President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) congratulated the newly elected chief of Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Shigeru Ishiba on assuming the role of the country’s prime minister on Tuesday, according to Presidential Office spokesperson Karen Kuo (郭雅慧).
On behalf of Taiwan’s government and people, Lai “extended sincere congratulations” to Ishiba and expressed hope that his new government would successfully advance various policies beneficial to Japan’s development, Kuo said in a press release later that same day.
Photo : AP
Kuo noted that Taiwan and Japan had “long been solid partners” and were expected to have more exchanges and collaborations in disaster prevention, trade and economics, and security, among other areas.
Ishiba, who won the ruling LDP’s leadership election last week after four futile attempts over more than a decade, was confirmed as Japan’s new prime minister by parliament earlier on Tuesday.
The 67-year-old served as Japan’s defense minister from September 2007 to August 2008.
In August, Ishiba led a group of six cross-party Japanese lawmakers focused on security issues on a visit to Taiwan, during which he noted that only by the democratic community “standing shoulder to shoulder to demonstrate the strength of deterrence” can the region uphold peace and stability.
According to Kuo, Lai also thanked former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida for the importance his government attached to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait during his three-year tenure.
Kishida decided not to run for re-election as LDP president in August after the party became embroiled in several major political scandals.
In a separate press release, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it had instructed Taiwan’s representative office in Japan to express a congratulatory message to the new prime minister and his Cabinet on behalf of the country.
People can take the Taipei MRT free of charge if they access it at Nanjing Sanmin Station or Taipei Arena Station on the Green Line between 12am and 6am on Jan. 1, the Taipei Department of Transportation said on Friday, outlining its plans to ease crowding during New Year’s events in the capital. More than 200,000 people are expected to attend New Year’s Eve events in Taipei, with singer A-mei (張惠妹) performing at the Taipei Dome and the city government’s New Year’s Eve party at Taipei City Hall Plaza, the department said. As people have tended to use the MRT’s Blue or
Civil society groups yesterday protested outside the Legislative Yuan, decrying Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) efforts to pass three major bills that they said would seriously harm Taiwan’s democracy, and called to oust KMT caucus whip Fu Kun-chi (傅?萁). It was the second night of the three-day “Bluebird wintertime action” protests in Taipei, with organizers announcing that 8,000 people attended. Organized by Taiwan Citizen Front, the Economic Democracy Union (EDU) and a coalition of civil groups, about 6,000 people began a demonstration in front of KMT party headquarters in Taipei on Wednesday, organizers said. For the third day, the organizers asked people to assemble
Taipei is participating in Osaka’s Festival of Lights this year, with a 3m-tall bubble tea light installation symbolizing Taiwan’s bubble tea culture. The installation is designed as a bubble tea cup and features illustrations of Taipei’s iconic landmarks, such as Taipei 101, the Red House and North Gate, as well as soup dumplings and the matchmaking deity the Old Man Under the Moon (月下老人), affectionately known as Yue Lao (月老). Taipei and Osaka have collaborated closely on tourism and culture since Taipei first participated in the festival in 2018, the Taipei City Department of Information and Tourism said. In February, Osaka represented
Taiwanese professional baseball should update sports stadiums and boost engagement to enhance fans’ experience, Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) commissioner Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌) told the Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times) in an interview on Friday. The league has urged Farglory Group and the Taipei City Government to improve the Taipei Dome’s outdated equipment, including relatively rudimentary television and sound systems, and poor technology, he said. The Tokyo Dome has markedly better television and sound systems, despite being 30 years old, because its managers continually upgraded its equipment, Tsai said. In contrast, the Taipei Dome lacked even a room for referees
RSS