Japan fully supports Taiwan joining the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, but Taiwan’s ban on the import of certain Japanese foods is like a “fish bone stuck in one’s throat,” Japan-ROC Diet Members’ Consultative Council Chairman Keiji Furuya told reporters in Taipei yesterday.
Furuya made the remarks during a brief meeting with Taiwanese and Japanese reporters after he gave a speech at the Yushan Forum at the Grand Hyatt Taipei.
Since Japan and the Republic of China cut diplomatic ties in 1972, the relations between lawmakers from the two sides have become more important, and many Japanese lawmakers are eager to promote bilateral relations, he said.
Furuya led a delegation of more than 20 councilors across party lines to join Double Ten National Day celebrations in Taipei, even though the Japanese parliament is in session, showing that they highly value bilateral relations, he added.
They would also join today’s National Day parade for the first time, along with nearly 50 Japanese students, he said.
He also welcomed Taiwanese to participate in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Japan supports Taiwan’s bid to join the pact, as its economy is strong, and it is a member of the WTO and APEC, Furuya said when asked by a Taiwanese reporter to comment on the issue.
Asked to comment on Taiwan’s ban on food imports from five Japanese prefectures following the 2011 Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant disaster, he said that Japan regrets the voting results of a referendum on whether to lift the ban held in Taiwan last year.
Japanese have proved with scientific evidence that food products produced in those areas are safe, he said.
Furuya also expressed concern about China’s increasing presence in the Pacific region, saying that Beijing has been using its overwhelming economic power to lure certain Pacific nations, such as Solomon Islands and Kiribati, which cut diplomatic ties with Taipei last month.
A three-yearly summit to be held in Japan next year is to focus on how to improve security in the Indo-Pacific region, he said.
The National Immigration Agency (NIA) said yesterday that it will revoke the dependent-based residence permit of a Chinese social media influencer who reportedly “openly advocated for [China’s] unification through military force” with Taiwan. The Chinese national, identified by her surname Liu (劉), will have her residence permit revoked in accordance with Article 14 of the “Measures for the permission of family- based residence, long-term residence and settlement of people from the Mainland Area in the Taiwan Area,” the NIA said in a news release. The agency explained it received reports that Liu made “unifying Taiwan through military force” statements on her online
A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck off Taitung County at 1:09pm today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 53km northeast of Taitung County Hall at a depth of 12.5km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Taitung County and Hualien County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Nantou County, Chiayi County, Yunlin County, Kaohsiung and Tainan, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of damage following the quake.
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) is to begin his one-year alternative military service tomorrow amid ongoing legal issues, the Ministry of the Interior said yesterday. Wang, who last month was released on bail of NT$150,000 (US$4,561) as he faces charges of allegedly attempting to evade military service and forging documents, has been ordered to report to Taipei Railway Station at 9am tomorrow, the Alternative Military Service Training and Management Center said. The 33-year-old would join about 1,300 other conscripts in the 263rd cohort of general alternative service for training at the Chenggong Ling camp in Taichung, a center official told reporters. Wang would first
MINOR DISRUPTION: The outage affected check-in and security screening, while passport control was done manually and runway operations continued unaffected The main departure hall and other parts of Terminal 2 at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport lost power on Tuesday, causing confusion among passengers before electricity was fully restored more than an hour later. The outage, the cause of which is still being investigated, began at about midday and affected parts of Terminal 2, including the check-in gates, the security screening area and some duty-free shops. Parts of the terminal immediately activated backup power sources, while others remained dark until power was restored in some of the affected areas starting at 12:23pm. Power was fully restored at 1:13pm. Taoyuan International Airport Corp said in a
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