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A new ferry service to cater to the booming tourism between Taiwan and Japan began this Thursday, May 28. The connection is made aboard a vessel that could be mobilized to evacuate the population of Japan's southern islands in case of an armed conflict in the region.
The Yaimamaru, launched in 1997 and registered under the Panamanian flag, is one of the vessels that the Japanese government included this year in the list of ships designated to transport island residents to the mainland in case of a crisis.
China, which considers democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, has intensified its military pressure against Taipei over the past five years, including conducting war games that cover areas near Japanese waters.
For now, the ferry will connect the port city of Keelung, in northern Taiwan, with the Japanese island of Ishigaki, located east of Taiwan, at the southern tip of the Ryukyu Islands, transporting tourists back and forth once a week on an overnight trip.
"This regular route is not simply transportation infrastructure. It serves as a new bridge that supports tourism, logistics, economic activity, cultural exchange, and education," declared Ishigaki Mayor Yoshitaka Nakayama at Keelung Port.
The United States has a significant military base in Okinawa, in the Ryukyu Islands. Japan has been strengthening its defenses in the area, including on Yonaguni, the Japanese island closest to Taiwan.
Tatsuya Ohama, president of Shosen Yaima, the company operating the ferry service, declined to directly answer questions about regional tensions.
"This is, fundamentally, a matter between countries. As a private ferry operator, our first step is to get the service up and running," he told reporters.
Japan governed Taiwan as a colony from 1895 to 1945, and both maintain very close economic and trade relations, despite the lack of formal diplomatic ties.
China has expressed outrage over Tokyo's increased support for Taipei. In November, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi stated that a hypothetical Chinese attack on Taiwan could trigger a military response from Tokyo. This angered Beijing and led to a deterioration of relations.
The Taiwanese government rejects Beijing's sovereignty claims.
Source: portalportuario
