Akio Yaita · Full chronicle and history

On November 10, in the case of the hired attack on Yaita Akio, CEO of the Taiwan Indo-Pacific Strategic Think Tank, in Taichung this July, Liao Gangfa, a member of the Hong Kong triad 'Wo Shing Wo' involved in the case, pleaded guilty during the first hearing at the Taichung District Court. The court changed the proceedings to a summary trial and scheduled the sentencing for December 3. Prosecutors determined it was a case of transnational repression, with the mastermind behind the funding identifying himself as 'Chen Weihao,' while the other four Hong Kong individuals involved have left the country and are now wanted.

On October 6, the Taichung District Prosecutors Office indicted Hong Kong man Liao Gang-fa over the attack on Akio Yaita, accusing a 5-person gang of being hired to come to Taiwan to commit violence, and saying the public assault was intended to create a "kill one to warn a hundred" effect. Prosecutors are seeking a 5-year sentence, have issued wanted notices for 4 accomplices who had already left the country, and are pursuing the mastermind in a separate case.

On July 6, 2026, Japanese journalist based in Taiwan Akio Yaita was assaulted by a Hong Kong man, Liao Gangfa, after giving a speech in Taichung, suffering facial injuries. The suspect was arrested while attempting to leave the country. Taiwanese officials indicated that the case may involve transnational repression.

After Akio Yaita's speech, he was attacked at a hotel. The suspect changed clothes, headed to the airport and purchased a ticket to Busan, and was subsequently arrested by police; another associate was involved in the case.

After the attack, Taiwanese police quickly apprehended the suspect; the Democratic Progressive Party and the foreign ministry issued statements condemning the Chinese Communist Party.

Akio Yaita was attacked and injured while walking on the street after leaving a venue in Taichung; whether the attacker had ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) remains disputed.

Taiwanese scholar and journalist Akio Yaita was attacked, and the program discussed the incident in connection with the CCP's cross-border repression issue.