The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislative caucus yesterday panned Taipei EasyCard Corp for using images of Japanese adult video actress Yui Hatano to promote sales, calling for an immediate halt to plans to sell cards featuring Hatano’s portrait, and for Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) to tender a public apology.
The Taipei City Government, Taipei Rapid Transit Corp, Taipei Fubon Bank and 12 bus companies in Taipei are the major shareholders of EasyCard Corp, and the chairman is appointed by the mayor.
The city government and EasyCard have been criticized for announcing plans to sell 15,000 sets of EasyCards displaying images of Hatano starting on Tuesday, in an attempt to achieve Ko’s demand for a 100 percent increase in sales.
Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times
KMT caucus deputy secretary-general Wang Yu-min (王育敏) said such actions are absurd and that EasyCards should be suitable for all ages, adding that such marketing tactics are clearly targeting the adult male demographic.
Wang said he could not believe that there was not a more suitable Taiwanese model who would be more appropriate for the company to use, adding that it would be unlikely for parents to allow their children to possess EasyCards displaying images of Hatano.
The company should not have asked an adult video actress to promote their products and plans to sell such cards should be ceased immediately, Wang said, adding that Ko should apologize over the incident.
Taipei City Councilor Lee Yen-hsiu (李彥秀) of the KMT said her opposition was not over any individual or their method of marketing, but rather against the company, adding that if her children asked her who the woman on the card was, she would not know how to answer the question.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Taipei City Councilor Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said that the company has gone too far in an attempt to raise its sales, adding that it should not pursue the strategy, as doing so would bring further shame on Ko.
Fu Jen Catholic University assistant professor Chou Wei-hang (周偉航) wrote on Facebook that those who professed they would not know how to explain images of Hatano to their children were feigning innocence.
“Do you explain to your children why the sun shines, or why they should let others take a seat [on public transport]?” Chou wrote.
It would be similar to children asking why coins still display the image of former president Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石), who many say was a murderer, Chou wrote.
“Of course you would know what to do; [you are] only feigning innocence [if you say you do not],” Chou wrote.
Lawyer Lu Chiu-yuan (呂秋遠) said: “The public is apparently far more lenient toward corrupt and inept politicians who have lied to the public for eight years than they are of adult video actresses, who are innocent of crimes aside from their vocation.”
Lu added that despite opposition over using an adult video star to promote merchandise, the industry was legal in Japan.
A preclearance service to facilitate entry for people traveling to select airports in Japan would be available from Thursday next week to Feb. 25 at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Taoyuan International Airport Corp (TIAC) said on Tuesday. The service was first made available to Taiwanese travelers throughout the winter vacation of 2024 and during the Lunar New Year holiday. In addition to flights to the Japanese cities of Hakodate, Asahikawa, Akita, Sendai, Niigata, Okayama, Takamatsu, Kumamoto and Kagoshima, the service would be available to travelers to Kobe and Oita. The service can be accessed by passengers of 15 flight routes operated by
MORE FALL: An investigation into one of Xi’s key cronies, part of a broader ‘anti-corruption’ drive, indicates that he might have a deep distrust in the military, an expert said China’s latest military purge underscores systemic risks in its shift from collective leadership to sole rule under Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), and could disrupt its chain of command and military capabilities, a national security official said yesterday. If decisionmaking within the Chinese Communist Party has become “irrational” under one-man rule, the Taiwan Strait and the regional situation must be approached with extreme caution, given unforeseen risks, they added. The anonymous official made the remarks as China’s Central Military Commission Vice Chairman Zhang Youxia (張又俠) and Joint Staff Department Chief of Staff Liu Zhenli (劉振立) were reportedly being investigated for suspected “serious
ENHANCING EFFICIENCY: The apron can accommodate 16 airplanes overnight at Taoyuan airport while work on the third runway continues, the transport minister said A new temporary overnight parking apron at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport is to start operating on Friday next week to boost operational efficiency while the third runway is being constructed, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday. The apron — one of the crucial projects in the construction of the third runway — can accommodate 16 aircraft overnight at the nation’s largest international airport, Minister of Transportation and Communications Chen Shih-kai (陳世凱) told reporters while inspecting the new facility yesterday morning. Aside from providing the airport operator with greater flexibility in aircraft parking during the third runway construction,
Taiwanese and US defense groups are collaborating to introduce deployable, semi-autonomous manufacturing systems for drones and components in a boost to the nation’s supply chain resilience. Taiwan’s G-Tech Optroelectronics Corp subsidiary GTOC and the US’ Aerkomm Inc on Friday announced an agreement with fellow US-based Firestorm Lab to adopt the latter’s xCell, a technology featuring 3D printers fitted in 6.1m container units. The systems enable aerial platforms and parts to be produced in high volumes from dispersed nodes capable of rapid redeployment, to minimize the risk of enemy strikes and to meet field requirements, they said. Firestorm chief technology officer Ian Muceus said
RSS