The following is from Mr. Sekihei's regular column in today's Sankei Shimbun.
It is a must-read for Japanese citizens and people worldwide.
The way the Sankei Shimbun is reporting on the LDP presidential election is not something that can be read.
The issue is so clear that even a kindergarten child can understand that Ms. Sanae Takaichi is the prime minister Japan needs right now.
However, for reasons unknown, the Sankei Shimbun repeatedly reports in favor of Koizumi and Ishiba, to the extent that it is no exaggeration to say that it is fake reporting.
When I first saw the report, I thought about canceling my subscription.
However, I'm putting it off for the time being because checking the sports section would be inconvenient, and I would no longer be able to read Mr. Sekihei's and Ms. Sakurai Yoshiko's regular columns.
The Impact of the US Taiwan Conflict Prevention Act
On the 9th of this month, the US House of Representatives unanimously passed the Taiwan Conflict Prevention Act.
The Act includes sanctions that would allow the US to disclose the illicit assets held by senior Chinese officials around the world, block access to the US financial system by the officials and their families, and freeze their assets in the event of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan.
Speaking about the purpose of the bill, one of the co-sponsors, Congressman French Hill, said:
"The bill is intended to let the Chinese Communist Party know that if they put Taiwan at risk, their financial situation will be known to the Chinese public, and they and their relatives will be subject to severe financial sanctions."
In other words, if this bill is passed, if the Chinese Communist Party government decides to invade Taiwan, not only will the hidden assets of the CCP officials and their relatives in the US be exposed to the light of day, but there is also a possibility that they will be subject to sanctions and frozen or confiscated.
The bill aims to prevent the CCP regime from invading Taiwan, and it would be a robust "anti-war bill" against the CCP regime.
It is an "open secret" that most (or almost all) of the high-ranking officials supporting the CCP regime have hidden assets in the United States.
If there is a risk that these assets will be frozen or confiscated under US law, it will be a matter of life or death for the group of CCP officials.
In 2021, it was revealed that China's then-Foreign Ministry Vice-Minister Xie Feng met with then-US Deputy Secretary of State Richard L. Sherman in Tianjin and handed over a "list of things they wanted to be stopped."
The top item on the list was "restrictions on entry visas for Chinese Communist Party members and their relatives".
In other words, the top priority on the list of things they wanted the US to stop doing was restricting the entry of senior CCP officials and their relatives into the US because the CCP's senior officials have their "treasure" in the US, and restrictions on their entry into the US would be a major problem for the entire regime.
It, in turn, reveals where the CCP regime's "Achilles heel" lies.
Once this "Taiwan Conflict Suppression Act" is passed, high-ranking officials of the Chinese Communist Party, including military officers, will have to sabotage and prevent the "Taiwan annexation war" that President Xi Jinping is plotting to protect their assets.
It is precisely what the bill is aiming for.
If this happens, President Xi and his administration's planned invasion of Taiwan will become more complicated.
Suppose they force through a war of annexation of Taiwan. In that case, they will turn almost all of the Communist Party's senior officials, including military leaders, against them, and they can expect to face various forms of obstruction.
In extreme cases, there is even the possibility of a mass rebellion by the senior officials, and even President Xi's resolve may waver.
On the 13th, immediately after the bill was passed, an important change in the Chinese side's comments was seen at the Xiangshan Forum, an international security conference held in Beijing.
In his keynote speech, Defense Minister Dong Jun stressed "mutual respect" and "peaceful coexistence" with other countries but did not mention Taiwan even once.
It is in contrast to last year's forum, when Zhang Yuchang, the head of the Chinese military uniformed forces, gave a keynote speech in which he declared in an assertive tone of voice his determination to "never allow Taiwan to be separated from China" and his commitment to "annexing Taiwan."
On the other hand, the Taiwanese side has welcomed the bill's passage.
Lin Chia-lung, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Taiwan, said on the 10th that "With such a law, we can more clearly prevent the expansion of the Chinese Communist Party and protect the peace of the Indo-Pacific region, especially the stability and security of the Taiwan Strait," expressing his confidence in the defense of Taiwan.
How can we prevent a Taiwan contingency from occurring, including the legalization of this bill?
It is an essential issue for the international community, and Japan should also consider enacting a "Japanese version of the Taiwan Conflict Deterrence Act."
2024/9/26 in Umeda
