The Taiwan Book Fair in Japan opened on Monday with the theme “Taiwan’s Gender Culture.”
Organized by the Ministry of Culture’s Taiwan Cultural Center in Tokyo and Japanese bookstore chain Books Kinokuniya, the event has entered its fourth consecutive year, with a record 38 Kinokuniya branches participating.
The opening ceremony was at Kinokuniya’s flagship store in Tokyo’s Shinjuku District.
Photo: CNA
Representative to Japan Lee Yi-yang (李逸洋) said that Taiwan was the first Asian country to recognize same-sex marriage.
Citing the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s 2023 Social Institutions and Gender Index, Lee said Taiwan ranked sixth globally and first in Asia in gender equality.
The achievement resulted from the collective efforts of the public and the government’s long-term commitment to advancing gender equity policies, he said.
“Up to 32 percent of female candidates were elected to the Japanese House of Councilors this year, showing that Japan continues to make progress toward gender equality,” he added.
Referring to newly elected Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) leader Sanae Takaichi, who is likely to become Japan’s first female prime minister, Lee said that “the dawn of a new era for Japan’s political culture is now palpable.”
Japanese Representative Keiji Furuya, chair of the Japan-ROC Diet Members’ Consultative Council and head of the Diet’s multi-party Manga, Anime and Game Caucus, said he was impressed with the publishing sector in Taiwan, particularly its comic industry.
Furuya said he had visited the National Taiwan Museum of Comics in Taichung, a site that once served as a prison during the Japanese colonial period.
Taiwan’s experience could help Japan establish its own national comic center, which is planned for Tokyo’s Harajuku District, he said.
Kinokuniya chairman and president Masashi Takai said that bookstores are places for people to encounter and engage with different cultures.
As Taiwan-Japan relations become increasingly important across industrial, economic and political spheres, it is crucial to continue promoting bilateral cultural exchanges, Takai said.
With expanding ties in business and tourism, Kinokuniya would continue to help deepen Taiwan-Japan relations through the nationwide book fair, he added.
SNET Taiwan representative Miwako Akamatsu said that Japan publishes more than 100 books about Taiwan each year, many of which explore gender-related topics.
Taiwan leads Japan in gender equity awareness and practices, Akamatsu said, adding that she expects the book fair to boost mutual understanding of gender and cultural issues in the two societies.
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