The Japanese agent and personal representative of Yui Hatano, a Japanese adult video actress, yesterday bowed at a Taipei news conference to apologize for providing a previously published photograph for Taipei EasyCard Corp (悠遊卡公司) to use in a series of special-edition cards.
The company had invited Hatano to Taiwan for a photography session to produce images for two versions of her card, one “angel” and one “demon.”
Although the cards were not scheduled to be launched until Tuesday next week, there had already been a lot of discussion on the Internet, not only about the choice of Hatano, but that one image had been used on the cover of one of her adult videos.
Photo: CNA
EasyCard chairman Tai Chi-chuan (戴季全) said that a temporary hold had been placed on sales of the “angel” card, adding that there would be restrictions on where the card could be purchased so that buyer’s age requirements could be enforced.
However, he said the company had done nothing illegal in selecting Hatano as a model.
Asked if Hatano’s status as an adult video star might harm the reputation of the company and the Taipei City Government, he said that he had not violated “public decency” or intended to challenge legal limits.
The controversy was the result of cultural differences between Japan and Taiwan, he said.
Hatano’s agent, Mitsukazu Suzuki, and personal representative Lu Chi-hua (呂季樺) apologized for providing an old photograph.
Suzuki said that while his company had full authorization to provide both pictures, Japanese and Taiwanese had different understandings about using previously publicized photographs.
He said that a new photograph of Yui would be taken for the “angel” card.
He said his firm had represented Hatano for four years and was working to downplay her image as an adult video star.
Lu read a statement from Hatano, who said she was happy to have the opportunity to work with EasyCard, even though her pictures might create controversy.
“Although I am an adult video star, does that mean I cannot give back to Taiwan?” she said in the statement read by Lu.
Although the cards have not been released, seven “angel” cards with the controversial photo were listed yesterday on the Ruten online auction site, priced at more than NT$40,000.
EasyCard spokesman Lin Hsiao-chi (林筱淇) said she had taken 10 sets of the cards out of storage on Wednesday so the media could take pictures, but had lost track of seven sets.
EasyCard had contacted the sellers of the cards on Ruten — but is not considering legal action at this time, she said.
Additional reporting by Abraham Gerber
DAREDEVIL: Honnold said it had always been a dream of his to climb Taipei 101, while a Netflix producer said the skyscraper was ‘a real icon of this country’ US climber Alex Honnold yesterday took on Taiwan’s tallest building, becoming the first person to scale Taipei 101 without a rope, harness or safety net. Hundreds of spectators gathered at the base of the 101-story skyscraper to watch Honnold, 40, embark on his daredevil feat, which was also broadcast live on Netflix. Dressed in a red T-shirt and yellow custom-made climbing shoes, Honnold swiftly moved up the southeast face of the glass and steel building. At one point, he stepped onto a platform midway up to wave down at fans and onlookers who were taking photos. People watching from inside
A Vietnamese migrant worker yesterday won NT$12 million (US$379,627) on a Lunar New Year scratch card in Kaohsiung as part of Taiwan Lottery Co’s (台灣彩券) “NT$12 Million Grand Fortune” (1200萬大吉利) game. The man was the first top-prize winner of the new game launched on Jan. 6 to mark the Lunar New Year. Three Vietnamese migrant workers visited a Taiwan Lottery shop on Xinyue Street in Kaohsiung’s Gangshan District (崗山), a store representative said. The player bought multiple tickets and, after winning nothing, held the final lottery ticket in one hand and rubbed the store’s statue of the Maitreya Buddha’s belly with the other,
‘NATO-PLUS’: ‘Our strategic partners in the Indo-Pacific are facing increasing aggression by the Chinese Communist Party,’ US Representative Rob Wittman said The US House of Representatives on Monday released its version of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, which includes US$1.15 billion to support security cooperation with Taiwan. The omnibus act, covering US$1.2 trillion of spending, allocates US$1 billion for the Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative, as well as US$150 million for the replacement of defense articles and reimbursement of defense services provided to Taiwan. The fund allocations were based on the US National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 2026 that was passed by the US Congress last month and authorized up to US$1 billion to the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency in support of the
HIGH-TECH DEAL: Chipmakers that expand in the US would be able to import up to 2.5 times their new capacity with no extra tariffs during an approved construction period Taiwan aims to build a “democratic” high-tech supply chain with the US and form a strategic artificial intelligence (AI) partnership under the new tariffs deal it sealed with Washington last week, Taipei’s top negotiator in the talks said yesterday. US President Donald Trump has pushed Taiwan, a major producer of semiconductors which runs a large trade surplus with the US, to invest more in the US, specifically in chips that power AI. Under the terms of the long-negotiated deal, chipmakers such as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) that expand US production would incur a lower tariff on semiconductors or related manufacturing
RSS