Taiwan ties of Japan's new defence minister Nobuo Kishi sparks reaction from China

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga's decision on Wednesday to appoint his predecessor's brother as defence minister sparked an immediate reaction from China over his Taiwan ties.

Nobuo Kishi, 61, is the younger sibling of former leader Shinzo Abe, although he was adopted by his maternal uncle as a baby and carries his surname.

Kishi is known for his close ties to the self-ruled island of Taiwan, having represented the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) over the years in engagements with current Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen and other Taiwanese leaders.

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Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen meets Nobuo Kishi at her official residence on January 12, 2020. Photo: Handout

In July, he was among a group of lawmakers who accompanied former Japanese prime minister Yoshiro Mori to Taiwan to mourn the death of its ex-president, Lee Teng-hui. They also had a meeting with Tsai.

In January, Kishi also visited Taipei a day after the Taiwan election to congratulate Tsai on her victory.

"He is known to be close to Taiwan and is one of the contact people - perhaps the most important contact person - for conservatives in Japan and the government in Taipei," said Koichi Nakano, a professor of politics at Tokyo's Sophia University. "That is not surprising given his background and his family links to the Taiwan lobby."

Nobuo Kishi and his wife pictured with the late Taiwanese statesman Lee Teng-hui in July 2015. Photo: Facebook

Asked at a press briefing in Beijing for views on Kishi's appointment, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin on Wednesday said he hoped Japan would refrain from developing official ties with Taiwan.

Wang said Beijing hoped to enhance cooperation with Tokyo.

Nakano said Japan was likely to have factored in China's response with his appointment.

"Security really matters right now and, given the direction of the current US government, I would say that while Suga knew China might be upset at the appointment of Kishi, they probably feel that they can handle the situation," he said.

Liu Qingbin, an associate professor at the Yokohama National University, said even though Kishi had assisted with issues relating to Taiwan, not much was known about his policy leanings.

"He is someone who is extremely low profile," he said.

Since Suga had indicated he would continue to implement Abe's policies, especially in diplomacy and security, it therefore made sense to appoint Kishi who was a trusted aide from Abe's camp, Liu added.

Abe, Japan's leader for almost eight years, had kept ties with China on an even keel even as Tokyo continued its strong alignment with security ally Washington.

Analysts said Japan had managed to focus on economic relations and not get caught up in the worsening US-China rivalry.

It had also avoided direct conflict with Beijing, even as it took a strong position over China's handling of the coronavirus outbreak and the introduction of the new Hong Kong national security law, and embarked on a US$2.2 billion move to help Japanese manufacturers shift production of important goods from China to Japan and other countries.

Tokyo, under Kishi's predecessor Defence Minister Taro Kono - who is now in charge of administrative reform in the new cabinet - had accused Chinese ships of repeated intrusions in the East China Sea, where the disputed Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands are located. China, Taiwan and Japan have competing claims over the islands which are currently administered by Tokyo.

In an online forum earlier this month, Kono - a graduate of Georgetown University and a popular figure in Washington - described China as a "security threat", saying coastguard ships and aircraft were entering waters around the uninhabited isles and Japan's airspace.

Japan was prepared to "defend every centimetre of our land", Kono said, according to news agency Kyodo.

"If we don't do that, we'll see another South China Sea. When China started reclaiming the land, international society didn't do anything to stop it, and see what we've got," Kono said, adding that the "same thing can happen" in any other part of the world.

Stephen Nagy, an associate professor of international relations at Tokyo's International Christian University, said Kishi's appointment represented a "broader continuity in terms of engagement with China, but with the strong signal that Japan is concerned about domestic developments in China and regional security".

It also sent the message that Abe was likely to remain "influential" in how Japan negotiates the bilateral relationship with China and the trilateral arrangement with the US, Nagy added.

Liu, from the Yokohama National University, said while Kishi's ties with Taiwan raised eyebrows, it was unlikely that Japan would have any formal contact with Taiwan, especially in defence.

He noted that by bringing Kishi - who is a grandson of former prime minister Nobusuke Kishi - into the cabinet, questions would also be asked about whether he would one day be considered for premiership.

"This might even dispel the possibility of Shinzo Abe bouncing back into politics for the third time," Liu said.

Japanese Defence Minister Nobuo Kishi is a member of a number of far-right groups. Photo: AP

Kishi is affiliated to the openly-revisionist lobby Nippon Kaigi and is a member of a number of other far-right groups, including Japan Rebirth.

He graduated from Keio University's Faculty of Economics in 1981, then joined Sumitomo Corp and spent time working in the United States, Australia and Vietnam. He left Sumitomo in 2002 and was first elected to the Diet in 2004, quickly rising in the ranks of the LDP.

He has served as parliamentary secretary for defence, vice-chairman of the party's Diet Affairs Committee, vice-chairman of the party organisation, and chaired the special committee on Okinawa and the Russian-held northern islands off Hokkaido, which Tokyo claims.

As senior vice foreign minister, Kishi helped to facilitate the transfer of US carrier planes to Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni in his native Yamaguchi Prefecture, as part of the realignment of US forces in Japan.

Kishi in 2012 burnished his conservative credentials by expressing support for changes to the constitution, opposing Japan's participation in the Trans-Pacific Partnership free-trade agreement, rejecting to permit a female member of Japan's imperial family to retain her status after marrying a commoner, and agreeing there should be debate on Japan deploying nuclear weapons.

Additional reporting by Reuters and Kyodo

This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (SCMP).

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