Japan and Taiwan yesterday marked the 11th anniversary of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake with messages of appreciation for mutual assistance during challenging times.
“Every year on March 11, I think of Taiwan,” Japanese Representative to Taiwan Hiroyasu Izumi wrote on Facebook, lauding Taiwan for giving “so much assistance and love for Japan” after the March 11, 2011, earthquake.
Taiwan led the world in donating about US$260 million in relief and reconstruction aid to Japan in the wake of the magnitude 9 earthquake and tsunami.
Photo courtesy of the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association
Over the past 11 years, many Japanese have found ways to repay Taiwan and believe it is rare to find such a good neighbor, who is sincere, selfless, loving and dedicated to helping each other, Izumi said.
“We must cherish this genuine friendship between Japan and Taiwan,” he wrote, adding that there are innocent people in other parts of the world, such as Ukraine, whose lives have been trampled on by their neighbors.
Thanking Taiwan for always being there for Japan, Izumi invited Taiwanese to visit Japan and embark on a “spiritual journey with Japanese friends,” to see how people living in the earthquake-
affected areas have recovered and rebuilt their lives over the past 11 years.
President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday said that in cases like the 2011 earthquake in Japan or the COVID-19 pandemic, Taiwan and Japan have helped each other through numerous challenges, making them true friends.
“Taiwan and Japan had rallied to support each other and deal with many difficulties. It is true that a friend in need is a friend indeed,” she said in a video post on Facebook.
During a vaccine shortage as the COVID-19 pandemic ravaged the world, Japan donated vaccines to Taiwan six times, totaling 4.2 million doses, she said.
“Taiwanese were really touched,” Tsai said, adding that “true friendship must be cherished.”
Taiwan and Japan will continue to defend regional peace and stability in the face of changes in the global situation and the expansion of authoritarianism, she added.
Vice President William Lai (賴清德) said he believed bilateral relations between Taiwan and Japan would grow even closer.
On the basis of solid friendship, the two countries will deepen exchanges in economics, trade, agriculture, culture and disaster prevention to become important partners helping each other whenever needed, he said on Facebook.
Additional reporting by Jason Pan and CNA
SPACE VETERAN: Kjell N. Lindgren, who helps lead NASA’s human spaceflight missions, has been on two expeditions on the ISS and has spent 311 days in space Taiwan-born US astronaut Kjell N. Lindgren is to visit Taiwan to promote technological partnerships through one of the programs organized by the US for its 250th national anniversary. Lindgren would be in Taiwan from Tuesday to Saturday next week as part of the US Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ US Speaker Program, organized to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said in a statement yesterday. Lindgren plans to engage with key leaders across the nation “to advance cutting-edge technological partnerships and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers,”
UNREASONABLE SURVEILLANCE: A camera targeted on an road by a neighbor captured a man’s habitual unsignaled turn into home, netting him dozens of tickets The Taichung High Administrative Court has canceled all 45 tickets given to a man for failing to use a turn signal while driving, as it considered long-term surveillance of his privacy more problematic than the traffic violations. The man, surnamed Tseng (曾), lives in Changhua County and was reported 45 times within a month for failing to signal while driving when he turned into the alley where his residence is. The reports were filed by his neighbor, who set up security cameras that constantly monitored not only the alley but also the door and yard of Tseng’s house. The surveillance occurred from July
A Japan Self-Defense Forces vessel entered the Taiwan Strait yesterday, Japanese media reported. After passing through the Taiwan Strait, the Ikazuchi was to proceed to the South China Sea to take part in a joint military exercise with the US and the Philippines, the reports said. Japan Self-Defense Force vessels were first reported to have passed through the strait in September, 2024, with two further transits taking place in February and June last year, the Asahi Shimbun reported. Yesterday’s transit also marked the first time since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi took office that a Japanese warship has been sent through the Taiwan
‘SAME OLD TRICK’: Even if Beijing resumes individual travel to Taiwan, it would only benefit Chinese tourism companies, the Economic Democracy Union convener said China’s 10 new “incentives” are “sugar-coated poison,” an official said yesterday, adding that Taiwanese businesses see them clearly for what they are, but that Beijing would inevitably find some local collaborators to try to drums up support. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, made the remark ahead of a news conference the General Chamber of Commerce is to hold today. The event, titled “Industry Perspectives on China’s Recent Pro-Taiwan Policies,” is expected to include representatives from industry associations — such as those in travel, hotels, food and agriculture — to request the government cooperate with China’s new measures, people familiar with
RSS