Japanese Representative to Taiwan Mikio Numata on Wednesday recognized the efforts of National Culture and Arts Foundation chairperson Lin Mun-lee (林曼麗) and a taiko drumming group to build friendly bilateral relations and help promote mutual understanding.
Lin, a professor at National Taipei University of Education, was on July 18 selected for the Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs’ Commendation for her efforts to expand cultural exchanges between Taiwan and Japan through art, Numata, who heads the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association, said at a ceremony at his Yangmingshan residence in Taipei.
In 2014 and last year, Lin played a key role in the organization of two major art exhibitions in Taipei and Tokyo, Numata said.
Lin served as director of the National Palace Museum from 2006 to 2008 and head of the Taipei Fine Arts Museum from 1996 to 2000.
In the 21st century, national borders are becoming increasingly blurred, while international realities are growing sharper and more complicated, Lin said.
It is imperative that people of different cultures learn to understand and respect each other through cultural exchanges so that they can work together for a better future, she said.
Taiwan Taiko Association president Wang Miao-chuan (王妙涓) — who also received a ministry commendation — said that she hoped people of all ages in Taiwan and Japan, including physically or mentally challenged people, would continue to learn the art of taiko drumming and pass it on to future generations.
The association has been holding youth competitions annually to promote taiko culture and youth exchanges between Taiwan and Japan, Numata said.
Numata thanked Lin and Wang for their efforts to build a firm friendship between the two nations through art and taiko.
Japan each year presents the commendations to people and groups who have made outstanding achievements in international fields, in acknowledgment of their contributions to the promotion of friendship with Japan.
The commendations are also aimed at boosting public understanding of and support for the activities of the recipients.
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it
Taiwan's Gold Apollo Co (金阿波羅通信) said today that the pagers used in detonations in Lebanon the day before were not made by it, but by a company called BAC which has a license to use its brand. At least nine people were killed and nearly 3,000 wounded when pagers used by Hezbollah members detonated simultaneously across Lebanon yesterday. Images of destroyed pagers analyzed by Reuters showed a format and stickers on the back that were consistent with pagers made by Gold Apollo. A senior Lebanese security source told Reuters that Hezbollah had ordered 5,000 pagers from Taiwan-based Gold Apollo. "The product was not
COLD FACTS: ‘Snow skin’ mooncakes, made with a glutinous rice skin and kept at a low temperature, have relatively few calories compared with other mooncakes Traditional mooncakes are a typical treat for many Taiwanese in the lead-up to the Mid-Autumn Festival, but a Taipei-based dietitian has urged people not to eat more than one per day and not to have them every day due to their high fat and calorie content. As mooncakes contain a lot of oil and sugar, they can have negative health effects on older people and those with diabetes, said Lai Yu-han (賴俞含), a dietitian at Taipei Hospital of the Ministry of Health and Welfare. “The maximum you can have is one mooncake a day, and do not eat them every day,” Lai