Veterans Affairs Council (VAC) Director Lee Shying-jow (李翔宙) in December last year visited Japan in response to an invitation from Japan’s veterans’ association, Taiyukai, paving the way toward regular interactions between the two agencies, a senior government official said.
Taiyukai Director Hajime Massaki believes that both the trend of having fewer children and a lack of a comprehensive system for assisting veterans have made it very difficult for the Japan Self-Defense Forces to recruit personnel, the source said, adding that Taiyukai expressed an interest in Taiwan’s veterans affairs policies.
Taiyukai was established as a charitable organization and claims no government affiliation, but its headquarters are at the Japanese Ministry of Defense.
Taiyukai Chairman Yuji Fujinawa and Massaki are retired generals and have both served as the chief of the joint staff at the ministry.
During discussions, Lee and Massaki agreed that Taiwan and Japan should make regular exchanges to boost bilateral relations and understanding, the official said.
Lee’s visit to Japan comes after a bill passed by the US government in October last year encouraging visits between the US and Taiwan “at all levels.”
During his trip, Lee also visited the Republic of China Veterans’ Association (ROCVA) in Japan, the source said, adding that it was the first time a council director has visited the association since its establishment in 1974.
Lee’s visit invigorated Taiwanese veterans in Japan and instilled a sense of unity toward Taiwan, the source said.
Lee’s itinerary in Japan was kept low-profile to prevent China from interfering, the source said.
Lee also visited Indonesia between Dec. 20 and Dec. 27, the official said.
Lee honored an invitation by the ROCVA in Indonesia, the official said, adding that he hosted an informational public meeting on the New Southbound Policy to urge Taiwanese veterans in Indonesia to support the policy.
Taiwan’s comprehensive system for helping veterans has also left an impression on the World Veterans Federation, the official added.
Last year, the federation’s Standing Committee on Asia and the Pacific hosted its 22nd meeting in Taipei, the source said.
Federation officials also visited the Taipei Veterans General Hospital, as well as businesses and training centers, the official said.
Federation president Dan-Viggo Bergtun has since used Taiwan as an example at different meetings and asked member nations to refer to and learn from the assistance that Taiwan provides its retired veterans, they said.
Taiwan is projected to lose a working-age population of about 6.67 million people in two waves of retirement in the coming years, as the nation confronts accelerating demographic decline and a shortage of younger workers to take their place, the Ministry of the Interior said. Taiwan experienced its largest baby boom between 1958 and 1966, when the population grew by 3.78 million, followed by a second surge of 2.89 million between 1976 and 1982, ministry data showed. In 2023, the first of those baby boom generations — those born in the late 1950s and early 1960s — began to enter retirement, triggering
ECONOMIC BOOST: Should the more than 23 million people eligible for the NT$10,000 handouts spend them the same way as in 2023, GDP could rise 0.5 percent, an official said Universal cash handouts of NT$10,000 (US$330) are to be disbursed late next month at the earliest — including to permanent residents and foreign residents married to Taiwanese — pending legislative approval, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. The Executive Yuan yesterday approved the Special Act for Strengthening Economic, Social and National Security Resilience in Response to International Circumstances (因應國際情勢強化經濟社會及民生國安韌性特別條例). The NT$550 billion special budget includes NT$236 billion for the cash handouts, plus an additional NT$20 billion set aside as reserve funds, expected to be used to support industries. Handouts might begin one month after the bill is promulgated and would be completed within
The National Development Council (NDC) yesterday unveiled details of new regulations that ease restrictions on foreigners working or living in Taiwan, as part of a bid to attract skilled workers from abroad. The regulations, which could go into effect in the first quarter of next year, stem from amendments to the Act for the Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals (外國專業人才延攬及僱用法) passed by lawmakers on Aug. 29. Students categorized as “overseas compatriots” would be allowed to stay and work in Taiwan in the two years after their graduation without obtaining additional permits, doing away with the evaluation process that is currently required,
IMPORTANT BACKER: China seeks to expel US influence from the Indo-Pacific region and supplant Washington as the global leader, MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng said China is preparing for war to seize Taiwan, Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said in Washington on Friday, warning that Taiwan’s fall would trigger a regional “domino effect” endangering US security. In a speech titled “Maintaining the Peaceful and Stable Status Quo Across the Taiwan Strait is in Line with the Shared Interests of Taiwan and the United States,” Chiu said Taiwan’s strategic importance is “closely tied” to US interests. Geopolitically, Taiwan sits in a “core position” in the first island chain — an arc stretching from Japan, through Taiwan and the Philippines, to Borneo, which is shared by
RSS