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President Tsai Ing-wen took part in a Taiwan-Japan friendship event at Taipei 101 on the afternoon of January 23 via video. The president emphasized that, for over a decade, Taiwan and Japan have sustained our friendship through mutual concern and assistance, and that, although temporarily separated by the pandemic, we will work together to overcome this challenge. Taiwan will continue to encourage and support our Japanese friends, she said, and looks forward to an enduring friendship.
A translation of President Tsai's videotaped remarks follows:
At the beginning of this month, we were delighted to see Japan's landmark Tokyo Tower lit up for the Taiwan Festival.
Today and tomorrow, Taiwan's own landmark Taipei 101 tower is also displaying LED messages reflecting Taiwan-Japan friendship. We want the world to know that we have long been good neighbors with close ties.
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011. The people of Taiwan sympathized with Japan's plight that year by offering prayers and assistance, because Taiwanese remember that whenever Taiwan encounters a disaster, Japan always extends a helping hand.
For over a decade, Taiwan and Japan have sustained our friendship through mutual concern and assistance. Beginning last year, we also started exchanging disease control expertise to address the challenges of COVID-19, and cooperating to bring citizens of both our countries back home.
The warm personal ties between people in Taiwan and Japan have fostered a deep bond between us. This is called kizuna (きずな) in Japanese, and it is the major driver of Taiwan-Japan relations. The "Always Here" logo, created by Taiwanese designers who studied in Japan, truly expresses that friendship.
Although temporarily separated by the pandemic, we will work together to overcome this challenge. Today marks six months before the scheduled opening of the Tokyo Olympics. I hope that Japan will come together to meet this challenge, and host the Olympic Games in Tokyo again after more than half a century.
Taiwan will continue to encourage and support our Japanese friends, and looks forward to an enduring friendship. Thank you.
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011, and the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association is thanking people throughout Taiwan by holding a series of events highlighting the friendship between Taiwan and Japan. With help from the General Association of Chinese Culture and Taipei 101, the first event in the series, exactly six months prior to the opening of the Tokyo Olympics, commemorates Taiwan-Japan friendship and shows support for the Tokyo Olympics with LED messages on the façade of Taipei 101. The lighting ceremony was livestreamed on the Internet (https://live.setn.com/Live/2775) so that friends around the world could participate.
