President Tsai visits Great East Japan Earthquake exhibition honoring Taiwan-Japan friendship
On the morning of March 18, President Tsai Ing-wen visited an exhibition honoring Taiwan-Japan friendship over the ten years since the Great East Japan Earthquake. In her remarks at the event, President Tsai expressed hope that Taiwan and Japan will continue to strengthen our friendship and cooperation, and reaffirmed that Taiwan's government will accelerate domestic energy transformation to ensure that the nation can enjoy a safe and stable supply of power in the years ahead.
After the president's arrival, Chief Representative Hiroyasu Izumi of the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association Taipei Office led her on a tour of the exhibition, which includes photographs taken after the earthquake, cards signed by Japanese illustrators thanking Taiwan for its assistance following the disaster, and traditional okiagari koboshi dolls from Fukushima Prefecture that represent resilience in the face of adversity. President Tsai also viewed a video from Japan thanking Taiwan, and wrote "Taiwan-Japan Friendship" by hand on a card of her own to express hope for an enduring friendship between our two countries.
President Tsai noted that this year marks the tenth anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake, and thanked the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association for holding the "Always Here" series of events, including this special exhibition at the Huashan 1914 Creative Park in Taipei, which she visited today before its scheduled conclusion this weekend. She said she hopes the exhibition will inspire moving memories of mutual support between the peoples of Taiwan and Japan.
Referencing recent news about Taiwanese pineapple exports, President Tsai thanked our friends in Japan for their enthusiastic support in buying pineapples from Taiwan. The president also expressed hope that Taiwan and Japan will continue to strengthen our friendship and enhance our bilateral cooperation.
Commenting on Taiwan's Fourth Nuclear Power Plant, President Tsai noted that ruling and opposition parties have held spirited discussions over the past few days on whether to restart work on the facility. The president said that despite the many differing opinions on the issue, it is clear that no city or county is willing to bear the risks associated with the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant or nuclear waste.
The president believes the solution is clear: given the safety, monetary, and time costs involved, restarting work on the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant is not a feasible option. She emphasized that we will accelerate our energy transformation to ensure that Taiwan can enjoy safe and stable electricity supply in the future.