Tokyo, Feb 18 In a clear indication of policy shift and snub to China, Taiwan-origin naturalized citizens of Japan will now be able to list their country of origin as Taiwan in their family register from May 26, the Japanese government announced on Tuesday. Japan's Minister of Justice revised an ordinance allowing people to list regions, not just countries, a move that has been welcomed by Taiwan but triggered a sharp reaction from China.
The Japanese government will allow the names of both countries and regions to be listed in the nationality column of family registries. This would also allow people from Taiwan married to Japanese nationals to list Taiwan in the registry in place of China. The Japanese ministry decided to change an ordinance to add 'region' to the current 'nationality' entry of the family registry, in a sign of greater consideration for identity, the country's media reported.
Earlier, the only option in the family registry for Chinese and Taiwanese individuals was China. When a person from Taiwan registered for naturalized Japanese citizenship, his or her country of origin was registered as China. Following the revised system that will be introduced in May, this provision will also be changed, and Taiwanese people's country of origin will be registered as Taiwan. This will also apply to cases before the implementation of the ordinance revision if requests are submitted, it was reported.
Taiwan's Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung expressed gratitude for what he called "the long-term efforts made by various actors in Japan". In a statement, Lin said "Taiwan "believes that the rights and interests of overseas Taiwanese in Japan will be further protected through the correct descriptions on Japanese family registers".
Reacting to the development, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson expressed displeasure, urging Japan to abide by the "one-China" principle. "No gimmicks on the Taiwan question, and do not send any conflicting or wrong signals", he said while addressing the media. He further stated, "Taiwan issue is purely China's internal affair".
In recent years, Beijing has increased military exercises in the Taiwan Strait to intensify pressure on Taiwan.
On the other hand, Taiwan and its allies consider the Taiwan Strait as an international waterway and routinely send warships through Taiwan Strait asserting their influence in the Indo-Pacific region and countering growing influence of China.
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