Chuo University professor Ryoichi Matsuno has visited Taiwan Nation Alliance convener Yao Chia-wen (姚嘉文) to thank him for his contribution to his students’ research into the 228 Incident, the results of which were published as a special report in the Japanese school’s magazine.
Matsuno said his Japanese college students only knew of Taiwan’s gastronomic delicacies and the aid provided after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami in 2011, but very few were aware of the 228 Incident.
The 228 Incident refers to an uprising that began on Feb. 27, 1947, against the then-Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) authoritarian regime and the resulting brutal crackdown that left tens of thousands dead and led to nearly four decades of martial law.
Photo: Lee Hsin-fang, Taipei Times
Matsuno said his interest in the Incident and its connection to the university was piqued when he visited the Taipei 228 Memorial Museum in 2012.
“The sight of the cap often worn by Chuo University students in one of the display cases — which was on display for more than six decades — was the start of it all,” he said.
Matsuno said he initially thought that the owner of the cap, Lin Lien-tsung (林連宗), was the only Chuo University student who was killed during the Incident, but further investigation after his return to Japan revealed that 17 other people who had once studied at the university also lost their lives.
Research into why Lin was embroiled in the Incident, the background leading up to the uprising and how it played out was the topic of his students’ thesis on the oral history of the Incident.
The research included interviews with the families of 228 Incident victims, including Lee Jung-chang (李榮昌) and it was recently published as Testimony of a City of Sadness — Taiwan’s 228 Incident and Chuo Graduates.
During his meeting with Yao, Matsuno gave him copies of the thesis for Yao and the 228 Memorial Foundation.
Learning from his conversation with Yao that many victims of the Incident were unable to ask for reparation from the government due to their inability to prove their family members had died in the crackdown, Matsuno said he felt the promotion of the thesis would help spread knowledge of the Incident in Japan.
Eight Chinese naval vessels and 24 military aircraft were detected crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait between 6am yesterday and 6am today, the Ministry of National Defense said this morning. The aircraft entered Taiwan’s northern, central, southwestern and eastern air defense identification zones, the ministry said. The armed forces responded with mission aircraft, naval vessels and shore-based missile systems to closely monitor the situation, it added. Eight naval vessels, one official ship and 36 aircraft sorties were spotted in total, the ministry said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) today said that if South Korea does not reply appropriately to its request to correct Taiwan’s name on its e-Arrival card system before March 31, it would take corresponding measures to alter how South Korea is labeled on the online Taiwan Arrival Card system. South Korea’s e-Arrival card system lists Taiwan as “China (Taiwan)” in the “point of departure” and “next destination” fields. The ministry said that it changed the nationality for South Koreans on Taiwan’s Alien Resident Certificates from “Korea” to “South Korea” on March 1, in a gesture of goodwill and based on the
Taiwanese officials were shown the first of 66 F-16V fighter jets purchased by Taiwan from the United States, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday, adding the aircraft has completed an initial flight test and is expected to be delivered later this year. A delegation led by Deputy Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) visited Lockheed Martin’s F-16 C/D Block 70 (also known as F-16V) assembly line in South Carolina on March 16 to view the aircraft. The jet will undergo a final acceptance flight in the US before being delivered to Taiwan, the
The New Taipei Metro's Sanyin Line and the eastern extension of the Taipei Metro's Tamsui-Xinyi Line (Red Line) are scheduled to begin operations in June, the National Development Council said today. The Red Line, which terminates at Xiangshan Station, would be connected by the 1.4km extension to a new eastern terminal, Guangci/Fengtian Temple Station, while the Sanyin Line would link New Taipei City's Tucheng and Yingge stations via Sanxia District (三峽). The council gave the updates at a council meeting reviewing progress on public construction projects for this year. Taiwan's annual public infrastructure budget would remain at NT$800 billion (US$25.08 billion), with NT$97.3
RSS