Japan Airlines (JAL) yesterday celebrated the 60th anniversary of the launch of service between Tokyo International Airport (Haneda airport) and Taipei’s Songhan Airport, now known as Taipei International Airport.
JAL’s first flight from Haneda to Songshan was on July 30, 1959, with a Douglas DC-6B that could accommodate 50 passengers.
Deputy Minister of Transportation and Communications Chi Wen-chung (祁文中), Tourism Bureau Director General Chou Yung-hui (周永暉) and Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association chief executive Mikio Numata and JAL managing executive officer Tetsuya Onuki attended JAL’s ceremony at Songshan to mark the anniversary.
Photo: CNA
The anniversary is an important milestone in tourism exchanges between Taiwan and Japan, Chi said in a speech.
It showed the importance of the Songshan-Haneda service to the airline, and on behalf of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC), he wanted to thank JAL for its 60-year record, Chi said.
Taiwan and Japan have been partners for many years in transportation, tourism, economy and trade, Chi said.
“Although we have encountered difficulties in maintaining the operation of the route, we have managed to find solutions and gradually increase the passengers traveling on the route,” he added.
The most significant challenge came when JAL could no longer offer flights to Taiwan after Japan severed formal diplomatic ties with the nation in 1972 and established ties with China the following year, he said.
To fill the void, JAL in 1975 established Japan Asia Airways (JAA), which served customers in Japan and in Taiwan for 33 years before being merged into JAL in 2008.
JAL flight attendants at the ceremony were dressed in uniforms worn over the years by JAL and JAA cabin crews.
There are 37 routes between Taiwan and Japan, serviced by JAL and other airlines, with the number of weekly flights topping 690, and about 13.42 million passengers have traveled on these routes, Chi said.
Last year alone, 4.82 million Taiwanese tourists visited Japan, a 4.5 percent increase from 2017, while 1.96 million Japanese tourists visited Taiwan, an increase of 3.8 percent, he said.
The number of Japanese tourists visiting Taiwan this year might exceed 2 million, he said.
“Traveling in Taiwan or Japan has brought wonderful memories to peoples of different generations in both nations over the past 60 years. We hope they could continue sharing these memories with their families through the flights offered by JAL,” he said.
Greenpeace yesterday said that it is to appeal a decision last month by the Taipei High Administrative Court to dismiss its 2021 lawsuit against the Ministry of Economic Affairs over “loose” regulations governing major corporate electricity consumers. The climate-related lawsuit — the first of its kind in Taiwan — sought to require the government to enforce higher green energy thresholds on major corporations to reduce emissions in light of climate change and an uptick in extreme weather. The suit, filed by Greenpeace East Asia, the Environmental Jurists Association and four individual plaintiffs, was dismissed on May 8 following four years of litigation. The
STAY AWAY: An official said people should avoid disturbing snakes, as most do not actively attack humans, but would react defensively if threatened Taitung County authorities yesterday urged the public to stay vigilant and avoid disturbing snakes in the wild, following five reported snakebite cases in the county so far this year. Taitung County Fire Department secretary Lin Chien-cheng (林建誠) said two of the cases were in Donghe Township (東河) and involved the Taiwan habus, one person was bit by a Chinese pit viper near the South Link Railway and the remaining two were caused by unidentified snakes. He advised residents near fields to be cautious of snakes hiding in shady indoor areas, especially when entering or leaving their homes at night. In case of a
A tropical disturbance off the southeastern coast of the Philippines might become the first typhoon of the western Pacific typhoon season, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The system lacks a visible center and how it would develop is only likely to become clear on Sunday or Monday, the CWA said, adding that it was not yet possible to forecast the potential typhoon's effect on Taiwan. The American Meteorological Society defines a tropical disturbance as a system made up of showers and thunderstorms that lasts for at least 24 hours and does not have closed wind circulation.
DIPLOMACY: It is Guatemalan President Bernardo Arevalo’s first visit to Taiwan since he took office last year, while Eswatini’s foreign minister is also paying a visit A delegation led by Guatemalan President Bernardo Arevalo arrived in Taiwan yesterday afternoon and is to visit President William Lai (賴清德) today. The delegation arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport at 4:55pm, and was greeted by Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍). It is Arevalo’s first trip to Taiwan since he took office last year, and following the visit, he is to travel to Japan to celebrate the 90th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Arevalo said at the airport that he is very glad to make the visit to Taiwan, adding that he brings an important message of responsibility
RSS