From Asahi.com (link):
“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet,” said Juliet in William Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet.” Even though Romeo was from the rival Montague family, his surname was of no importance to Juliet once she had fallen in love with him.
Foreign Minister Taro Aso had repeatedly called Taiwan a nation. While he may not share Juliet’s passion, he keeps stressing the importance of Taiwan, regardless of whether Taiwan is a nation or a region.
Aso said in a Diet session last week that Taiwan is a “law-abiding nation with a mature democracy that embraces economic liberalism.” He also said it’s a “country that shares values with Japan.”
