INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Japan Airlines said their change was indicated to accommodate customers.Tokyo: Japan's two largest airline companies have changed Taiwan
to China Taiwan on their Chinese-language websites, authorities stated Tuesday, stimulating an instant protest from the self-ruled
island.China, which declares Taiwan as its own area, has actually demanded that lots of global airline companies make such a change in spite
of US protests at what it called Orwellian nonsense
Japan Airlines (JAL) and All Nippon Airways (ANA) stated their modification was made on June 12 and was implied to accommodate customers.The
description stays Taiwan on their websites in Japanese and other languages
We made the judgement (to change the name) while consulting and reporting to the transport ministry and foreign ministry, stated a
representative at Japan Airlines
The change came on June 12 as our preparations were done already, he said.June 12 was the date of the historic top in between North Korea
and the United States, which brought in global attention
We selected a description that is easy to understand and appropriate for users of our websites, included the JAL official.A representative
at ANA said the change was planned to make the description simple to comprehend and acceptable for consumers when they utilize our websites
We do not suggest any particular group of consumers here however indicate all customers, he said without elaborating.Taiwan's foreign
ministry said it was lodging demonstrations with the two airlines and demanded a correction to the unsuitable title
Chinese authorities once again are unreasonably pressuring Taiwan's international space, the ministry said, including that such relocations
only boost animosity amongst Taiwanese individuals and severely harm cross-strait relations
The airline companies are not the only international carriers who have made the modification just recently, with Australia's Qantas earlier
this month protecting its decision to list Taiwan as part of China.The Chinese Civil Aviation Administration sent a notification to 36
foreign airlines in April, inquiring to abide by Beijing's standard of describing Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau as Chinese territories.Japan's
ties with China are improving after years of acrimony over historic and territorial issues.Japan has close company ties with Taiwan however
has acknowledged the One China policy, which explains the island as an important part of China.Asked about the modification, Japan's
leading government representative Yoshihide Suga said Tokyo was not in favour of government authorities requiring certain procedures from
private business based upon a specific political position .(Other than for the headline, this story has not been modified by
