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.
A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck off the coast of Yilan County at 8:39pm tonight, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, with no immediate reports of damage or injuries. The epicenter was 38.7km east-northeast of Yilan County Hall at a focal depth of 98.3km, the CWA’s Seismological Center said. The quake’s maximum intensity, which gauges the actual physical effect of a seismic event, was a level 4 on Taiwan’s 7-tier intensity scale, the center said. That intensity level was recorded in Yilan County’s Nanao Township (南澳), Hsinchu County’s Guansi Township (關西), Nantou County’s Hehuanshan (合歡山) and Hualien County’s Yanliao (鹽寮). An intensity of 3 was
Instead of focusing solely on the threat of a full-scale military invasion, the US and its allies must prepare for a potential Chinese “quarantine” of Taiwan enforced through customs inspections, Stanford University Hoover fellow Eyck Freymann said in a Foreign Affairs article published on Wednesday. China could use various “gray zone” tactics in “reconfiguring the regional and ultimately the global economic order without a war,” said Freymann, who is also a nonresident research fellow at the US Naval War College. China might seize control of Taiwan’s links to the outside world by requiring all flights and ships entering or leaving Taiwan
The first of 10 new high-capacity trains purchased from South Korea’s Hyundai Rotem arrived at the Port of Taipei yesterday to meet the demands of an expanding metro network, Taipei Rapid Transit Corp (TRTC) said yesterday. The train completed a three-day, 1,200km voyage from the Port of Masan in South Korea, the company said. Costing NT$590 million (US$18.79 million) each, the new six-carriage trains feature a redesigned interior based on "human-centric" transportation concepts, TRTC said. The design utilizes continuous longitudinal seating to widen the aisles and optimize passenger flow, while also upgrading passenger information displays and driving control systems for a more comfortable
Taiwan's first indigenous defense submarine, the SS-711 Hai Kun (海鯤, or Narwhal), departed for its 13th sea trial at 7am today, marking its seventh submerged test, with delivery to the navy scheduled for July. The outing also marked its first sea deployment since President William Lai (賴清德) boarded the submarine for an inspection on March 19, drawing a crowd of military enthusiasts who gathered to show support. The submarine this morning departed port accompanied by CSBC Corp’s Endeavor Manta (奮進魔鬼魚號) uncrewed surface vessel and a navy M109 assault boat. Amid public interest in key milestones such as torpedo-launching operations and overnight submerged trials,
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