Taipei, Sept. 13 (CNA) President Chen Shui-bian Friday voiced his hope that substantive relations between Taiwan and Japan will be further strengthened in the future.
He made the remarks while receiving Yoshihiro Katayama, governor of Japan's Tottori Prefecture, which is famous for pears and other fruits.
Chen expressed his thanks to Katayama for his staunch support for Taiwan and his contributions to the promotion of exchanges with Taiwan in tourism, culture, sports and trade.
In August last year, a "Taiwan Festival" was held in Tottori Prefecture to introduce Taiwan's arts, culture and products. In return, a "Tottori Festival" is to be held in Taipei this month to introduce that prefecture's products and tourist sites.
During the reception, Chen and Katayama also exchanged their experiences in post-earthquake reconstruction. A magnitude-7.6 temblor rocked central Taiwan in September 1999, while Tottori was stricken by a magnitude-7.3 quake in 2000.
Katayama visited the president, accompanied by Kuo Ming-shan, secretary-general of the Association of East Asian Relations.