The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday said it would continue to communicate with Japan after Saturday’s passage of a referendum to maintain an import ban on food from five Japanese prefectures to prevent a single issue from impacting the development of Taiwan-Japan ties.
Ministry spokesman Andrew Lee (李憲章) said Japan has been in close contact with the relevant government departments regarding the import ban issue and that both sides have a clear idea of where the other party stands on the matter.
“Regarding the referendum result, the ministry will engage in further communication with the Japanese side and will handle the matter properly to seek understanding from Tokyo,” Lee said, adding that the result was a manifestation of the public’s will.
Implemented by the former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) government after Japan’s 2011 Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant meltdown, the ban has seen the nation close its borders to food imports from Fukushima, Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma and Chiba prefectures.
The ministry’s stance on the matter remains the same, which is to protect the health of Taiwanese and handle the issue in accordance with objective international standards and scientific evidence, Lee said.
RATIONAL DIALOGUE
“There are many issues concerning Taiwan-Japan ties. We do not want to see a single issue affect the development of our relations,” Lee said, calling for rational and peaceful dialogue to resolve the issue.
Asked whether the import ban and the nation’s hope of joining the Japan-led Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for the Trans-Pacific Partnership would be brought up at the next annual Taiwan-Japan economic and trade meeting, which is to be held in Taipei from tomorrow to Friday, Lee declined to reveal details of the agenda of the meeting.
However, Lee said he believed both sides would engage in extensive discussions on trade and economic issues.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-wong effective from 5:30pm, while local governments canceled school and work for tomorrow. A land warning is expected to be issued tomorrow morning before it is expected to make landfall on Wednesday, the agency said. Taoyuan, and well as Yilan, Hualien and Penghu counties canceled work and school for tomorrow, as well as mountainous district of Taipei and New Taipei City. For updated information on closures, please visit the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration Web site. As of 5pm today, Fung-wong was about 490km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan's southernmost point.
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck Kaohsiung at 1pm today, the Central Weather Administration said. The epicenter was in Jiasian District (甲仙), 72.1km north-northeast of Kaohsiung City Hall, at a depth of 7.8km, agency data showed. There were no immediate reports of damage. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effects of a temblor, was highest in Kaohsiung and Tainan, where it measured a 4 on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale. It also measured a 3 in parts of Chiayi City, as well as Pingtung, Yunlin and Hualien counties, data showed.
Nearly 5 million people have signed up to receive the government’s NT$10,000 (US$322) universal cash handout since registration opened on Wednesday last week, with deposits expected to begin tomorrow, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. After a staggered sign-up last week — based on the final digit of the applicant’s national ID or Alien Resident Certificate number — online registration is open to all eligible Taiwanese nationals, foreign permanent residents and spouses of Taiwanese nationals. Banks are expected to start issuing deposits from 6pm today, the ministry said. Those who completed registration by yesterday are expected to receive their NT$10,000 tomorrow, National Treasury
PROMOTION: Travelers who want a free stopover must book their flights with designated travel agents, such as Lion Travel, Holiday Tours, Cola Tour and Life Tours Air Canada yesterday said it is offering Taiwanese travelers who are headed to North America free stopovers if they transit though airports in Japan and South Korea. The promotion was launched in response to a potential rise in demand for flights to North America in June and July next year, when the US, Canada and Mexico are scheduled to jointly host the FIFA World Cup, Air Canada said. Air Canada offers services to 13 of the 16 host cities of the tournament’s soccer games, including Toronto and Vancouver; Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey in Mexico; Atlanta, Georgia; Boston; Dallas; Houston;
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