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進入《TAIPEI TIMES》 Japanese ships in Strait shows strong ties, legislator says
Japan Coast Guard patrol vessels the Taketomi is pictured in an undated photograph. Photo: Taipei Times
By Hsu Yung-ching, Tsai Chung-hsien and Jonathan Chin / Staff reporters, with staff writer
Three Japan Coast Guard patrol vessels sheltering in the Taiwan Strait amid Typhoon Bavi is a sign of the enhanced trust between Taiwan and Japan, Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Wang Ting-yu （王定于） said yesterday.
Open-source data from marinetraffic.com on Friday showed that the Kanbai, a Sunko-class helicopter-equipped patrol vessel, and the Taketomi and Irabu Kunigami-class patrol vessels were in the Strait.
The vessels’ automatic identification systems showed the designation “avoid typhoon,” the data showed.
The positioning of the vessels on the Taiwanese side of the strait showed that Japan trusted Taiwan over China, Wang said.
Taiwan and Japan are democracies with common values, have a close and trustworthy relationship, and are allies in the mutual cause of maintaining peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region, he said.
Japan is among the nation’s allies in contesting the unlawful attempt by Beijing to claim sovereign ownership of the Taiwan Strait, he said, adding that the Japan Coast Guard has jointly conducted freedom of navigation operations with the US Navy’s 7th Fleet.
It has sought shelter from storms in the Taiwan Strait before, he added.
The Japanese patrol vessels broadcast their locations to avoid misunderstandings that could increase tensions in the region, Wang said.
Taiwan ADIZ, which posts on social media about maritime and airspace activity around Taiwan, said that the presence of some of the Japan Coast Guard’s most capable vessels in waters off Taiwan is one of the more extraordinary events of the past few years.
The vessels were likely sailing with the wind following a patrol or other operation farther south, it said, adding that the choice of shelter was evidence of a high level of trust between Taipei and Tokyo.
新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES
