Post-LDP Japan will be pro-who?

That has to be changed. Hatoyama and Ozawa cannot treat Taiwan as a banana republic, as Uncle Sam does with full justification. After all, without the American help, there wouldn't have been the Republic of China on Taiwan. But Japan doesn't have any claim of semi- or quasi-suzerainty over Taiwan. Washington at least promises help, if hostilities break out across the Taiwan Strait. Japan cannot, and doesn't want to, offer any help in Taiwan's time of need.

There are two issues between Taiwan and Japan in the post-LDP era that must be settled to their mutual benefit: A free trade agreement (FTA) and joint development of resources in the East China Sea and under waters around the eight uninhabited islet known as the Tiaoyutais, in Chinese, and the Senkakus in Japanese.

It may not be called FTA, but similar arrangements have to be made under whatever title. While Taiwan was a Japanese colony, trade was a domestic one. Taiwan still is one of Japan's top trade partners. Arrangements must be concluded as soon as practicable with either side making concessions if needs be.

The other issue is thornier. Taiwan and the People's Republic claim an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the East China Sea, where the Chinese have already started collecting natural gas from under the sea. Japan insists there must be an overlapping of the economic zones. Don't forget it's Taiwan that first tried to explore undersea oil resources in the zone. A trilateral meeting must be called to settle the issue for their common benefit.

Taiwan, China and Japan claim sovereignty over the Tiaoyutais/Senkakus. Japan's maritime defense force is patrolling the waters off the island group, but an initial agreement was reached between Taiwan and Japan to shelve the issue of sovereignty and jointly develop the undersea resources. The Japanese also forbid Taiwan and Chinese fishermen to operate ten miles off the Senkakus. A new modus vivendi must be arranged among Taiwan, Japan and China so that they may jointly develop Tiaoyutai/Senkaku resources.

Fraternity, one of the three slogans in the French Revolution, the other two being liberty and equality, implies treatment of others as friends on an equal footing. Taiwan, though small, is Japan's best friend in many more ways than one. Japan should treat Taiwan as such by signing an FTA or similar arrangement and starting a joint development of the disputed oil resources in their mutual interest.

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