The Taipei 101 skyscraper commands the urban landscape in Taipei, China's Taiwan. [Photo/Xinhua]
According to Japanese news outlet Sankei, some members of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party held a discussion with Chinese guests on the Taiwan Strait situation last week. At the meeting, Sun Jianguo, head of China Institute for International Strategic Studies, asked what Japan would think if the island of Okinawa were to seek independence, arousing fierce opposition from LDP lawmakers.
It seems the Japanese legislators are so patriotic that they cannot tolerate someone even alluding to a part of the country seeking independence. They should, therefore, understand that the Chinese people hold the same view about national unity.
It is common knowledge that Ryukyu was an independent Asian nation until 1875 when the Imperial Japanese Army occupied it by force. In 1879, they annexed and renamed it Okinawa. Even after so many years, some Okinawa residents still want independence. In contrast, Taiwan has been a part of China since time immemorial, a fact that cannot be denied. So if Japan is so possessive about a piece of land it annexed 150 years ago, why should it challenge China's claim on a territory that has always been its own?
China has repeatedly made it clear that there is only one China and Taiwan is a part of the country. Even though a few secessionists on the island are seeking "independence" and trying to get help from political forces in the United States and Japan, they don't alter the fact that both the US and Japanese governments recognize the one-China principle.
Some Japanese politicians need to learn some basics of diplomacy. If they want other countries to respect their national unity, they must reciprocate, too. If they claim that their territory is indivisible, then they need to know that their neighbor's territory is no less sacred.
