In the sphere of Japan's diplomacy and security policies, the role of Taiwan has been taking on increasing prominence in recent years. The relationships with the United States and China are Japan's foremost diplomatic challenges, and Taiwan's situation stands as the most destabilizing aspect of US-China relations. Frameworks such as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and the Free and Open Indo-Pacific Initiative (FOIP) highlight Taiwan as an essential element. However, while economic and societal relations between Japan and Taiwan are amicable, there is a conspicuous absence of formal diplomatic ties, matched by a similarly sparse presence of direct security associations.
This article aims to present an overview of Japan's policy toward Taiwan, to analyze how Japan has managed its relations with Taiwan amidst the constraints emanating from its relations with China, and finally, to highlight the policy challenges currently faced by the Japanese government.
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The views, conclusions and recommendations expressed in this report are solely those of its author(s) and do not reflect the view of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, or its employees.