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進入《TAIPEI TIMES》 Japanese envoy pledges to promote ties
President Tsai Ing-wen, right, and Kazuyuki Katayama, chief representative of the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association’s Taipei Office, pose for a photograph at the Presidential Office in Taipei yesterday. Photo: CNA
MATTERS OF TRADE: President Tsai Ing-wen asked new chief representative Kazuyuki Katayama to back Taiwan’s bid to join the CPTPP and other international organizations
By Liu Tzu-hsuan / Staff reporter
Kazuyuki Katayama, chief representative of the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association’s Taipei Office, has pledged to foster deeper ties between Taiwan and Japan while reiterating the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.
Japan’s new de facto ambassador to Taiwan, who met with President Tsai Ing-wen （蔡英文） yesterday, said that he was honored to take up the position in the country that is the most friendly and closest to Japan.
During his 40 years of service in the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Katayama worked in the US, China, Belgium and Malaysia, before serving as Japanese ambassador to Peru until last month.
He said he had visited Taiwan five times for travel and business purposes, and would strive to keep up with the huge changes Taiwan had undergone since his last visit in 2006.
Having written a master’s thesis on Taiwan’s democratization, he was happy to come to Taiwan before its presidential and legislative elections on Jan. 13, as he would be able to experience the nation’s progress first-hand, Katayama said.
As underlined at the G7 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Tokyo last month, peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait are crucial to Taiwan and international society, including Japan, he said.
Taipei and Tokyo are important partners that share the values of freedom, democracy and the rule of law, he said, adding that the two sides have developed a solid friendship after combating natural disasters and the COVID-19 pandemic together.
Thanks to the president and Taiwanese, a virtuous cycle has been formed between Taiwan and Japan, he said.
Katayama also thanked Tsai for inviting Japanese high-school bands to perform at the Double Ten National Day celebrations for the past two years, adding that young generations play a big role in Taiwan-Japan relations.
He vowed to continue promoting economic, cultural, academic and people-to-people exchanges between Taiwan and Japan, and to heighten awareness among Taiwanese and Japanese about how important they are to each other.
It is his responsibility to further deepen and expand bilateral ties, Katayama added.
Tsai thanked the Japanese government for its staunch support for Taiwan, adding that safeguarding peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region is a shared mission.
Tsai appealed for Katayama’s support for Taiwan’s bid to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership （CPTPP） and other international organizations, stressing the nation’s willingness and capability to contribute to the prosperity and development of the region.
Tsai said that she looked forward to working with Katayama to bolster exchanges and ties between Taiwanese and Japanese from different fields and generations.
新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES
