Taiwan took the unprecedented step on Monday of sending coast guard vessels into waters claimed by Japan, highlighting the much tougher stance the island’s new government is taking on the neighbour it had so far viewed as its closest unofficial ally in Asia.
Ten patrol boats accompanied a fishing vessel to just one sea mile off the Diaoyutais, or Senkakus, islands controlled by Japan but also claimed by Taiwan and China, according to the coast guard in the port of Shenao, to which the group safely returned on Monday.
The trip marked the latest escalation in a bilateral spat over a collision between a Japanese coast guard vessel and a Taiwanese fishing boat on June 10. The Taiwanese boat sank after the collision and its captain claims that the Japanese ship rammed him intentionally.
Koh Se-kai, Taiwan’s representative to Japan appointed under the previous government, resigned on Monday after being accused by ruling party lawmakers of having taken Japan’s side in the incident.
In recent years, Taiwan dealt with tussles between its fishermen and the Japanese coast guard in a low-key manner because it sought closer ties with Japan in the face of China’s desire to absorb Taiwan.
Taiwan was a Japanese colony for 50 years until 1945, and many Taiwanese have more friendly feelings towards Japan than towards China.
In the past, anger over Japan’s handling of the Diaoyutai issue was limited to fishermen and those residents of Taiwan whose families had come as refugees from China in 1949 and who are more likely to see themselves as Chinese.
But the new government that took office in Taiwan last month has taken a friendlier approach towards China than its predecessor.