Akio Yaita at the inauguration ceremony for his think tank.
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Akio Yaita, who previously served as Taipei bureau chief of The Sankei Shimbun and was a colleague of mine, was attacked and punched by a man at a hotel in Taiwan on July 6.
The assailant, described as a Hong Kong resident with Chinese nationality, was arrested by Taiwanese authorities just before he could flee the country.
The attacker had flown all the way from Hong Kong simply to punch the former bureau chief.
Yaita was born in Tianjin, China, as the son of a Japanese orphan who was left behind in China after World War II. After graduating from Keio University, he joined the Matsushita Institute of Government and Management, making him a junior alumnus of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.
At The Sankei Shimbun, he spent many years as a Beijing correspondent and became one of Japan's leading China analysts. Fluent in Chinese, he was able to skillfully navigate China's surveillance system to uncover the true feelings of ordinary citizens. Unsurprisingly, he became deeply disliked by Chinese authorities.
'Cross-Border Repression'
After leaving Sankei two years ago, he founded a think tank and became a popular television commentator, known for his outspoken criticism of the intimidation and pressure tactics employed by the Chinese Communist Party.
Given that the attack occurred immediately after China's Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress came into effect, it is understandable that Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly condemned it as a "case of cross-border repression through violence."
A Chinese spokesperson defended the attacker, claiming that the assault was motivated by "righteous indignation" despite the suspect having barely made any statement. It was tantamount to acknowledging that the perpetrator was acting in line with Beijing's interests.
Forced Loyalty by Law
The Ethnic Unity Law may go down in history as one of the world's most notorious "intimidation laws." Article 1 states that its purpose is to "strengthen the sense of community among the Chinese nation, promote the building of a community of the Chinese nation, and realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation." Yet the law itself is filled with contradictions and questionable provisions.
For one thing, why does Beijing now feel the need to promote ethnic unity? Seventy-seven years have passed since the founding of the People's Republic of China. Wasn't the Chinese nation already "united" under the leadership of the great Comrade Xi Jinping?
The absurdity is particularly evident in Article 20. It requires guardians of minors to "educate and guide them to love the Communist Party of China, love the motherland, love the people, and love the Chinese nation," while instilling the belief that "the Chinese nation is one family living in harmony."
Apparently, unless such sentiments are written into law, people cannot be expected to love the Communist Party or the motherland.
A Threat Beyond China's Borders
Among its provisions, the most dangerous and impossible to ignore is Article 63.
The article states: "If organizations or individuals outside China engage in acts that undermine ethnic unity and progress or incite ethnic division against China, legal responsibility shall be pursued."
In other words, the provision appears to make not only Chinese citizens living overseas but also foreigners subject to punishment.
As for myself, as I have written before, I am a dyed-in-the-wool Sinophile who even took my university entrance examinations in Chinese rather than English—and passed.
Yet even someone like me finds Xi Jinping's China so intimidating that I would not dare visit. And still, I might not even be safe from attack in Tokyo.
So, if this column ever starts arguing that "the prime minister should refrain from visiting Yasukuni Shrine for the sake of Japan-China friendship," please assume that something serious must have happened to me.
RELATED:
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- Tibetans in Japan Rally Against China's Ethnic Unity Law
Author: Masato Inui, The Sankei Shimbun
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