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.
Three batches of banana sauce imported from the Philippines were intercepted at the border after they were found to contain the banned industrial dye Orange G, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. From today through Sept. 2 next year, all seasoning sauces from the Philippines are to be subject to the FDA’s strictest border inspection, meaning 100 percent testing for illegal dyes before entry is allowed, it said in a statement. Orange G is an industrial coloring agent that is not permitted for food use in Taiwan or internationally, said Cheng Wei-chih (鄭維智), head of the FDA’s Northern Center for
LOOKING NORTH: The base would enhance the military’s awareness of activities in the Bashi Channel, which China Coast Guard ships have been frequenting, an expert said The Philippine Navy on Thursday last week inaugurated a forward operating base in the country’s northern most province of Batanes, which at 185km from Taiwan would be strategically important in a military conflict in the Taiwan Strait. The Philippine Daily Inquirer quoted Northern Luzon Command Commander Lieutenant General Fernyl Buca as saying that the base in Mahatao would bolster the country’s northern defenses and response capabilities. The base is also a response to the “irregular presence this month of armed” of China Coast Guard vessels frequenting the Bashi Channel in the Luzon Strait just south of Taiwan, the paper reported, citing a
A total lunar eclipse, an astronomical event often referred to as a “blood moon,” would be visible to sky watchers in Taiwan starting just before midnight on Sunday night, the Taipei Astronomical Museum said. The phenomenon is also called “blood moon” due to the reddish-orange hue it takes on as the Earth passes directly between the sun and the moon, completely blocking direct sunlight from reaching the lunar surface. The only light is refracted by the Earth’s atmosphere, and its red wavelengths are bent toward the moon, illuminating it in a dramatic crimson light. Describing the event as the most important astronomical phenomenon
UNDER PRESSURE: The report cited numerous events that have happened this year to show increased coercion from China, such as military drills and legal threats The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) aims to reinforce its “one China” principle and the idea that Taiwan belongs to the People’s Republic of China by hosting celebratory events this year for the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, the “retrocession” of Taiwan and the establishment of the UN, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said in its latest report to the Legislative Yuan. Taking advantage of the significant anniversaries, Chinese officials are attempting to assert China’s sovereignty over Taiwan through interviews with international news media and cross-strait exchange events, the report said. Beijing intends to reinforce its “one China” principle
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