Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials yesterday said more information needed to be collected before it would demand that Japan correct textbooks that refer to Taiwan as part of China.
On Dec. 23, an article penned by Taiwanese Representative to Japan John Feng (馮寄台) was published in the Japanese daily Mainichi Shimbun, in which Feng said Taiwan is not part of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and that the majority of Taiwanese people hope both sides of the Taiwan Strait could set aside disputes and maintain the status-quo.
His article came in the wake of reports that some new junior-high school textbooks in Japan label Taiwan as part of the PRC, with Taiwan being colored the same color as China on maps and data related to Taiwan included with that for China.
In the article, Feng said it is widely known that Taiwan was returned to the Republic of China (ROC) by Japan after World War II — when China was under then-ROC president Chiang Kai-shek’s (蔣介石) command.
Chiang’s government retreated to Taiwan in 1949 after losing the Chinese Civil War to the Chinese Communist Party led by Mao Zedong (毛澤東), thus establishing the PRC in China, Feng said. He added that he wished the publishers would recognize the history and rectify incorrect information so as not to mislead young Japanese.
On Wednesday at the legislature’s Foreign and National Defense Committee, Minister of Foreign Affairs Timothy Yang (楊進添) promised lawmakers that the ministry would lodge a strong protest with Japan over the matter and resort to all means necessary to demand a correction.
However, Yang’s words have so far not been followed by any concrete actions.
The ministry’s East Asian Relations Commission Chairman Peng Ren-tzu (彭榮次) insisted that the mistakes in the textbooks needed to be pointed out and corrected, while acknowledging that the ministry has not taken follow-up action.
“Although the textbooks were published by a private company, they should not contain misleading information,” Peng said.
East Asian Relations Commission Secretary-General Huang Ming-lung (黃明朗) said the ministry needs to collect more information before filing a protest with the Japanese government.
The ministry’s representative office in Japan is looking into whether the incorrect information is contained in other textbooks before raising the issue with Japanese officials, Huang added.
GENSLER SURVEY: ‘Economic infrastructure is not enough. A city needs to inspire pride, offer moments of joy and foster a sense of belonging,’ the company said Taipei was named the city with the “highest staying power” in the world by US-based design and architecture firm Gensler. The Taiwanese capital earned the top spot among 65 cities across six continents with 64 percent of Taipei respondents in a survey of 33,000 people saying they wanted to stay in the city. Rounding out the top five were Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City (61 percent), Singapore (59 percent), Sydney (58 percent) and Berlin (51 percent). Sixth to 10th place went to Monterrey, Mexico; Munich, Germany; Sao Paulo, Brazil; Vancouver; and Seoul. Cities in the US were ranked separately, with Minneapolis first at
The Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association has cautioned Japanese travelers to be vigilant against pickpockets at several popular tourist spots in Taiwan, including Taipei’s night markets, the Yongkang Street area, Zhongshan MRT Station, and Jiufen (九份) in New Taipei City. The advisory, titled “Recent Development of Concerns,” was posted on the association’s Web site under its safety and emergency report section. It urges travelers to keep backpacks fully zipped and carried in front, with valuables placed at the bottom of the bag. Visitors are advised to be especially mindful of their belongings when taking photos or speaking on the phone, avoid storing wallets and
ENDORSING TAIWAN: Honduran presidential candidate Nasry Afura said that Honduras was ‘100 times better off’ when it was allied with Taipei The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday said it would explore the possibility of restoring diplomatic relations with Honduras based on the principle of maintaining national interests and dignity. The ministry made the remarks in response to reporters’ questions regarding an article titled: “Will Taiwan Regain a Diplomatic Ally?” published in The Diplomat on Saturday. The article said Honduras’ presidential election in November could offer Taiwan the chance to regain an ally, as multiple candidates have promoted re-establishing diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Honduras severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan in March 2023 in favor of Beijing, but since switching its diplomatic recognition,
Scoot announced yesterday that starting in October, it would increase flights between Taipei and Japan’s Narita airport and Hokkaido, and between Singapore and Taipei. The low-cost airline, a subsidiary of Singapore Airlines, also said it would launch flights to Chiang Rai in Thailand, Okinawa and Tokyo’s Haneda airport between December and March next year. Flights between Singapore and Chiang Rai would begin on Jan. 1, with five flights per week operated by an Embraer E190-E2 aircraft, Scoot said. Flights between Singapore and Okinawa would begin on Dec. 15, with three flights per week operated by Airbus A320 aircraft, the airline said. Services between Singapore
RSS