Tokyo, Taipei to begin talks on evacuation plans in event China invades Taiwan
Japanese lawmakers and the Taiwan government have agreed to begin talks on how to evacuate Japanese citizens in the event of a Chinese invasion of the island, a Japanese politician said Sept. 1.
As Japan has no diplomatic ties with Taiwan, Japanese lawmakers and businesses will talk with Taiwan instead, said Lower House lawmaker Minoru Kihara.
More than 20,000 Japanese citizens live in Taiwan. When Japan wants to evacuate its citizens from another country, it usually sends Self-Defense Forces aircraft to the country.
But China claims Taiwan as its territory, so it is not clear whether SDF aircraft can land there.
Kihara leads a cross-party group of Japanese lawmakers who aim to strengthen Japan-Taiwan relations.
The agreement was reached when a delegation of Japanese lawmakers visited Taiwan in August. (Kyodo)
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