# Hatta Yoichi

The High Cost of Alignment: Taiwan’s Budgetary Tensions and the Politics of Identity

The Lai Ching-te administration is struggling with significant military budget cuts and domestic criticism over its pro-Japan historical narrative. While Washington pressures Taipei to accelerate defense spending, opposition figures are calling for a return to the 1992 Consensus to avoid becoming a pawn in a U.S.-China conflict.