(Central News Agency reporter Dai Yazhen, Tokyo 4) The overseas Chinese community in Japan has successively held Double Ten National Day celebrations. Last night, the Yokohama "Double Ten National Day Cocktail Party to Celebrate the 115th Anniversary of the Republic of China" was held with 25 tables. Many Japanese parliamentarians and local members were present. Today, the Overseas Chinese Association in Tokyo and the Taiwan Alumni Association of Japanese Students in Japan held a Double Ten National Day celebration and garden party at Tokyo Chung Hwa School.
Li Yiyang, the representative in Japan, attended both events and thanked the overseas Chinese for their long-term contributions to Taiwan-Japan relations, and emphasized that Taiwan will cooperate with democratic partners to maintain peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and the Indo-Pacific region.
Li Yiyang posted on Facebook that the Yokohama National Day reception was chaired by Xu Yaogeng, president of the Yokohama Chinese Association, as chairman of the executive committee. There were 25 tables at the venue and the atmosphere was grand and warm. Reps. Kazunori Tanaka, Kenji Nakanishi, Nantoko Maruo and Senator Isamu Ueda attended the event and delivered speeches. Nearly 10 local councilors from Kanagawa Prefecture also attended. Masato Yokoyama, chairman of the Japan-China Friendship Yokohama City Council, delivered a speech on behalf of the representatives. Luo Hongjian, president of the Japan Chinese Federation, led the guests in a toast.
In his speech, Li Yiyang thanked the overseas Chinese for their long-term contributions to Taiwan-Japan relations, and pointed out that Yokohama and Sun Wen have a deep relationship. In 1895, Sun Wen established the Yokohama branch of the Revival of China Society in Yamashita Town, Yokohama, which is now Chinatown. Yokohama became an important overseas base for Sun Wen's revolutionary movement.
He said that the support of overseas Chinese contributed to the success of the Revolution of 1911 and the founding of the Republic of China, so holding the National Day reception in Yokohama has profound historical significance.
Li Yiyang also mentioned that before the recent Sichuan-Xi meeting, some public opinion was worried that Taiwan's interests might be sacrificed, but he believed that this did not happen as a result of the meeting. He pointed out in the post that the list of talks results announced by the United States and China did not mention Taiwan. The U.S. State Department and U.S. Ambassador to China Pang Dewei also stated that the U.S. policy toward Taiwan remains unchanged.
Li Yiyang believes that the competitive situation between the United States and China has been established, and it is almost impossible to fundamentally change the relationship between the United States and China. Taiwan remains the United States’ most important strategic and economic partner in high-tech fields such as artificial intelligence (AI) and semiconductors.
He also said that China continues to threaten Taiwan through military coercion, gray zone operations, cognitive warfare and legal warfare, but Taiwan strongly defends its sovereignty and will never let China's attempts of "fake law enforcement, real infringement" and "turning the Taiwan Strait into an inland sea" succeed.
Li Yiyang emphasized that Taiwan is making every effort to improve its defense capabilities, build social defense resilience, and cooperate with democratic partners such as the United States, Japan, and Europe to ensure that the status quo will not be changed, and to work together to maintain peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and the Indo-Pacific region.
Today's National Day Celebration and Garden Party of the Tokyo Overseas Chinese Association in Japan was held at the playground of Tokyo Chung Hwa School. Through the flag-raising ceremony and the singing of the national anthem by the audience, the overseas Chinese's support and identification with the country were demonstrated.
Students from Tokyo Chinese School brought dragon and lion dances and song and dance performances to add to the festive atmosphere; the garden party gathered Taiwanese food stalls, attracting Taiwanese and Japanese people to participate in the event, allowing overseas Chinese in Japan to taste the familiar taste of their hometown, and allowing Japanese people to experience Taiwanese culture through food and performances.
