Ex-Japan Self-Defense Forces head appointment key to security cooperation

Taipei, March 21 (CNA) The appointment of a former chief of Japan's Self-Defense Forces Joint Staff as an adviser to Taiwan's government, is symbolically meaningful, as he is expected to play a key role in the two countries' security cooperation, Taiwanese experts said Friday.

Shigeru Iwasaki, who served as the top uniformed officer in Japan's Self-Defense Forces from 2012-2014, has been made a political affairs consultant to the Executive Yuan, an official from Taiwan's highest administrative body told reporters in Taipei earlier in the day.

The Cabinet seeks advice from consultants on government affairs to promote Taiwan's development, the official said, sharing little information about Iwasaki's appointment to the unpaid position.

Having Iwasaki as a consultant to Taiwan's Cabinet is symbolic because unlike other countries, Japan only appointed a defense attache to its de facto embassy in Taiwan two years ago, policy researcher Hsieh Wen-sheng (謝文生) told CNA.

Hsieh, who has engaged in exchanges with retired Japanese military officials in recent years, said Japan only sends defense ministry officials without military backgrounds to take up the post.

In addition, think tanks in Taiwan have been unable to engage with top-level former officials like Iwasaki, he said.

Hsieh said he expects the retired Japanese general, with his ongoing connections to the Self-Defense Forces, to offer additional options for military exchanges between Taiwan and Japan.

Taiwan-Japan Academy senior adviser Chen Wen-chia (陳文甲) also described Iwasaki's appointment as symbolic, saying it reflects the mutual trust that now enables Taiwan and Japan to publicly cooperate on security.

Chen also mentioned Iwasaki's experience and connection with the military in Japan, which he believes can help deepen military and security cooperation between the two countries.

Both Hsieh and Chen said Iwasaki can help Taiwan better understand Japan's defense policies, with Chen noting the retired Japanese general's previous work as a special policy adviser to the Japanese defense ministry.

More importantly, he can help to ensure Taiwan does not misjudge Japan's defense policies and the operations of its defense forces, Chen told CNA.