Taiwan and Japan yesterday celebrated their friendship at the opening ceremony of Japanese artist Yoshitomo Nara’s solo exhibition in Taipei, with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) expressing hope that the two sides could join hands to face global challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Yoshitomo Nara’s exhibition was made possible thanks to the efforts of many people and most importantly, the friendship built up between Taiwan and Japan over a long period of time,” Tsai said at the ceremony on the 10th anniversary of the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake.
Bilateral exchanges after the natural disaster gave the two sides an opportunity to share warmth and care with each other, she said, adding that the support could be felt in the exhibition.
Photo: Ling Mei-hsueh, Taipei Times
Tsai also thanked Nara, with whom she had breakfast earlier this week, for the painting Hazy Humid Day, which he dedicated to Taiwan.
Japanese Representative to Taiwan Hiroyasu Izumi also attended the opening ceremony for the free exhibition at the Kuandu Museum of Fine Arts, which runs from today until June 20.
He thanked Taiwan for lending a helping hand after the earthquake and tsunami, and expressed hope that there can be long-lasting bilateral friendship.
While Nara did not attend the ceremony, he recorded a video in which he said that the exhibition was aimed to express gratitude for Taiwan’s generosity and huge aid donation for Japan after the disaster.
Having overcome the trauma caused by the earthquake and tsunami, Nara spent several years before going back to the canvas and emerged with the emblematic work Miss Moonlight last year.
Also stunning is Hazy Humid Day, which Nara said is not only a dedication to Taiwan, which he has visited several times, but also the best encouragement to himself.
The painting was completed in 10 days in January, after months of preparation, he added.
Giving a review of the exhibition, Nara said: “This is the best work I, at this stage, have created. This is my true level of competence and my most genuine self.”
The exhibition, featuring 53 works of art, is to move to the Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts in July and the Tainan Art Museum in November, co-organizer the General Association of Chinese Culture said.
Nara said he would return to Taiwan again to help with additional exhibition arrangements.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
Myanmar has turned down an offer of assistance from Taiwanese search-and-rescue teams after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the nation on Friday last week, saying other international aid is sufficient, the National Fire Agency said yesterday. More than 1,700 have been killed and 3,400 injured in the quake that struck near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay early on Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a magnitude 6.7 aftershock. Worldwide, 13 international search-and-rescue teams have been deployed, with another 13 teams mobilizing, the agency said. Taiwan’s search-and-rescue teams were on standby, but have since been told to stand down, as