TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — China-born Japanese lawmaker Seki Hei on Wednesday said that proving Taiwan’s independence was one of the main goals of his visit, a purpose he said was achieved the moment he set foot in the country.
In an interview with Liberty Times, Seki said a major motivation for the visit was that he was sanctioned by Beijing last September and prohibited from entering China. In response, he chose to visit Taiwan.
He stressed that, according to Beijing, Taiwan is part of the People’s Republic of China, so entry should not be possible. His visit, he said, proves that “Taiwan is a completely independent country, and the Republic of China and the People's Republic of China are not subordinate to each other.”
Seki argued that the Chinese ban actually works to his advantage. Using the sanction as leverage, he can demonstrate Taiwan’s independence, which was a key purpose of the trip.
When asked if he fears retaliation or a second sanction from China, he replied, “I've already been sanctioned once, but the sanctions didn't really affect me." He said the sanctions enhanced his reputation and credibility, "So I'm not afraid of their sanctions at all.”
He explained that he has lived in Japan for decades, has no assets in China, and his family is no longer in the country. “If you ban me from going to China, I’ll just come to Taiwan every year instead!” he said.
Seki was born in China in 1962 and was four when the Cultural Revolution began. Although young, he witnessed the brutal repression during Mao Zedong’s era.
After entering university in the 1980s, China opened up and foreign information flowed in, prompting his generation to reflect on the authoritarian rule of the CCP. Recalling his university years, the lawmaker said he and his peers were involved in China’s democracy movement.
In 1988, he went to study in Japan, and in 1989, the Tiananmen Square Massacre occurred. “From then on, I no longer considered myself a citizen of the People's Republic of China and fully cut ties with that country in my heart,” he said.
After Tiananmen, Seki continued studying abroad, worked at a Japanese research institute, and did not return to China until around 1995. He observed that the Jiang Zemin regime had begun an anti-Japanese campaign to divert attention from the massacre.
He decided to inform the Japanese public by writing a book, and later became active as a commentator in Japan for over 20 years. He also contributed a China-focused column in the Sankei Shimbun for more than a decade.
Because of his critical stance toward the CCP, he gained recognition among Japanese readers and obtained Japanese citizenship in 2007.
He ran for the House of Councillors last year with the endorsement of the Japan Innovation Party and was elected. He advocates stronger cooperation between Japan and Taiwan to counter Chinese hegemony.
