Takaichi Sanae, Japan’s Likely Next PM, on Taiwan

TaiwanPlus News

On Saturday, Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party declared Takaichi Sanae its next leader.       The self-declared “Iron Lady” has made her stance on Taiwan explicit. Last week, in comments provided to the Hudson Institute, Takaichi called Taiwan an “important partner and valued friend” of Japan and advocated for continued peace in the Taiwan Strait.   Reporters: John Van Trieste, Lery Hiciano   Video Editor: Alison Nguyen   #TaiwanPlusNews #Taiwan #Japan #TakaichiSanae

Transcript

00:00Takaichi Sanae, Japan's self-declared Iron Lady, is on the way to the political top.

00:08Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party declared her its next leader on Saturday.

00:12And that means she will likely become the first woman to serve as Japan's Prime Minister.

00:17Takaichi's mentor, the late Prime Minister Abe Shinzo, was a notable supporter of Taiwan,

00:23once saying, a threat to Taiwan is a threat to Japan.

00:26The new LDP leader has made her stance explicit, telling the Hudson Institute that she wants dialogue with Chinese leaders,

00:33that Taiwan's status quo shouldn't be changed by force, and that issues around Taiwan must be resolved peacefully.

00:40Takaichi is well known for her conservative view on domestic policy,

00:44but analysts are also looking at how her foreign policy, including her stance on Taiwan, might shape the region.

00:50She has met with Taiwan's leaders. She has visited Taiwan.

00:55She has hosted Taiwanese Foreign Minister within Japan.

00:58She's talked about a quasi-security alliance between Japan, Taiwan, India, and Australia.

01:04This perhaps has an increased impetus, as the U.S. seems more and more like an unreliable partner under the current U.S. administration.

01:12So she may look set to pursue this. However, as Japan also recalibrates its relationship with China,

01:20and as the U.S. does so as well, the scope with which she can pursue that kind of agreement remains to be seen.

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