Japanese Representative Mikio Numata yesterday confirmed that he would not attend a military display tomorrow celebrating the Republic of China’s (ROC) victory over Japan in World War II.
“Saturday? This coming Saturday? I have other things to do,” Numata told reporters as he was leaving a reception marking the US Independence Day holiday in Taipei yesterday.
Asked if he received an official invitation to tomorrow’s event, Numata said he had not so far, but a colleague of his had received one.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
Having answered the questions in Chinese, when asked how he felt about extended celebrations in Taiwan for the 70th anniversary of the victory over Japan, Numata switched to English.
“No comment,” he said, and quickly walked away.
The celebrations marking the anniversary of the end of World War II in Taiwan this year have become a sensitive issue between Taipei and Tokyo, as the Ministry of National Defense has decided to set the ROC’s War against Japanese Aggression and the victory over Japan as the main themes.
The ministry triggered an expression of “concern” from Japan after it painted several fighters in a style reminiscent of one employed during World War II that used small Japanese flags to indicate the number of Japanese warplanes each had shot down.
In addition, while the ministry said that it delivered invitations on Friday last week to an official with the Interchange Association, Japan, the Japanese representative office said that it never received one.
In related news, during the July 4th reception, American Institute in Taiwan Acting Director Brent Christensen said that Taiwan and the US are important partners with continuously improving relations and shared values.
“On the Fourth of July, we reflect upon the values of freedom, democracy, equality, and justice that shape the United States — values that we share with Taiwan,” Christensen said. “The friendship between the people of Taiwan and the United States has only grown closer through the years, and the US-Taiwan relationship today is stronger than ever.”
AGING: While Japan has 22 submarines, Taiwan only operates four, two of which were commissioned by the US in 1945 and 1946, and transferred to Taiwan in 1973 Taiwan would need at least 12 submarines to reach modern fleet capabilities, CSBC Corp, Taiwan chairman Chen Cheng-hung (陳政宏) said in an interview broadcast on Friday, citing a US assessment. CSBC is testing the nation’s first indigenous defense submarine, the Hai Kun (海鯤, Narwhal), which is scheduled to be delivered to the navy next month or in July. The Hai Kun has completed torpedo-firing tests and is scheduled to undergo overnight sea trials, Chen said on an SET TV military affairs program. Taiwan would require at least 12 submarines to establish a modern submarine force after assessing the nation’s operational environment and defense
A white king snake that frightened passengers and caused a stir on a Taipei MRT train on Friday evening has been claimed by its owner, who would be fined, Taipei Rapid Transit Corp (TRTC) said yesterday. A person on Threads posted that he thought he was lucky to find an empty row of seats on Friday after boarding a train on the Bannan (Blue) Line, only to spot a white snake with black stripes after sitting down. Startled, he jumped up, he wrote, describing the encounter as “terrifying.” “Taipei’s rat control plan: Release snakes on the metro,” one person wrote in reply, referring
The coast guard today said that it had disrupted "illegal" operations by a Chinese research ship in waters close to the nation and driven it away, part of what Taipei sees a provocative pattern of China's stepped up maritime activities. The coast guard said that it on Thursday last week detected the Chinese ship Tongji (同濟號), which was commissioned only last year, 29 nautical miles (54km) southeast of the southern tip of Taiwan, although just outside restricted waters. The ship was observed lowering ropes into the water, suspected to be the deployment of scientific instruments for "illegal" survey operations, and the coast
An inauguration ceremony was held yesterday for the Danjiang Bridge, the world’s longest single-mast asymmetric cable-stayed bridge, ahead of its official opening to traffic on Tuesday, marking a major milestone after nearly three decades of planning and construction. At the ceremony in New Taipei City attended by President William Lai (賴清德), Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰), Minister of Transportation and Communications Chen Shih-kai (陳世凱) and New Taipei City Mayor Hou Yu-ih (侯友宜), the bridge was hailed as both an engineering landmark and a long-awaited regional transport link connecting Tamsui (淡水) and Bali (八里)
RSS