Japan is preparing for the worst. Taiwan is just preparing excuses

Japan is preparing for the worst. Taiwan is just preparing excuses


Is Taiwan failing to prepare properly for the Chinese Communist Party accelerating its timeline for unification? Kolas Yotaka, former spokesperson for previous President Tsai Ing-wen, says, bluntly: "Regrettably, I do not believe it is."

Yotaka draws a sharp contrast between a Japan that is mobilizing and a Taiwan that is drifting, arguing that "while Japan is prepared to address the worsening security environment in our region, Taiwan is not."

Japan, she notes, has rallied around a simple and effective message of "defending the nation," backed by rising defense spending and public support. Taiwan, by contrast, is mired in political deadlock. The result is a system struggling to respond even as pressure intensifies.

But the deeper concern is internal. Legislative dysfunction, energy insecurity, and a compromised information environment are all chipping away at Taiwan's resilience. As the author puts it, "words come fast, action comes slow."
But the deeper concern is internal. Legislative dysfunction, energy insecurity, and a compromised information environment are all chipping away at Taiwan's resilience. As the author puts it, "words come fast, action comes slow."

"Japan under [Prime Minister Sanae] Takaichi is prepared to play a more active role in the region. Can Taiwan not do the same? The administration must keep working to grow our defense capabilities, while investing in more robust responses in the information sphere. To break the legislative deadlock, the president should not be afraid of making a deal with the devil."


"Japan under [Prime Minister Sanae] Takaichi is prepared to play a more active role in the region. Can Taiwan not do the same? The administration must keep working to grow our defense capabilities, while investing in more robust responses in the information sphere. To break the legislative deadlock, the president should not be afraid of making a deal with the devil."