Taipei City councilors are to form a nonpartisan “friends of Japan” alliance to deepen mutual ties on a city level, Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) said, while his Japan policies would be similar to those expected of Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) president-elect Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文).
Ko made the remarks yesterday in response to media queries about whether the hospitality he had received from Japanese dignitaries since arriving in Tokyo on Sunday meant he would endeavor to further relations between Taiwan and Japan, given warm receptions received by himself and Tsai.
He said he hopes that Taipei and Tokyo would boost their level of exchanges with the establishment of the cross-party alliance, thereby improving bilateral ties between the two nations.
Photo: CNA
DPP Taipei City councilor Liu Yao-jen (劉耀仁), a member of Ko’s delegation, said Japan’s mentality toward Taiwan had “changed for the better” thanks to the shift in political power after the presidential election on Jan. 16, while the DPP Taipei City Council caucus would seek to build on the newfound momentum to further mutual exchanges by lobbying for the establishment of the alliance.
Earlier in the day, Ko met with Tokyo Governor Yoichi Masuzoe to discuss how to address the issue of aging populations — a challenge for both Taiwan and Japan — among other policies.
Citing experience as Japanese minister of health, labor and welfare, Masuzoe said that he had a good grasp of issues regarding social security, while both the Tokyo Municipal Government and the Japanese government would be happy to provide Taiwan with assistance.
Masuzoe welcomed the idea of promoting exchanges between the Taipei City Council and the Tokyo Municipal Assembly, saying that he looked forward to establishing swift correspondence between the two bodies to be able to respond better to emergencies.
Prior to the meeting, Masuzoe led a tour of his collection of Taiwanese souvenirs, including a T-shirt commemorating the support Taiwan gave Japan in the aftermath of the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami in 2011, which sports words expressing Japanese gratitude.
Ko invited Masuzoe to visit Taiwan, where he said he would extend his hospitality to his Japanese counterpart, adding that about 3.5 million Taiwanese visited Japan last year, but only about 1.6 million Japanese visited Taiwan.
Ko said that Taipei’s slogan to promote tourism is: “One more person. One more day,” and that “through more exchanges, more friendships can be fostered.”
Also yesterday, Ko visited the Tokyo Rinkai Disaster Prevention Park, where he experienced an earthquake simulator while learning about the city’s disaster prevention measures.
He said he had ordered the Taipei City Department of Education to prepare a curriculum by September that would educate students from elementary schools to high schools on how to protect themselves from natural disasters, fires, epidemics, sexual assault and violence.
Ko said he would follow Tokyo’s policy of issuing disaster prevention brochures to its residents by preparing an online brochure for Taipei residents to download, saving on printing costs.
Asked whether public housing units in Taipei would be as resilient in earthquakes as Japanese buildings, Ko said that one of the key purposes of Taipei’s urban renewal projects is to boost the “seismic response” of structures, with newly constructed public housing buildings boasting better seismic preparedness.
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