Shuzo Sumi, former chairman of Japan’s Tokio Marine Holdings, Inc, is the new chairman of the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association following the retirement of Mitsuo Ohashi, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday.
In his inaugural address on Friday, Sumi praised his predecessor, Ohashi, for his significant contributions in strengthening Japan-Taiwan exchanges during his 14-year tenure, the association’s Web site said.
Sumi said that the Japan-Taiwan relationship is at it strongest, citing a survey conducted by the association in Taiwan last year, in which 76 percent of respondents selected Japan as their favorite country outside of Taiwan.
Photo: Reuters
Taiwanese travelers made more than 6.04 million visits to Japan last year, a new record, while Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co has made significant progress in its investment in Japan’s Kumamoto Prefecture, he said, adding that the two countries have made strides in addressing various shared issues.
Reflecting on his personal experiences, Sumi said that he and his family have enjoyed Taiwan’s rich nature and culture, and felt the warmth of Taiwanese toward Japan, which has strengthened his resolve to focus on enhancing Taiwan-Japan cooperation.
In related news, the ministry yesterday said that Member of the Japanese House of Representatives Takayuki Kobayashi, a former minister for economic security, is arriving in Taiwan today.
Kobayashi is to meet with President William Lai (賴清德), Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu (吳釗燮), Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) and other senior government officials, Taiwan-Japan Relations Association Secretary-General Chang Jen-joe (張仁久) said.
Kobayashi, who ran in the Japanese Liberal Democratic Party’s presidential election last year, is viewed by many as a rising star in Japanese politics, Chang said.
Separately, asked about Taiwan’s representation at Hiroshima’s Aug. 6 peace memorial ceremony this year, Chang said that the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Japan has received an invitation and is to send a high-ranking official to attend the event.
Organizing one national referendum and 26 recall elections targeting Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators could cost NT$1.62 billion (US$55.38 million), the Central Election Commission said yesterday. The cost of each recall vote ranges from NT$16 million to NT$20 million, while that of a national referendum is NT$1.1 billion, the commission said. Based on the higher estimate of NT$20 million per recall vote, if all 26 confirmed recall votes against KMT legislators are taken into consideration, along with the national referendum on restarting the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant, the total could be as much as NT$1.62 billion, it said. The commission previously announced
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday welcomed NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte’s remarks that the organization’s cooperation with Indo-Pacific partners must be deepened to deter potential threats from China and Russia. Rutte on Wednesday in Berlin met German Chancellor Friedrich Merz ahead of a ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of Germany’s accession to NATO. He told a post-meeting news conference that China is rapidly building up its armed forces, and the number of vessels in its navy outnumbers those of the US Navy. “They will have another 100 ships sailing by 2030. They now have 1,000 nuclear warheads,” Rutte said, adding that such
Tropical Storm Nari is not a threat to Taiwan, based on its positioning and trajectory, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Nari has strengthened from a tropical depression that was positioned south of Japan, it said. The eye of the storm is about 2,100km east of Taipei, with a north-northeast trajectory moving toward the eastern seaboard of Japan, CWA data showed. Based on its current path, the storm would not affect Taiwan, the agency said.
The cosponsors of a new US sanctions package targeting Russia on Thursday briefed European allies and Ukraine on the legislation and said the legislation would also have a deterrent effect on China and curb its ambitions regarding Taiwan. The bill backed by US senators Lindsey Graham and Richard Blumenthal calls for a 500 percent tariff on goods imported from countries that buy Russian oil, gas, uranium and other exports — targeting nations such as China and India, which account for about 70 percent of Russia’s energy trade, the bankroll of much of its war effort. Graham and Blumenthal told The Associated Press
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