A Japanese delegation of parliamentarians from across party lines, led by former Japanese prime minister Yoshiro Mori, yesterday paid their respects to the late former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) at a memorial at the Taipei Guest House.
Lee died on July 30, aged 97.
The Japanese delegation arrived at Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport) on a chartered plane at 2:35pm yesterday.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
They visited President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) at the Presidential Office Building at 4pm, before heading to the memorial at 5pm.
At the Presidential Office, Tsai thanked the delegation for their visit, and their long-term support and contributions to Japan-Taiwan relations.
Tsai especially thanked Mori for allowing Lee to visit Japan after he stepped down from the presidency, and also thanked Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Japanese Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso for speaking boldly in support of Taiwan’s participation in the World Health Assembly on many occasions.
She said that she hopes Taiwan and Japan can share information on the COVID-19 pandemic and the development of vaccines and medication, and continue to reinforce their good relationship.
Mori delivered a condolence message from Abe and expressed his gratitude and respect for Lee’s contributions to the Japan-Taiwan relationship.
He also said that he hopes the two nations can continue to be friends forever.
To avoid close contact with other people, the delegation, all wearing masks, arrived at the Taipei Guest House after it had been closed to the public at 5pm.
Mori presented flowers and offered his condolences to Lee’s daughter, Annie Lee (李安妮).
Lee Teng-hui made many contributions to international society, and while Japanese lacked confidence after World War II, he always encouraged them to be courageous and proud, Mori said.
He said it would probably take a hour for him to describe his deep relationship with Lee Teng-hui, but he always believed that he made the correct decision when approving his visa application to receive medical treatment in Japan after he stepped down from the presidency, even though China opposed it and the Japanese government was concerned.
The delegation left the Taipei Guest House at about 5:50pm.
Former Presidential Office secretary-general Huang Kun-huei (黃昆輝) said that the visit symbolizes the close relationship between Taiwan and Japan.
During his 12-year presidency and after he left office, Lee Teng-hui always promoted better understanding between Taiwan and Japan, building the friendship between the two nations, he said.
Additional reporting by Lin Hsiao-yun and CNA
FIREPOWER: On top of the torpedoes, the military would procure Kestrel II anti-tank weapons systems to replace aging license-produced M72 LAW launchers Taiwan is to receive US-made Mark 48 torpedoes and training simulators over the next three years, following delays that hampered the navy’s operational readiness, the Ministry of National Defense’s latest budget proposal showed. The navy next year would acquire four training simulator systems for the torpedoes and take receipt of 14 torpedoes in 2027 and 10 torpedoes in 2028, the ministry said in its budget for the next fiscal year. The torpedoes would almost certainly be utilized in the navy’s two upgraded Chien Lung-class submarines and the indigenously developed Hai Kun, should the attack sub successfully reach operational status. US President Donald Trump
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) is expected to start construction of its 1.4-nanometer chip manufacturing facilities at the Central Taiwan Science Park (CTSP, 中部科學園區) as early as October, the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper) reported yesterday, citing the park administration. TSMC acquired land for the second phase of the park’s expansion in Taichung in June. Large cement, construction and facility engineering companies in central Taiwan have reportedly been receiving bids for TSMC-related projects, the report said. Supply-chain firms estimated that the business opportunities for engineering, equipment and materials supply, and back-end packaging and testing could reach as high as
ALL QUIET: The Philippine foreign secretary told senators she would not respond to questions about whether Lin Chia-lung was in the country The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday confirmed that a business delegation is visiting the Philippines, but declined to say whether Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) is part of the group, as Philippine lawmakers raised questions over Lin’s reported visit. The group is being led by Deputy Minister of Agriculture Huang Chao-chin (黃昭欽), Chinese International Economic Cooperation Association (CIECA) chairman Joseph Lyu (呂桔誠) and US-Taiwan Business Council (USTBC) vice president Lotta Danielsson, the ministry said in a statement. However, sources speaking on condition of anonymity said that Lin is leading the delegation of 70 people. Filinvest New Clark City Innovation Park
TPP RALLY: The clashes occurred near the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall on Saturday at a rally to mark the anniversary of a raid on former TPP chairman Ko Wen-je People who clashed with police at a Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) rally in Taipei on Saturday would be referred to prosecutors for investigation, said the Ministry of the Interior, which oversees the National Police Agency. Taipei police had collected evidence of obstruction of public officials and coercion by “disorderly” demonstrators, as well as contraventions of the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法), the ministry said in a statement on Sunday. It added that amid the “severe pushing and jostling” by some demonstrators, eight police officers were injured, including one who was sent to hospital after losing consciousness, allegedly due to heat stroke. The Taipei