Omitted Initially? Prime Minister Takai Hayana Adds Taiwan to Thank-You Message — Chen Huiwen Points to List Order: Clearly Downgrading

A magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan, on the afternoon of the 28th, causing severe damage. As countries around the world offered aid, Japanese Prime Minister Takai Hayana posted a bilingual Japanese-English statement on X (formerly Twitter) on the 30th, thanking the international community for their support. However, President Lai Qingde of Taiwan, who was among the first to offer condolences and financial aid, was not included in the initial post. Taiwan was only added the following day, sparking widespread discussion among netizens in both Taiwan and Japan.

President Lai promptly expressed condolences on X in Japanese immediately after the quake, representing the people of Taiwan and emphasizing that Taiwan and Japan are "true friends who stand together in times of hardship." He stated that Taiwan is closely monitoring the situation and stands ready to provide necessary assistance at any time, wishing the affected residents safety and well-being. Simultaneously, Taiwan’s Executive Yuan announced that its specialized search-and-rescue team had completed preparations and was on standby, ready to deploy to Japan upon request.

However, when Prime Minister Takai Hayana expressed gratitude to global leaders for their messages of support, President Lai was conspicuously absent from the initial list. The next day, Takai issued a revised post, thanking messages from "numerous countries and regions, and international organizations," with Taiwan included in this updated list.

Commentator Chen Huiwen, appearing on the program News Baihua, pointed out that Takai’s post listed 63 countries and organizations, with Taiwan ranked 56th—after Palestine—and positions 57 to 63 occupied by non-sovereign entities. He argued this clearly indicates that Japan officially defines Taiwan as a "region," not a country, amounting to deliberate downgrading. Chen emphasized that under the four Sino-Japanese political documents, Japan adheres to the One-China policy, and this incident is a clear example of Taiwan’s status being diminished.

Chen further criticized Taiwan’s leaders and public figures, including the heads of the Presidential Office, Executive Yuan, and Legislative Yuan, as well as KMT Chairperson Cheng Liwen, for making donations to Japan, questioning why Taiwan continues to donate despite being downgraded. He noted that Japan is not a poor nation like those in Africa or Latin America but a global economic powerhouse ranked among the top five in GDP, and thus does not need Taiwan’s financial contributions. Expressions of concern, he argued, would have sufficed.

Additional reports from Wind Media include: Taiwan’s government donated 5 million TWD for reconstruction, with KMT Chairperson Cheng Liwen personally contributing 1 million TWD; the Aeon shopping center in Kyushu collapsed after an explosion, with Yatsushiro City among the hardest-hit areas; experts warn of potentially stronger aftershocks; and tens of thousands of households are without water or electricity. Prime Minister Takai confirmed 13 deaths from the earthquake, which registered a seismic intensity of 7—the highest level on Japan’s scale.