Annual science and tech meeting opens in Tokyo

The 20th Joint Meeting of Tai-wan's Asia-Pacific Science and Technology Association and Ja-pan's East Asian Science and Technology Coordination Asso-ciation opened yesterday in Tokyo with some 80 scholars and government officials from the two countries participating.

Addressing the opening ceremony, Hiroyuki Osawa, chairman of the East Asian Science and Technology Coordination Association, said that Japan and Taiwan have conducted a wide range of exchange programs in scientific research over the past years, including molecular biology and particle accelerator research.

Osawa said he hoped that the two nations will further expand their cooperation programs and he suggested that observations of the earth using satellites be on the agenda of the annual meeting for next year.

Yu Chuan-tao, president of the the Asia-Pacific Science and Technology Association, promised to do his best to organize next year's meeting in Taipei.

Taiwan's representative to Ja-pan Lo Fu-chuan (羅福全) and Koji Matsukura, standing director of the Interchange Association of Japan, were also invited to address the meeting. They praised the two groups for the results they have achieved through cooperation programs and for their contributions to the scientific and technological development of the two nations.

The two groups have implemented more than 1,800 exchange programs since 1972 with the participation of more than 8,000 scientists.

The meeting will last through tomorrow with discussions on energy, information technology, agriculture, economics, medicine and environmental protection.