author

 
 

Meta

Yimou Lee
For Yimou Lee's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
A Chinese coast guard ship sails during a military drill near Fuzhou, Fujian Province, near the Taiwan-controlled Matsu Islands, in April 2023.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Mar 8, 2024
China steps up gray-zone warfare to exhaust Taiwan, defense report says
China is said to be utilizing tactics like balloons, drones and civilian boats to saturate areas around the island.
Taiwan President-elect Lai Ching-te speaks at a meeting at the presidential palace in Taipei on Feb. 22.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Mar 1, 2024
Taiwan faces steady 'drip' of pressure as China tightens pre-inauguration squeeze
Officials in Taipei fear Beijing could further squeeze the island's room to maneuver without resorting to direct conflict.
Taiwan's coast guard said it would continue to use radar, surveillance and patrols to ensure the "harmony and safety" of the waters near the Taiwan-controlled Kinmen islands, which are close to China's shores.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 21, 2024
Taiwan drives away Chinese coast guard boat as tensions rise
The Chinese coast guard vessel had entered Taiwan's waters near Kinmen a day after officers from the agency boarded a Taiwanese tourist boat.
China announced on Sunday that its coast guard would begin regular patrols and set up law enforcement activity around the Taiwan-controlled islands of Kinmen.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 20, 2024
China coast guard 'triggers panic' by boarding Taiwanese tour boat
A Taipei minister said such vessels — both Chinese and Taiwanese — were not illegal and that they commonly enter the other side's waters by accident.
Worshipers pray to the sea goddess Mazu at the Dajia Jenn Lann Temple in Taichung, Taiwan, on Nov. 9.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 21, 2023
China finds sudden faith in 'peace goddess' ahead of Taiwan vote
China sees faith in a sea goddess with origins in Fujian province as the "axis" of its influence operations, according to an intelligence analysis.
Taiwan officials have warned that Beijing is trying to nudge voters toward candidates who seek closer ties with China in the island's Jan. 13 presidential and legislative elections.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 8, 2023
Taiwan intelligence says China leadership met on election interference
Taiwan officials have warned that Beijing is trying to nudge voters toward candidates who seek closer ties with China.
Taipei Economic and Cultural Office representative Hsiao Bi-khim waits to be introduced during the opening ceremony of the first ever Taiwan Expo in Washington on Oct. 12, 2022.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Nov 16, 2023
Taiwan presidential frontrunner taps U.S. envoy as running mate
Born in Japan to a Taiwanese father and American mother, Hsiao Bi-khim has been Taiwan's de facto ambassador to the U.S. since 2020.
Kuomintang head Eric Chu, Hou Yu-ih, the party's presidential candidate, former Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou and the People’s Party chief Ko Wen-je posing for a group photo in Taipei on Wednesday. The two parties have agreed to team up to take on the ruling Democratic Progressive Party in the January election.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Nov 15, 2023
Taiwan opposition unite to challenge presidential front-runner
The island's two main opposition parties have vowed to renew talks with China even as the ruling party decries interference from Beijing.
A poster of Terry Gou, who has collected three times the amount of signatures needed to qualify to run Taiwan's presidential elections is displayed in Taipei on Tuesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Nov 14, 2023
Foxconn founder Terry Gou qualifies to run for Taiwan president
In a statement, Gou thanked his backers for their "enthusiastic support" and vowed to work hard to achieve "peace across the Taiwan Strait."
Taiwan Vice President and presidential candidate Lai Ching-te
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Oct 24, 2023
Taiwan presidential front-runner assails China's Foxconn probe
The major Apple supplier is facing a tax probe in China, two sources close to the company said Monday, confirming a report in Chinese state-run media.
Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen attends a ceremony for the start of construction of a new submarine fleet in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, in November 2020.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 25, 2023
Taiwan expects to deploy two new submarines by 2027
The new subs, as well as later models, will act as a "strategic deterrent" to Chinese warships crossing the Miyako Strait and elsewhere.
Chinese aircraft carrier Shandong (left) while being monitored by a Taiwanese Keelung class warship (right) at sea. Taiwan said on Wednesday that it had detected numerous Chinese warplanes around the island.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 13, 2023
Taiwan reports 28 Chinese air force planes in its air defense zone
Taipei said that war planes, including J-10 fighters, had flown into the southwestern corner of the island's air defense identification zone, or ADIZ.
A supporter of the main opposition Kuomintang party shows their fingernails painted with the Taiwan flag, during the party's annual conference in New Taipei City, Taiwan, on July 23.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Aug 31, 2023
Taiwan parties spar for young vote as high-stakes elections loom
The outcome of the closely watched January 2024 vote will set the tone for Taipei's tumultuous relationship with Beijing.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / FOCUS
Jul 22, 2023
Inspired by Ukraine war, Taiwan launches drone blitz to counter China
Taipei's aim, according to a government planning document, is to build more than 3,200 military drones by mid-2024.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 4, 2023
China buzzes Taiwan's median line as Taipei officials caution against alarm
Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory despite the island's strong objections, has over the past three years reported almost daily missions by Chinese military aircraft nearby.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
May 12, 2023
Foxconn profits plunge due to investment loss from Sharp’s write-down
Foxconn, which assembles around 70% of iPhones, has been diversifying production away from China, whose strict COVID-19 restrictions disrupted its biggest iPhone plant last year.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / ANALYSIS
Mar 16, 2023
Fear of the dark: Taiwan sees wartime frailty in communication links with world
War in Ukraine lends new urgency to Taiwan's security needs, especially against cyberattacks or attempts to sever cables that connect the island to the internet.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Mar 4, 2023
Taiwan wary of China charm offensive risks ahead of presidential vote
As Taipei and Beijing gradually resume travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, Taiwan security officials expect China to relaunch an influence campaign.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 27, 2022
Taiwan to extend conscription to one year, citing rising China threat
China's growing assertiveness toward the island, as well as Russia's invasion of Ukraine, have prompted debate calls to boost defense.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech / FOCUS
Nov 29, 2022
Behind Foxconn’s China woes: Mistrust, miscommunication and COVID curbs
Tens of thousands of workers fled the company's plant in central China and violent protests erupted over a COVID-19 lockdown and confusion over hiring bonuses.

Longform

High-end tourism is becoming more about the kinds of experiences that Japan's lesser-known places can provide.
Can Japan lure the jet-set class off the beaten path?