The Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association on Sunday held a banquet for recipients of Japanese scholarships, aiming to deepen ties between alumni of the program.
About 200 current and former scholarship recipients attended the event at a hotel in Taipei.
Alumni have gone on to become integral players in Taiwanese society and in Taiwan-Japan relations, the association said.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
Standing in for Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association Representative Hiroyasu Izumi, Deputy Representative Takashi Hattori delivered remarks on behalf of the association.
Since 1955, 3,100 Taiwanese students have studied in Japan on Japanese scholarships, Hattori said.
Many of them have gone on to make significant contributions to relations between the countries, including Representative to Japan Frank Hsieh (謝長廷), along with former representatives Koh Se-kai (許世楷) and Hsu Shui-teh (許水德), he said.
Alumni have made substantial contributions outside of politics as well, he said.
Tsai Mao-feng (蔡茂豐), who studied in Japan in 1962, focused on Japanese-language education after returning to Taiwan, and in 2005 became the first Taiwanese in 33 years to receive Japan’s prestigious Order of the Rising Sun, Hattori said.
The association was founded in 1972 at what could be considered a low point in Taiwan-Japan relations, he said, adding that more than 50 years later, the nations have become important partners.
“Having so many partners will be a valuable asset in your lives,” he told the students and alumni, encouraging them to continue furthering Taiwan-Japan relations.
Former Judicial Yuan president Rai Hau-min (賴浩敏), who received a scholarship to study in Japan in 1966 and now serves as honorary chairman of the Japan scholarship student association, said that his time studying abroad changed his life in many ways.
He said it mostly taught him about people, including the Japanese way of thinking and how they participate in international affairs.
Rai advised recent recipients to cherish and be grateful for the opportunity to study abroad, as every yen of their scholarship was provided by Japanese taxpayers.
Taiwan and Japan enjoy a particularly close relationship, Taiwan-Japan Relations Association Chairman Su Jia-chyuan (蘇嘉全) said, adding that he would support activities organized by the scholarship student organization.
“This year we have 200 people, but next year we will aim for 500,” he said.
In a video message, Hsieh recalled arriving at Kyoto University to study after Taiwan and Japan severed relations in 1972, when the scholarship switched from being a government program to one provided through the exchange association.
He advised students to take advantage of their time in Japan to study, learn about Japanese history and make friends.
Taiwan and Japan have a common destiny that is rare in international relations and worth promoting, he said, adding that talks about peace should include the example of Taiwan and Japan.
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