Safe Spaces Publication

In her victory speech on Sunday after her party won its largest post-World War II parliamentary majority, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi reiterated her ruling coalition’s determination to tackle up front economic issues, and enhance national security and defense policy. As soon as news broke that Takaichi’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) had won a supermajority, President William Lai (賴清德) and former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) congratulated her online. Both have exp

For a nation on the precipice of an open conflict with China, Taiwan is badly unprepared to keep its democratic processes intact in a military scenario. Taiwan’s archaic voting infrastructure is one major aspect that leaves the island vulnerable if a contingency plays out. Since 1994, the people of Taiwan have elected their president by direct popular vote, and the nation has received full marks for Electoral Process from Freedom House’s 2025 Global Freedom Score. The exerci

Ja panese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Monday announced that she would dissolve parliament on Friday. Although the snap election on Feb. 8 might appear to be a domestic affair, it would have real implications for Taiwan and regional security. Whether the Takaichi-led coalition can advance a stronger security policy lies in not just gaining enough seats in parliament to pass legislation, but also in a public mandate to push forward reforms to upgrade the Japanese military.

China’s attempts to hold its tourists hostage have yet again failed, Japan being a case in point. Taiwan is familiar with this bullying tactic: In hindsight, hysterical outbursts from Beijing helped Taiwan to control the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019. The region is no stranger to Chinese bans on tourism. In an attempt to punish and sabotage Seoul for allowing Washington to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense missile system, China banned group tours to South Korea in 20

As Japan faces unprecedented harassment from China following Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s Nov. 7 remarks on potentially using its military to defend itself in a Chinese attack on Taiwan, it is evident that countries in the region must boost coordination in countering Chinese hegemony. In addition to disinformation campaigns attacking Takaichi, false claims against Japanese sovereignty over Okinawa and economic coercion, Beijing on Saturday ramped up its intimidati

Apart from the first arms sales approval for Taiwan since US President Donald Trump took office, last month also witnessed another milestone for Taiwan-US relations. Trump signed the Taiwan Assurance Implementation Act into law on Tuesday. Its passing without objection in the US Senate underscores how bipartisan US support for Taiwan has evolved. The new law would further help normalize exchanges between Taiwanese and US government officials. We have already seen a flurry of

Following China’s “wolf warrior” attack on Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, with Chinese Consul General in Osaka Xue Jian (薛劍) threatening on social media to chop her head off, Beijing has doubled down through intimidation and coercion. In addition to sending drones into Japan’s southwestern waters near Taiwan, China has employed its favorite tool: holding its tourists hostage by officially discouraging travel to Japan, all to attack Takaichi’s response in parliament t

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi late last month made ripples throughout Japan and the region with her charm offensive during US President Donald Trump’s Tokyo visit. Their camaraderie appeared as if it was a reunion of old friends, despite being their first in-person meeting. The leaders vowed to deepen economic and security cooperation and signed a framework agreement on the supply of critical minerals and rare earths. Noteworthy is not only how the supply of such min

Japan’s parliament made history yesterday as it elected Sanae Takaichi, president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), as the country’s first female prime minister.DP), as the country’s first female prime minister. What was seen as a crisis just a week ago after the pacifist Komeito party exited the ruling coalition has turned into a decisive victory, with Takaichi securing 237 of the 465 seats in the lower house. Her outreach to new smaller parties paid off after su

Following the resignation of Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba from the presidency of the Liberal Democratic Party, Sanae Takaichi was elected president of the party on Oct. 4. Takaichi is familiar to many Taiwanese due to her many visits to and support for the neighboring island nation. She is widely seen as a protege of late former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, also a staunch ally of Taiwan. President William Lai (賴清德) congratulated Takaichi as news broke that sh

Amid a flurry of news from US President Donald Trump’s White House that has raised questions about Washington’s commitment to Taiwan’s...

Following the second failed recall elections on Aug. 23 against seven Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators and the nuclear power...

Voters returned to the polls on Saturday for the second time in less than a month to cast ballots in seven legislative districts on...

On July 26, Taiwanese voters across 24 districts that previously elected Chinese Nationalist Party - Kuomintang (KMT) legislators on...

Earlier this month, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT)—the de facto US embassy in Taiwan—posted disaster preparedness tips on its...

With the deportations of three Chinese spouse influencers who advocated for China's "military unification" of Taiwan on their social...

“Hey, I heard there’s a free travel group to Hainan for Taiwanese people aged 18 to 40. If you’re a first-time traveler, it’s even...

From the massive-scale retreat of 1949 to the crises over Quemoy, the ROC’s armed forces have long symbolized perseverance amidst...

In November 2024, China experienced its deadliest known instance of public violence in a decade. A man, upset over his divorce...