Presidential Office Spokesperson Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) said on Tuesday, July 14, that the recent assault on the Taipei-based Indo-Pacific Strategy Thinktank CEO Akio Yaita is being investigated in accordance with the law, and that the government supports law enforcement agencies in thoroughly investigating any instances of transnational repression perpetrated by authoritarian groups. That followed media speculation that the attack may have involved external forces, including individuals connected to a Hong Kong criminal organization.

Yaita, who holds Japanese and Taiwanese citizenships, was attacked after giving a lecture in Taichung on July 6. The police arrested the suspect, who had entered Taiwan on a Hong Kong passport, at Taichung International Airport later on the same day, as he was seemingly trying to flee the country. Some Taiwanese media outlets have speculated that the suspect may have been paid by a leader of a Hong Kong criminal organization to carry out the attack.

In response, Kuo said that the case is currently under investigation by prosecutors and the police. She said Taiwan is a democratic nation governed by the rule of law, and will not tolerate any external authoritarian forces using criminal organizations, violence, or intimidation to oppress or attack any individual who cherishes freedom and democracy within its borders. Kuo added that in order to safeguard national security and protect the public from harm, any similar acts will be thoroughly investigated and prosecuted in accordance with the law, whether they are carried out directly, covertly, or involve Taiwanese nationals.