President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday conferred a presidential award on Mitsuo Ohashi, former chair of the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association (JTEA), in recognition of his contributions to Taiwan-Japan relations.
During a ceremony in Taipei, Lai presented the Order of the Brilliant Star with Grand Cordon to Ohashi, who led the JTEA for 14 years, praising him as “a model of Taiwan- Japan friendship,” according to a Presidential Office news release.
The president thanked Ohashi for his unwavering dedication to promoting bilateral ties, noting that during his tenure, Taipei and Tokyo had signed over 50 agreements on trade and economics, fisheries and taxation.
Photo courtesy of the Presidential Office via CNA
He also credited Ohashi’s efforts with helping institutionalize Taiwan-Japan ties, notably through the 2017 renaming of the JTEA and its Taiwanese counterpart, the Taiwan-Japan Relations Association, to include the word “Taiwan.”
Looking ahead, Lai expressed hope that Taiwan and Japan would further strengthen their relations by accelerating talks on an economic partnership agreement and collaborating in key sectors such as semiconductors, energy and artificial intelligence.
In his remarks, Ohashi said he is proud of the close ties between Taiwan and Japan, particularly in the midst of growing international geopolitical tensions, according to the news release.
Ohashi, who was on a short visit to Taiwan on Thursday and Friday, said he would continue to promote peace in his role as head of the Japan branch of the World Federalist Movement, an organization dedicated to advancing global cooperation and democratic governance.
Ohashi was succeeded by Shuzo Sumi, the former head of Tokio Marine Holdings, Inc., as the JTEA chair -- a primarily ceremonial role -- on June 20.
The JTEA is headquartered in Tokyo and has offices in Taipei and Kaohsiung. Its Taipei office functions as the de facto Japanese embassy in Taiwan, and its current representative is Kazuyuki Katayama.
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,
RSS