This year has been “the year of Taiwan,” as more countries have stood up to support the free and democratic nation, Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association Representative Hiroyasu Izumi said yesterday.
Izumi made the remarks at a Christmas fair outside the Taipei 101 building, which was part of a series of events to mark Taiwan-Japan friendship.
Izumi said that on Jan. 23, he saw the slogan “Japan-Taiwan friendship” in Chinese displayed on Taipei 101, lighting up bilateral relations.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
In March, the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association and the Ministry of Culture cohosted an exhibition marking the 10th anniversary of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, demonstrating their robust bonds, he said.
When the first batch of COVID-19 vaccines donated by Japan arrived in Taiwan, Izumi was grateful that Japan could finally use its own means to help Taiwan in return for Taiwan’s aid following the 2011 earthquake, he said.
When Japan was facing its most severe outbreaks of the pandemic, Taiwan donated medical equipment to assist the country’s medical personnel, he added.
During the Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japanese and Taiwanese athletes were able to cheer for each other’s teams, transcending the divide between competitors, he said.
Many Japanese have been discussing on social media why they cannot have Taiwanese pineapples in the winter, which shows that bilateral relations are propped up by people, he said.
“The world will remember Japan and Taiwan in 2021,” Izumi said.
It is not only Taiwan-Japan ties are warming, he said, adding that more support for a free and democratic Taiwan can be heard across the world.
As Japan’s envoy to Taiwan, Izumi said he feels proud to see Taiwan securing more friends.
Next year marks the 50th anniversary of the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association’s establishment, he said.
Formerly known as the Interchange Association, Japan, the de facto embassy was renamed in 2017.
In the next 50 years, Japan and Taiwan are sure to continue being friendly neighbors, he added.
Asked about Taiwan’s ban on food imports from five Japanese prefectures following the 2011 Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant disaster, Izumi said the ban is irrelevant to Taiwan’s application to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
Nevertheless, he said that farmers in Fukushima Prefecture are working hard on food safety.
Taiwan is responsible for its own food safety issues, while Japan adheres to international and scientific standards, he added.
Taiwan and Japan are discussing the matter, and Japan is waiting to see if Taiwan removes the ban, Izumi said.
LOW RISK: Most nations do not extradite people accused of political crimes, and the UN says extradition can only happen if the act is a crime in both countries, an official said China yesterday issued wanted notices for two Taiwanese influencers, accusing them of committing “separatist acts” by criticizing Beijing, amid broadening concerns over China’s state-directed transnational repression. The Quanzhou Public Security Bureau in a notice posted online said police are offering a reward of up to 25,000 yuan (US$3,523) for information that could contribute to the investigation or apprehension of pro-Taiwanese independence YouTuber Wen Tzu-yu (溫子渝),who is known as Pa Chiung (八炯) online, and rapper Chen Po-yuan (陳柏源). Wen and Chen are suspected of spreading content that supported secession from China, slandered Chinese policies that benefit Taiwanese and discrimination against Chinese spouses of
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;
The US approved the possible sale to Taiwan of fighter jet spare and repair parts for US$330 million, the Pentagon said late yesterday, marking the first such potential transaction since US President Donald Trump took office in January. "The proposed sale will improve the recipient's capability to meet current and future threats by maintaining the operational readiness of the recipient's fleet of F-16, C-130," and other aircraft, the Pentagon said in a statement. Trump previously said that Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) has told him he would not invade Taiwan while the Republican leader is in office. The announcement of the possible arms
ALIGNED THINKING: Taiwan and Japan have a mutual interest in trade, culture and engineering, and can work together for stability, Cho Jung-tai said Taiwan and Japan are two like-minded countries willing to work together to form a “safety barrier” in the Indo-Pacific region, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) yesterday said at the opening ceremony of the 35th Taiwan-Japan Modern Engineering and Technology Symposium in Taipei. Taiwan and Japan are close geographically and closer emotionally, he added. Citing the overflowing of a barrier lake in the Mataian River (馬太鞍溪) in September, Cho said the submersible water level sensors given by Japan during the disaster helped Taiwan monitor the lake’s water levels more accurately. Japan also provided a lot of vaccines early in the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic,
RSS