Being ridiculed as "crazy", Aso's visit to Taiwan compares himself to "pirate king" Japan | Taiwan|

"I am much more powerful than Luffy in 'One Piece'."

Author: Liu Xiao

Today, Taro Aso, Vice President and former Prime Minister of the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan, ended his three-day trip to Taiwan and left. According to Japanese media, Aso is the highest ranking incumbent senior member of the Liberal Democratic Party to visit Taiwan since the severance of diplomatic ties between Japan and Taiwan in 1972.

In response to Aso's visit, the spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China said today that some Japanese politicians, despite China's firm opposition, insisted on visiting Taiwan, China region of China and blabbering, exaggerating tensions in the Taiwan Strait, provoking confrontation, and violently interfering in China's internal affairs, which seriously violated the one China principle and the spirit of the four political documents between China and Japan, and seriously trampled on the basic norms of international relations. The Chinese side has made solemn representations to the Japanese side and strongly condemned it.

Being mocked as "crazy, right?"

On August 7th, as soon as Aso's plane landed in Taiwan, he was busy going to "worship ghosts" and pay respects to Lee Teng hui's cemetery, demonstrating his "deep friendship" with Lee Teng hui.

Tsai Ing wen posted a welcome message in Japanese on her social media account regarding her visit to Aso.

After seeing Tsai Ing wen, Aso compared himself to the protagonist of the manga "One Piece", "I am much more powerful than One Piece Luffy. Luffy is a kind of person who uses kindness to make friends, and I use sincerity to move people's hearts and build deep friendships with friends." In response, a Taiwanese netizen retorted, "Don't insult One Piece!"

·Aso: "You need to have the consciousness to fight."

Regarding the so-called "Japan Taiwan cooperation", some netizens remind: "Don't forget the Nanjing Massacre."

Many Japanese netizens believe that Aso's claim of "having the consciousness to fight" is just a slap in the face, but the impact it brings is malicious, causing many netizens to worry, "Don't get the Japanese people into trouble!"

A Japanese netizen wrote, "Is this old man crazy?"

·Japanese netizens criticize Aso.

Even heavyweight legislator Ichiro Ozawa, who came from the Liberal Democratic Party, couldn't stand it anymore. He cursed Aso on social media, who boasted that he needed to have a sense of war and said, "What kind of consciousness are you?" In Ozawa's view, "This irresponsible politician is not worth believing."

The Secretary General of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, Katsuya Okada, and the Secretary General of the Communist Party of Japan, Akira Kochi, also criticized Aso as "very provocative remarks.".

Japanese journalist Takashi Menda believes that there has been an "unstoppable wave of visits to Taiwan" among Japanese politicians. Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had planned to visit Taiwan but was assassinated before his trip. Some politicians have "inherited Abe's legacy" and fled to Taiwan, with representatives such as Kazuichi Hagimoto, Hiroshi Shigeng, Taro Aso, and Nobuyuki Machi being such representatives.

Chen Yang, a visiting researcher at the Japan Research Center of Liaoning University, told Global Figures that their visit to Taiwan has been hyped up

Japan once colonized Taiwan for half a century, brutally suppressing the resistance of the Taiwanese people, committing countless crimes, and bearing serious historical responsibility towards China. The most important thing to do is to reflect on oneself and act with caution.

Since 2021, members of the Liberal Democratic Party and Democratic Progressive Party have held multiple so-called "2+2" talks, claiming to strengthen communication and exchange between the two sides.

In December 2021, local government officials in Japan formed the Japan Taiwan Co Prosperity Leaders Alliance, which currently has 136 members.

In response, Kishida stated that he will "seriously consider this demand".

Aso once shouted, "Taiwan is Japan's lifeline!" His visit to Taiwan this time is seen as a further upgrade of "Japan Taiwan cooperation.

·The Fuji Evening News, a subsidiary of the Sankei News Agency, hyped up Aso's visit to Taiwan.

On August 7th, conservative Japanese media outlet Sankei Shimbun's Fuji Evening News heavily hyped up Aso's visit to Taiwan, and even listed a list of Japanese parliamentarians who visited Taiwan this year using a table.

"Coming from a good family but with poor upbringing"

In Japanese politics, Aso is a famous "big mouth". Even he once self deprecatingly said, "He comes from a good background but has poor upbringing."

Chen Yang told the world that Aso, who came from a privileged background, was arrogant and capricious, and was known as the "Young Master Prime Minister". He is obsessed with comics and once purchased 25 volumes of "One Piece" with public funds, being mocked as the "Minister of Comics". He also made a grand statement that Japan should establish the Nobel Prize in Comics.

·In 2013, Taro Aso was eating ice cream outside a convenience store.

In 2013, a photo of Aso eating ice cream outside a convenience store went viral on the Japanese internet. In the picture, Aso is dressed in a black suit, with his hands in his pockets, tilted his head and munching on ice cream. He is also surrounded by a group of people in black. Japanese netizens commented, "He looks like a bad guy" and "He looks like a gangster.".

Aso has held many important positions such as Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister, and Chancellor of the Exchequer, but he always speaks out loud to make the outside world remember him.

In 2013, when discussing the issue of Japan's aging population, he said, "I hope they die early, which can reduce the medical burden.".

In 2015, he urged Japanese elderly people to consume more in his speech, saying, "When do you plan to live to?"

In 2020, the then Chancellor of the Exchequer delivered a statement in the Senate: "The Olympics have problems every 40 years, and the Tokyo Olympics are cursed!"

·"Can't we just drink it as usual?"

In 2021, Aso made another fuss at a press conference. Just as Japanese society was concerned about whether nuclear wastewater was suitable for drinking, impatient Aso said, "Can we just drink it anyway?"

According to Japanese media reports, since entering politics, Aso has insulted groups such as healthcare workers, women, and Alzheimer's patients with his remarks. His big mouth has attracted criticism from Japanese public opinion.

This time, Aso's visit to Taiwan and his "blasphemy" have sparked even more severe criticism.

However, how much weight does Aso hold in Japanese politics today? Regarding this, Chen Yang analyzed that the Aso faction led by Aso remains the second largest faction within the Liberal Democratic Party and the main supporter of the Kishida regime. He himself still has considerable influence within the Liberal Democratic Party and can to some extent influence the decisions of the Kishida government.

However, Aso is already 83 years old, and this time he went to Taiwan again as Vice President of the Liberal Democratic Party. Chen Yang said, "Aso is nominally the second most influential figure within the Liberal Democratic Party, but when it comes to real power, he obviously has less influence than the Secretary General of the party. In addition, Aso did not enter the Kishida Cabinet, and the actual impact of this visit to Taiwan is relatively limited, mainly due to news hype."