Taiwan 28: Reflections on Taiwan (4)

Finally, I’d like to take a look at the relationship between Taiwan and Japan.

In 1971, Taiwan (the Republic of China) was replaced by the People’s Republic of China as a permanent member of the UN Security Council and withdrew from the UN, as if being forced out.
The following year, in 1972, Japan restored diplomatic relations with China. The period from around this time until 1980 was when relations between Taiwan and Japan were at their most strained.

However, the tension was limited to political matters; since the two countries had strong economic ties to begin with, relations gradually returned to their former state of goodwill by the time the 1980s rolled around.

On December 28 of 2018, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Japan (located in Minato Ward, Tokyo), which serves as Taiwan’s de facto embassy, released the results of a survey commissioned from a Japanese company. The survey targeted 1,000 people aged 20 to 89 across Japan.

When asked, “Do you feel a sense of affinity toward Taiwan?” 74% of respondents answered “Yes.” The top reasons cited were “Taiwanese people are kind and friendly” (79.1%) and “We have a long history of exchange” (45.8%).

Looking more specifically at Asian countries, the rankings were: Taiwan (64.7%), South Korea (17.5%), China (4.5%), and others.
This survey was conducted in November of last year (2018), prior to the recent series of events involving the South Korean Supreme Court’s ruling on “forced labor,” the Navy’s “laser beam incident,” and the National Assembly Speaker’s remarks regarding an “apology from the son of the war criminal [Emperor Akihito].” If the survey were conducted today(2019), the figures regarding South Korea would likely be lower.

When asked, “What is the relationship between Japan and Taiwan?”, 71% answered “good.” Furthermore, when asked, “Do you have any specific concerns?”, “none” was the top response at 28%.

Additionally, more than half of the respondents said they would like to travel to Taiwan.

As for Taiwanese respondents, this survey was also conducted last year(2018). The age of the respondents is unknown, but the sample size was over 1,000. Unlike the Japanese survey, this one asked respondents to indicate whether they liked or disliked specific countries.

The ranking of countries that Taiwanese people like is:
① Singapore 88.2%, ② Japan 84.6%, ③ Canada 82.3% ……
The ranking of countries they dislike is:
① North Korea 70.9%, ② Philippines 52.9%, ③ China 43.9%, ④ South Korea 33.8%, ⑤ Russia 29.7% …… and so on.

Singapore is a country with a large overseas Chinese population and has long maintained close ties with Taiwan. Due to its small land area, Singapore has even conducted military training in Taiwan in the past. Canada is a popular destination for Taiwanese immigrants, many of whom are active in Canadian society. Japan ranks somewhere in between these two.

The Philippines, which exceeded 50% in the “countries I dislike” category, appears to be influenced by an incident several years ago in the Luzon Strait, where a Philippine patrol boat fired on a Taiwanese fishing vessel, resulting in the death of one crew member. This can be described as the kind of friction unique to neighboring countries separated by the sea.

Next, let’s look at the number of tourists visiting Japan from neighboring countries last year(2018). The top spot, without a doubt, goes to China with 8.38 million visitors (1.3 billion population / 6.4%), followed by South Korea with 7.53 million (50 million population / 15.1%), and then Taiwan with 4.75 million (23 million population / 20.7%). Looking at the figures in parentheses, it’s clear just how high Taiwan’s ratio is.

It would be simplistic to dismiss the seriousness of primary education during the Japanese colonial period as merely a means of “Japanization.” Similarly, regardless of whether it was a colonial policy or not, many Japanese people spared no effort to modernize Taiwan during that era. Among them, Engineer Yoichi Hatta, who devoted himself to dam construction and waterway development, and Professor Yoshikichi Iso, who succeeded in improving Taiwanese rice varieties, are held in high esteem by the Taiwanese people.

The Jianan Plain stretches from Chiayi in southwestern Taiwan to Tainan. At the time, the land was constantly plagued by drought, preventing a satisfactory harvest. After inspecting the Jianan Plain, Engineer Hatta planned and designed the “Wushantou Dam” for water storage and the “Chianan Canal” for agricultural irrigation.

Over the course of 10 years—during which the Great Kanto Earthquake struck Japan and circumstances such as funding changed—Engineer Hatta personally took command at the front lines of the construction site. As a result, droughts and floods were eliminated, fields were transformed into paddy fields, and the Jianan Plain became a breadbasket capable of supporting two harvests per year. In Taiwan, the term “shu” refers to agricultural water.

Engineer Hatta appears in the Taiwanese film “KANO 1931: Beyond the Sea to Koshien,” which I introduced in my previous blog post. Actor Takao Osawa played the role of Engineer Hatta.

Professor Iso also spent 10 years crossbreeding over 1,000 varieties of Taiwanese indica and japonica rice to create a new variety called “Hourai Rice” that suited Japanese tastes. From then on, Taiwan’s rice exports grew dramatically.

The development of Taiwan’s agriculture, driven by the achievements of these two men, led to the acquisition of foreign currency, and the funds pooled from this became the financial foundation for Taiwan’s subsequent shift toward industrialization.

Engineer Hatta’s achievements are featured in Taiwanese textbooks. Furthermore, “Hourai Rice,” the variety successfully developed by Professor Iso, remains a staple rice variety consumed by many Taiwanese people to this day.

There are bronze statues of the two men, erected by the Taiwanese people, located within the Wushantou Dam park and on the campus of National Taiwan University. There is a story that the statue of Engineer Hatta was hidden by villagers during the war to avoid the military’s forced metal requisition.

While this is different from the statues, devout and courteous Taiwanese people hold great respect for spirit shrines dedicated to the spirits of the deceased. Among these, there are not only shrines for ancestors and historical figures but also shrines for Japanese people. A prime example is the shrine for a Japanese Zero fighter pilot located in the suburbs of Tainan.

In the midst of the war, the pilot, whose aircraft had been damaged in aerial combat with U.S. forces, was on the verge of crashing into a village on the outskirts of Tainan. He managed to steer the plane into a field and ejected with a parachute just before it exploded, but was killed by machine-gun fire from the U.S. aircraft.

After the war, many villagers reportedly dreamed of a young soldier wearing a white hat and uniform. Believing this to be the pilot—who was 20 years old at the time—they erected a shrine on the field where the Zero fighter crashed to enshrine his spirit as the village’s guardian deity. Today, it is known as the “Flying Tiger General Shrine” and attracts many visitors. It is said that “Kimigayo” and “Umi Yukaba” are played inside the shrine once a day.

These are just a few examples, but there were many instances of the admirable achievements and deeds of our predecessors. I believe this is one of the reasons why, despite a 50-year period of Japanese rule, many people in Taiwan do not harbor negative impressions of Japan, as indicated by the survey mentioned above.

In his New Year’s address this year(2019), Chinese President Xi Jinping stated that he would further promote the “peaceful reunification” of Taiwan and the “one country, two systems” policy. This is nothing new, but what was different this time was that he went a step further and stated that China “will not renounce the use of military force.”

Needless to say, the people of Taiwan are well aware that if China were to apply pressure—whether through military force or economic power—they would stand no chance.

In contrast to the Kuomintang, which has shown a willingness to compromise with China, the current Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) administration led by President Tsai Ing-wen does not trust China’s “one country, two systems” proposal and firmly opposes it. In a recent interview, President Tsai stated that regarding China’s use of force, she “hopes that after we weather the first wave (with Taiwan’s military strength), the world will rise up and put pressure on China.”

Today, Taiwan is steadily advancing along the path of a modern democratic nation. What will become of their true sentiment—“Taiwan is fine just as it is”—in the future?

最後に台湾と日本の関係について見てみたいと思います。

1971年、台湾(中華民国)は、中華人民共和国に国連の常任理事国をとって変わられ、追われるようにして国連から脱退します。
翌1972年、日本は中国と国交を回復します。この頃から1980年にかけてが台湾と日本の関係が一番ギクシャクしていました。ただしギクシャクしていたのは政治の話、もともと経済的な結び付きの強い両国ですから80年代に入るといつの間にかもとの良好な関係に戻っていきました。

昨年の12月28日、台湾の大使館にあたる台北駐日経済文化代表処(東京・港区)が日本の会社に依頼したアンケート調査の結果を発表しました。対象者は日本全国の20～89才の1,000人です。

「台湾に親しみを感じるか？」の問に「はい」と74％の人が答えています。内容は「台湾人は親切、友好的」が79.1％、「歴史的に交流が長い」が45.8％で続いています。
さらに具体的にアジアの国別となると、台湾 64.7％、韓国 17.5％、中国 4.5％、その他と続きます。

この調査は、ここ一連の韓国大法院の「徴用工」判決、海軍の「レーザー照射」問題、そして国会議長の「戦争主犯の息子の日王(天皇陛下)の謝罪」発言などの前の昨年の11月に行われています。アンケートが今なら韓国に対する数字は減りそうです。

「日本と台湾の関係は？」の問に「良好」が71％。さらに「具体的な懸念があるか？」に「なし」が28％でトップです。
そしてアンケートに答えた半数以上の人が台湾へ旅行に行きたいとも答えています。

一方で台湾の方はというと、これも昨年のアンケートです。対象者の年齢は不明ですが1,000人以上です。こちらは日本のアンケートと違い国別に好きか嫌いか答えてもらったようです。

台湾人が好きな国のランキングは、
①シンガポール 88.2％、②日本 84.6％、③カナダ 82.3％ ……

嫌いな国のランキングは、
①北朝鮮 70.9％、②フィリピン 52.9％、③中国 43.9％、④韓国 33.8％、⑤ロシア 29.7％ ……　と続きます。

シンガポールは華僑の国、昔から台湾とのつながりは密です。狭い国土のシンガポールゆえ、以前から軍事訓練を台湾で行っているほどです。カナダは移民先として多くの台湾人が現地カナダで活躍しています。その間に日本がランキングしているということです。
嫌いな国で50％を超えたフィリピンは、何年か前にルソン海峡でフィリピンの警備船が台湾の漁船に発砲して、乗組員一人が死亡した事件が影響しているようです。海を挟んだ隣国どうしならではの軋轢といえます。

次に昨年の近隣国から訪日観光客の人数をあげてみます。トップは何といっても中国の838万人(13億人/6.4%)、続いて韓国の753万人(5,000万人/15.1%)、そして台湾の475万人(2.300万人/20.7%)となっています。カッコ内の人口からみると台湾の比率がいかに高いかがわかります。

日本統治期の初等教育現場の真剣さを皇民化のためといってしまえばそれまでです。同じように植民地化政策かどうかは別にして、日本統治期には多くの日本人が台湾の近代化のために努力を惜しみませんでした。中でもダム建設と水路整備に尽力した八田與一技師と台湾米の品種改良に成功した磯永吉教授は台湾人から大いなる尊敬を受けています。

台湾南西部の嘉義から台南にかけて嘉南平野が広がっています。当時、土地は常に干ばつの危機に見舞われ満足な農作物を収穫できずにいたのです。そんな嘉南平野を視察した八田技師は貯水用の「烏山頭ダム」と農業水路「嘉南大圳」の建設を計画、設計します。
そして10年、その間日本では関東大震災が起こり、資金調達など状況が変化する中でも八田技師自らが最前線の現場で指揮をとったのです。結果、干ばつや洪水は一蹴され、畑は水田へと変わり嘉南平野は二期作が可能な穀倉地帯となったのです。圳(しゅう)とは台湾で農業用水のことです。
この八田技師ですが、前回のブログで紹介した台湾映画「KANO 1931 海の向こうの甲子園」に登場します。俳優の大沢たかおさんが八田技師役を演じていました。

磯教授も10年にわたり1,000種以上の台湾米インディカ種とジャポニカ種の交配を行い、日本人の口にもあう新種の「蓬莱米」を作り出しました。以後、台湾の米の輸出は飛躍的に伸びていきます。

二人の業績により発展した台湾の農業は外貨の獲得にもつながり、それらプールされたお金はその後の台湾の工業化シフトのための資金源となったのです。

八田技師の功績は台湾の教科書にも載っています。また、磯教授が品種改良に成功した「蓬莱米」は今でも多くの台湾人に食される主力米です。
烏山頭ダムの公園内と台湾大学内に台湾人によって顕彰された二人の銅像があります。八田技師の銅像は戦時中、軍強制の金属供出を避けるために村人によって隠されたという話もあります。

こちらは銅像とは違いますが、信心深く礼節を重んじる台湾人は故人の霊を祀る霊廟を尊びます。そんな中には祖先や歴史上の偉人だけでなく日本人の霊廟もあります。その代表的なのが台南の郊外にある日本人の零戦飛行士の霊廟です。
大戦のさなか、米軍機と空中戦によって機体にダメージを受けた飛行士は台南郊外の集落に墜落しそうな状況の中、何とか畑まで機体を操り爆発寸前にパラシュートで脱出したものの米軍機の機銃掃射によって絶命します。

大戦後、多くの村人が白い帽子と服の若い兵士を夢をみたそうです。それが当時20才だったあの飛行士に違いないとして、零戦が墜落した畑にその集落の守護神として霊を祀る祠が建立されたのです。今では「飛虎将軍廟」と呼ばれ、多くの人が訪れるようになりました。毎日一回ずつ「君が代」と「海ゆかば」が霊廟内に流れているそうです。

これらは一例にすぎませんが、様々な場面で先人の尊敬すべき業績や行為があったのです。それらが50年間にも及ぶ日本による統治期があったにも関わらず台湾の多くの人たちが、上記アンケートのように日本に対して悪い印象を抱いていないということの理由の一つのように思います。

中国の習近平主席は今年の年頭の挨拶で台湾の「平和的統一」と「一国二制度」をさらに推し進めるとしました。ここまでは例年のことですが、違っていたのは一歩踏み込んで「軍事力の行使を放棄しない」と言及したことです。

台湾の人はいわれるまでもなく武力でも経済力でも中国がその気になって圧力をかければ、ひとたまりもないことを十分承知しています。
中国に歩み寄りを見せる国民党とは反対に蔡英文総統率いる民進党の現政権は中国のいう「一国二制度」を信用しておらず、断固反対しています。最近のインタビューで蔡総統は中国の武力行使には「(台湾の軍事力で)第一波をしのいだ後に世界が立ち上がり、中国に圧力をかけることを期待している」と答えています。

今、台湾は着実に近代的な民主国家としての道を歩んでいます。彼らの本音「台湾は今のままで良い」は、この先どうなっていくのでしょうか。