Nagasaki Bombing Ceremony 'Diminishes Taiwan,' Scholar Contrasts Hiroshima Arrangements: Taiwan-Japan Mutual Trust Deepens Unchanged

Taiwan's representative in Japan has accused Nagasaki city officials of diminishing Taiwan's status by assigning their delegation a seating position outside the designated diplomatic area during a atomic bombing memorial ceremony. The incident occurred on August 9, the anniversary of the bombing.

Chen Wen-chia, vice president of Open University and vice chairman of the Association of Contemporary Japanese Studies, described the seating arrangement as a conservative administrative judgment by the Nagasaki city government, not indicative of a change in Japanese central policy. He noted that Taiwan's representative was seated within the diplomatic area at the Hiroshima bombing memorial ceremony held on August 6.

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This move was a conservative administrative judgment by the Nagasaki city government, not a shift in Japanese central policy.

Chen emphasized that while Taiwan must assert its dignity, this event should not be interpreted as a deterioration of Taiwan-Japan relations. He pointed to the administrative autonomy of Japanese local governments compared to the central government's policies. Taiwan-Japan exchanges in areas such as semiconductors, supply chains, maritime security, disaster prevention, tourism, and local cooperation continue to deepen, reflecting sustained mutual trust and increasing strategic alignment.

He advised that Taiwan should firmly seek its due dignity, and Japan should improve its institutional arrangements. A mature relationship, he suggested, involves candidly addressing differences while expanding cooperation.

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Taiwan must firmly seek its due dignity, and Japan should improve its institutional arrangements.