Japan’s plan to release radioactive water into the Pacific has put Taiwan’s government in a bind, caught between standing up for its fishing industry and avoiding a dispute with its northern neighbor.
U.S. President Joe Biden met Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on Friday, with the two leaders issuing a joint statement that mentioned the Taiwan Strait. The explicit show of support from Japan was the first since 1969 and represents something of a coup for President Tsai Ing-wen.
However, Japan’s decision this week to release more than a million cubic meters of radioactive water from the wrecked Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean generated opposition in Taiwan and criticism of Tsai’s government for not doing more to stop it. That backlash may strengthen support for Taiwan’s ban on Japanese seafood and farm produce from Fukushima and surrounding prefectures, making it harder for her to improve ties with Japan.