The Taiwan-Japan Relations Association (TJRA) on Friday appointed former legislative speaker Su Jia-chyuan (蘇嘉全) as its chairman, the government-funded organization said.
The association’s directors and supervisors approved the resignation of former chairman Chiou I-jen (邱義仁) and confirmed Su as his replacement during a meeting on Friday morning, it said in a statement.
It is unclear why Chiou, 72, stepped down from the position he had held for six years. Local media have cited sources from the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) as saying that he resigned due to health concerns.
Photo courtesy of the Taiwan-Japan Relations Association via CNA
The association serves as a corresponding organization to the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association, which represents Tokyo’s interests in Taipei in the absence of formal diplomatic relations.
In Friday’s meeting, Su pledged to make every effort to enhance Taiwan-Japan relations.
The 66-year-old said that during his tenure in the legislature, he was dedicated to promoting exchanges between Taiwanese and Japanese lawmakers.
He also led a legislative delegation to Japan to show that legislators across party lines cherished the nation’s ties with Japan, said Su, who was previously the Presidential Office secretary-general.
Japanese Representative to Taiwan Hiroyasu Izumi on Friday expressed online his gratitude for Chiou’s contributions to promoting the Taiwan-Japan ties.
Chiou was “an important bridge” between Tokyo and Taipei, and during his six years of service at the Taiwan-Japan Relations Association, bilateral tourism and trade reached record highs, wrote Izumi, who is also head of the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association’s Taipei office.
Speaking to the Central News Agency on Friday, DPP Legislator Lo Chih-cheng (羅致政) lauded Su as an excellent replacement for Chiou because of his close rapport with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) due to their years of working together.
The selection of Su to head the Taiwan-Japan Relations Association is symbolic of the importance Taiwan attaches to its relationship with Japan, Lo said.
The association is expected to play an important role in facilitating trade and security cooperation between the two nations, especially as Taiwan seeks to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, while Japan shows more concern for the peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait, Lo said.
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