President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday ordered public institutions to fly the nation’s flag at half-mast tomorrow to honor former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, who was killed on Friday after being shot during a campaign event in western Japan.
All Taiwanese flags at government buildings and public schools across Taiwan will be flown at half-mast for one day to honor Abe’s decades-long contributions to promoting bilateral ties between Taiwan and Japan, Presidential Office spokesman Xavier Chang (張惇涵) said in a statement.
The move is also intended to show that Taiwan stands with Japan in firmly defending freedom and democracy, Chang said, adding that Abe was a staunch supporter of Taiwan.
Photo: CNA
He said that Abe helped facilitate Japan’s donation of 1.24 million doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine to Taiwan last year amid a shortage, and lauded the quality of Taiwanese pineapples on social media after China blocked imports of the fruit in August last year.
Abe was also the forerunner in promoting a free and open Indo-Pacific region, and had repeatedly underscored the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, Chang added.
Abe died on Friday evening, at the age of 67, hours after being shot twice during an election campaign in Nara, Japan. A 41-year-old suspect was arrested at the scene.
Taiwanese politicians across the political spectrum have expressed their condolences, with the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) denouncing the assassination as “violating the basic principles of a democratic and rule-based society.”
Legislative Speaker You Si-kun (游錫堃) said that Tsai would decide whether Taiwan is to send a parliamentary delegation to Japan to pay tribute to Abe, whose funeral has been set for Tuesday.
You said that Abe had agreed to visit the nation and planned to give a speech at the Legislative Yuan, but “sadly, that won’t be happening anymore.”
“Abe will be forever missed by Taiwanese,” You added.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Tsai Yi-yu (蔡易餘) said that the National Palace Museum could be used to hold a special exhibition in memory of Abe at its southern branch in Chiayi County.
The branch had previously hosted exhibitions featuring Japanese culture, including works of art from the Tokyo National Museum, Kyushu National Museum and Kobe City Museum, making it a good fit to hold such a special event to enable Taiwanese to learn more about Abe’s life and his relations with Taiwan, he added.
Additional reporting by Wang Chien-hao and Lin Yi-chang
Taiwan aims to open 18 representative offices and seven Taiwan Tourism Information Centers worldwide by next year to attract international visitors, the Tourism Administration said on Saturday. The agency has so far opened three representative offices abroad this year and would open two more before the end of the year, it said. It has also already opened information centers in Jakarta, Mumbai and Paris, and is to open one in Vancouver next month and in Manila in December, it said. Next year, it would also open offices in Amsterdam, Dubai and Sydney, it added. While the Cabinet did not mention international tourists in its
EYES AT SEA: Many marine enthusiasts have expressed interest in volunteering for coastal patrols, which would help identify stowaways and illegal fishing, the CGA said Six thousand coastal patrol volunteers are to be recruited for 159 inspection offices to enhance the nation’s response to “gray zone” conflicts, Coast Guard Administration (CGA) sources said yesterday. Volunteer teams would be established to increase the resilience of coastal defense systems in the wake of two unlawful entries attempted by Chinese over the past three months, Ocean Affairs Council Minister Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) said. A former Chinese navy captain drove a motorboat into the Tamsui River (淡水河) in Taipei on the eve of the Dragon Boat Festival in June, while another Chinese man sailed in a rubber boat into the Houkeng
NEXT LEVEL: The defense ministry confirmed that a video released last month featured personnel piloting new FPV drone systems being developed by the Armaments Bureau Taipei and Washington are pushing for their drone companies to work together to establish a China-free supply chain, the Financial Times reported on Friday. A delegation of high-level executives and US government officials were yesterday to arrive in Taipei to discuss with their Taiwanese counterparts collaboration on drone technology procurement and development, the report said. The executives represent 26 US manufacturers of drone and counter-drone systems, while the officials are from the US Department of Commerce and the US Department of Defense’s Defense Innovation Unit, along with Dev Shenoy, principal director for microelectronics in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense
‘ANONYMOUS 64’: A national security official said that it is an attempt by China to increase domestic anti-Taiwanese sentiment and inflame cross-strait tensions The Ministry of National Defense’s (MND) Information, Communications and Electronic Force Command (ICEFCOM) yesterday denied accusations by China that it had undermined regional security by carrying out cyberattacks against targets in China, adding instead that Beijing was responsible for raising tensions and undermining regional peace. The Chinese Ministry of State Security on WeChat accused a hacker group called “Anonymous 64” of targeting China, Hong Kong and Macau starting earlier this year through frequent cyberattacks. The group carried out cyberattacks to seize control of Web sites, outdoor electronic billboards and video-on-demand platforms in China, Hong Kong and Macau, it said, adding the hackers’