The Japan-Taiwan Friendship Parliamentary Alliance (Japan-Taiwan Friendship Parliamentary Union), the largest cross-party pro-Taiwan group in the Japanese Diet, led by its chairman, Rep. Keiji Furuya, came to Taiwan from the 9th to the 10th to participate in my country’s National Day celebrations. Hong Yingjie, secretary-general of the Taiwan-Japan Relations Association, said at a regular press conference of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs today (13th) that this is the first time a large-scale national celebration delegation has been organized under a new name to come to Taiwan after the Japan-Taiwan Parliamentary Union changed its name in June this year, reflecting the cross-party importance attached by the Japanese Congress to Taiwan-Japan relations.
Hong Yingjie pointed out that there were 34 people in the delegation, including 27 members of Congress and 7 officials from the Secretariat. In addition to participating in the National Day convention and congratulatory parade, they also arranged to meet with the President, the President of the Legislature and other political figures to exchange views on issues of concern to both parties. In addition, more than 250 people from overseas Chinese groups from all over Japan, the Taiwan-Japan Friendship Association and other Taiwan-friendly groups returned to Taiwan to participate in the National Day. In other words, during the National Day this year, not only members of the Japanese Diet, but also people from the central and local governments, from the political and business circles to the private sector came to Taiwan to congratulate each other.
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Hong Yingjie said that this once again shows that the exchanges between Taiwan and Japan have been very in-depth and that there is a very broad and profound foundation for friendship with Taiwan. He expressed sincere gratitude to all walks of life in Japan for their long-term support and friendship with Taiwan. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will continue to promote exchanges and cooperation between Taiwan and Japan in various fields such as parliamentary, local, economic and trade, culture, and tourism, so that the relationship between the two parties can continue to move forward and jointly contribute to peace, stability, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region.
Hong Yingjie also reported on my country’s recent assistance to Japan’s earthquake disaster. He said that a 7.1-magnitude earthquake occurred in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan on July 28, causing severe local disasters. The Chinese government and private sector immediately extended a helping hand to Kumamoto. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also immediately commissioned the my country Council to open a special account for private donations, and obtained support from Chinese enterprises and civil society groups. The community and the general public responded enthusiastically, and the cumulative fundraising amount eventually exceeded NT$300 million. Kumamoto Prefecture Governor Kimura Kei specially brought Kumamon to Taiwan at the beginning of this month to personally express his gratitude to the people of Taiwan for their enthusiastic donations and their warm support for Kumamoto's post-disaster reconstruction.
Hong Yingjie pointed out that Taiwan and Japan are both located in areas prone to natural disasters. Whenever each other encounters a major disaster over the years, the two sides have always extended a helping hand as soon as possible, which is a model of friendship that transcends national boundaries and helps each other. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs hopes that in addition to mutual assistance when disasters occur, Taiwan and Japan can extend this experience to daily cooperation in disaster prevention, disaster reduction, disaster relief, and post-disaster reconstruction work in the future.
In addition, in response to media inquiries about the completion of Shuri City restoration, Taiwan donated 5 red cypress trees from the Taipingshan artificial forest in Yilan in 2023 to assist in the restoration. Are we invited to participate in the completion ceremony? Hong Yingjie said that relevant information was mentioned by Chairman Furuya when he met the President, and we have also noticed it; since the Shuri Castle restoration completion ceremony is still being planned in Japan, we will continue to follow up.
