The following is from Ms. Yoshiko Sakurai's serialized column entitled "Respond to the Love of Mr. Lee Teng-hui," which appeared on the front page of today's Sankei newspaper.
Ms. Yoshiko Sakurai is a "National Treasure" as defined by Saicho.
Former Taiwanese President Lee Teng-hui always expressed his warm gaze and compassion for the Japanese people in a frank manner.
Whenever he met with me, he would embrace my hands in his broad palms and lead me in and speak in a firm voice like a young man.
He began to talk about his love for humanity and philosophy, rooted in his youth, such as Kitaro Nishida's A Study of Goodness and other famous books by Uchimura Kanzo, Nitobe Inazo and others, the passage of time was forgotten.
Mrs. Tseng Wen-hui, who listened quietly beside him as he talked about the Chinese problems faced by the Taiwanese people, also said
'The Taiwanese people had a terrible experience, such as the February 28 Incident. I feel sorry for the Taiwanese people who were not taught the truth about their history.'
That is why Lee Teng-hui broke through the bounds of the KMT and confronted China as the Taiwanese president.
I believe that the ideals supported his firm stance for a human society that his predecessors, such as Nishida, taught.
Lee Teng-hui, who often said that he was Japanese until he was 22, poured out such warm love for Japan that it is hard to believe that he was a foreign head of state, but after the war, Japan sometimes disappointed Taiwan.
A typical example of this is the breaking of ties with Taiwan in the aftermath of Nixon's blitz announcement to China.
It was even though the U.S., the epicenter of the conflict, created the Taiwan Relations Act.
Mr. Lee Teng-hui recalls.
"The American belief that they should not lose Taiwan was strong, and this was a matter of 'geopolitics.' The American mind was relatively clear"; on the other hand, "Japan could not think like the United States" and "regrettably, Japanese politicians lacked the spirit of bushido.
(Lee Teng Hui: True Story, translated by Mineo Nakajima, Sankei Shimbun Publishing).
In light of the current Japan-U.S.-Taiwan-China relations, Lee Teng-hui's words are also important.
Unless one understands the essence of the Chinese people's ideology and puts national interests above self-interest, no country can survive in the rapidly changing world after the new coronavirus.
As I said, the constitution has yet to be revised, and the future of Japan, with its inferior military power, is uncertain.
Lee Teng-hui was selected by president Chiang Ching-kuo and served for three years and eight months as vice-president from 1984, learning Chinese governing ideas and methods at the president's side.
He saw firsthand the outstanding abilities of the Chinese people and their fearfulness.
The warnings that come from that hard to get experience are sharp.
When Mr. Lee Teng-hui advocated the "two-state theory" that Taiwan and China were "country to country" in 1999, Mr. Lee Teng-hui said to U.S. Democratic Senator Feinstein, who was the first to criticize him.
Ms. Feinstein's husband had a business in Shanghai.
'Americans can't beat the Chinese. You still don't know what politics is like. When you play politics, the Chinese will be hermits.'
The Chinese dictatorship, Lee Teng-hui tells us, "has a way of suppressing it thoroughly" no matter who opposes it.
As soon as China takes a few steps forward, it will restore to its original position.
It is because they "have always been in the pickling jar of culture, constantly returning to it and thinking that this is the only way to make use of it" (Li Teng-hui's True Story, edited and translated by Mineo Nakajima, Sankei Shimbun).
It reminds me of President Xi Jinping's dream of a second Mao Zedong.
Mr. Li Teng-hui stresses that Chinese people flee to "Restoration" because they have no ideals, and therefore Chinese people will not develop.
They lack the ideals of building a nation based on the universal values of humanity and building a democratic system that puts all people's well-being first.
There is an interesting controversy between former Singapore Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew and Lee Teng Hui, considered by world commentators such as former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger to be the leading authority on understanding China.
On how to deal with China, Lee Kuan Yew argued that Taiwan should respect nationalism.
Lee Teng-hui argued that "democracy" and "proximity to the United States" were outstanding.
Samuel Huntington, an American international political scientist, commented that "Lee Kuan Yew's nationalism will disappear with his death, but Lee Teng-hui's democracy will survive as Taiwan's democracy even after his death.
That point is correct, and Taiwan's democracy is before us in its fruition.
President Tsai Ing-wen and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) administration are following Lee Teng-hui's aspirations and making steady progress toward a democratic Taiwan, a Taiwan with the rule of law, a Taiwan where the government and citizens cooperate, and a Taiwan for the Taiwanese people.
Lee Teng-hui will undoubtedly prepare the foundation for this.
When I visited him at his home in 2015, Lee Teng-hui said in his usual cheerful voice.
I'm going to be very clear about what Japan thinks.
'Japan should have more confidence in itself.'
'Show the Chinese government and the Chinese people the power of democracy; it is better to say clear about what Japan thinks,' he said.
In both the Hong Kong and the South China Sea disputes, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has made an apparent protest on behalf of his government.
But Japan must not stop there.
The Diet's role is to scoop up the voice of the people and make a clear statement on behalf of the people.
Then, the LDP and other political parties should discuss the issue, protest, and pass a Diet resolution.
*It is no secret that the CDP and other opposition parties are doing the exact opposite of what Mr. Sakurai, a decent Japanese citizen, is proposing. They want to call on PM Abe to attack not only the Wuhan virus but also the Senkaku Islands when they are on the verge of a crisis. It is no exaggeration to say that the people who control the NHK news department, the news departments of private broadcasters, and the talk show organizers who do not even criticize this outrageous situation are all agents of China.*
U.S. Secretary of State Pompeo's July message signals a deepening battle of values between the United States and China.
It is a choice between democracy or not, as set forth by Mr. Lee Teng-hui.
Now is the time for our country, which has left behind the Japanese spirit of ethics, humanity, and the rule of law in Taiwan, to raise the banner of the same values and make a strong statement for Japan, Taiwan, and other Asian countries.
I want to ask the question then.
Can we show our resolve and take on the challenge of constitutional reform?
Can we substantially strengthen cooperation between Japan and Taiwan?
Will we be able to speak on behalf of the Asian nations in the pursuit of democracy?
Japan's positive response to these questions is how to respond to Lee Teng-hui's overflowing love for Japan.