Representative to Japan Lee Yi-yang (李逸洋) at a National Day event in Japan’s Yamanashi Prefecture yesterday said that he expected Taiwan-Japan relations to deepen under Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who has continued former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe’s support for Taiwanese pineapples.
Lee thanked the Yamanashi Taiwan Association for hosting the event, in celebration of Taiwan’s Double Ten National Day, and said that Taiwan and the prefecture was deepening cooperation in economic, education and cultural fields.
Japan is Taiwan’s biggest market for pineapples, bananas and mangoes, while Taiwan buys the most Japanese apples and grapes, which shows the friendship between the two nations, he said.
Photo courtesy of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Japan
More than 90 percent of Taiwan’s pineapple and banana exports go to Japan, as well as 57 percent of its mangoes, Lee said.
Meanwhile, 77.5 percent of Japan’s apples, 58.6 percent of its grapes and 42.5 percent of its persimmons are exported to Taiwan, he said, adding that the nation was also the second-largest importer of Japanese peaches, strawberries and wagyu.
It is incredible that Taiwan so strongly supports Japanese products, despite having a population of only 23 million people and being the 57th-largest country in the world, Lee said.
The prefecture is known for its fruits, and its grapes and peaches are especially popular in Taiwan, he said.
This exchange deepens the friendship between Taiwan and Yamanashi, and supports both sides’ development, he added.
Lee thanked the citizens of Yamanashi for supporting disaster relief efforts in Hualien, after it was flooded last month.
Taiwan and the prefecture also cooperated on hydrogen energy technology, which helped support decarbonization, Lee said, adding that schools in Yamanashi have built sister school relationships with schools in Kaohsiung and Taichung, and organized exchanges between students.
Representatives of Mount Fuji and Jade Mountain (玉山) have even signed an agreement, he said.
Taiwan and Japan are strong partners that share mutual values of freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law, Lee said.
Japan is Taiwan’s third-largest trading partner, while Taiwan is Japan’s fourth, and the two nations cooperate closely in investments and across industries, he said.
A record 7.36 million people traveled between Taiwan and Japan last year, and is expected to reach 8 million this year, he added.
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