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進入《TAIPEI TIMES》 Japan summit sets new record
Local government councilors from Taiwan and Japan share the stage after signing a Friendly Exchange Agreement at the Taiwan-Japan Exchange Summit in Kaohsiung yesterday. Photo: Chang Chung-yi, Taipei Times
‘NEW ERA’: Ties between Taiwan and Japan are founded upon shared democratic values and have been proven by mutual help in times of need, a declaration stated
By Ko Yu-hao and Wang Jung-hsiang / Staff reporters
The Fourth Summit on Taiwan-Japan Exchanges took place in Kaohsiung yesterday with 323 Japanese members from 42 regional assemblies participating, a record high for the event, which could signal improving ties between the two nations.
As the host, the Kaohsiung City Government followed precedent and issued a proclamation, titled the Kaohsiung Proclamation, which was read by Kaohsiung City Council Speaker Kang Yu-cheng （康裕成）, declaring the dawning of a “new era” in relations between the two nations.
Taiwan and Japan would work together to expand their tourism industries and Japan would support Taiwan’s participation in international organizations, such as the Japan-led Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, the proclamation said.
The friendship between Taiwan and Japan is founded upon shared democratic values and shines through in times of hardship, as proven by the help that the governments and people on both sides have extend to each other in the aftermath of natural disasters, it said.
Through collaborations in tourism and unofficial exchanges, as well as Japan’s support for Taiwan’s entry into international organizations, the two nations could one day become the closest partners in the Asia-Pacific region, the proclamation said.
It is Kaohsiung’s honor to witness the blossoming friendship between Taiwan and Japan, which would hopefully continue to flourish throughout the annual summit, it said.
The assembly members came from Japan’s four main islands: Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu, and included 12 speakers and five deputy speakers.
The Kaohsiung City Council in a media release said that 15 Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly members attended the summit, in addition to municipal assembly members from Osaka, Yokohama, Kumamoto and Wakayama, as well as from their sister assemblies and the Yamanashi Prefectural Assembly.
Some Japanese guests said they were impressed by Kaohsiung’s hospitality, while others praised it as an advanced city.
On the Taiwanese side, 118 councilors from 22 city and county councils attended the summit, thanks in part to invitations extended by Kang.
The first summit was held in 2015 by the National Association of Councilors for Taiwan-Japan Friendship.
Japan’s Kanazawa, Wakayama and Kumamoto issued proclamations for the first three summits respectively.
The Kanazawa Proclamation said that the two nations would support each other in their bids to participate in international organizations and use the South and East China Sea initiatives as a basis for the pursuit of peace and freedom in East Asia.
The Wakayama Proclamation focused on increasing exchanges between local governments on both sides and improving aviation safety by advocating for Taiwan’s participation in the International Civil Aviation Organization.
The Kumamoto Proclamation stated that the association would advance bilateral ties by promoting exchanges between the regional governments in the areas of economy, tourism and culture.
新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES
