentary group, the Diet Members’ Association for Peace and Stability in the Taiwan Strait, visited Taiwan and met with President William Lai (賴清德). The group’s chairman, Japanese lawmaker Haruo Kitamura, publicly stated that he would promote Japanese versions of the US’ Taiwan Travel Act and Taiwan Relations Act during the autumn Diet session, with the aim of lifting restrictions on ties between Taipei and Tokyo.

Administrative recognition of Taiwan in name does not equate to official diplomatic recognition. Nevertheless, administrative hurdles that once made it difficult to even use the word “Taiwan” in official documents are being dismantled. The experience gained through these reforms would undoubtedly help create favorable conditions for the Diet to advance legislation formalizing Taiwan-Japan relations.

Amid the increasingly volatile situation in the Taiwan Strait, the US already has the Taiwan Relations Act. At a time when the US-Japan alliance is being comprehensively upgraded, enacting a Japanese version of the Taiwan Relations Act has become an urgent priority. Years of parliamentary exchanges between Taiwan and Japan, together with Japan’s gradual implementation of administrative reforms, have produced incremental gains that are now paving the way for a legal framework governing Taiwan-Japan ties.

The shift from China to Taiwan represents more than the change of a word in official documents; likewise, the shift from “Japan-ROC” to “Japan-Taiwan” reflects more than a mere renaming of a parliamentary group. Administrative changes recognizing Taiwan by that name are gradually being implemented, while the legislative branch is picking up the pace.

In the crisp autumn air, the faint footsteps of Japan’s own Taiwan relations act are drawing nearer.

Wang Hui-sheng is a founding member of the East Asian Research Institute.