Today, 27 years ago, on May 22, 1998 (April 27, 1998), Japanese officials showed for the first time that Japan¡¯s defence scope includes Taiwan. On May 22, 1998, Japan¡¯s Foreign Ministry head of North America said that ¡°the Far East¡± in the Japanese New Defence Cooperation Guidelines includes Taiwan, so Japan¡¯s ¡°District¡± also includes Taiwan. It was the first time that Japanese government officials clearly stated that the geographical location specified in the Japanese New Defence Cooperation Guidelines includes Taiwan. Before that, the Japanese government had previously explained that ¡°District¡± refers to a matter that has a significant impact on Japan¡¯s peace and security, rather than a geographical concept. When the Japanese government mentioned the ¡°District¡± in the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Re