Tainan Mayor Huang Receives LDP Youth Division Delegation, Donates NT$100,000 for Kumamoto Earthquake Relief to Strengthen Taiwan-Japan Ties

On the 5th, Shoko Hirazuma, Director of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Youth Division, led an 81-member overseas study delegation to visit the Tainan City Government. The delegation included nine Japanese lawmakers and numerous local councilors and youth party representatives. Tainan Mayor Huang Wei-che, along with Deputy Mayor Jiang Lin-huang and Director Su En-en of the Department of Public Information and International Relations, welcomed the group. Mayor Huang expressed gratitude for the LDP Youth Division’s long-standing support for Taiwan and extended condolences and solidarity to Kumamoto Prefecture, recently struck by a strong earthquake.

The 81-member delegation visited Tainan with the goal of promoting youth exchange and city diplomacy. Mayor Huang noted that several of Tainan’s sister cities—including Uto City, Uki City, Misato Town, Kikuchi City (Higashi Ward), and Kōsa Town (Annan District)—are located in the Kumamoto earthquake disaster zone. To support recovery efforts, the city government launched the '0728 Japan Kumamoto Disaster Relief Project,' and Mayor Huang personally donated NT$100,000, aiming to inspire more citizens to contribute and extend Tainan’s warmth to Kumamoto.

Mayor Huang emphasized Tainan’s deep appreciation for Japan’s assistance during the pandemic and the 2016 Tainan earthquake, highlighting that mutual trust and support have built a strong foundation for Taiwan-Japan friendship over the years. Moving forward, he expressed hopes to deepen city-to-city exchanges and promote youth interaction through student exchange programs, sister school partnerships, and sports exchanges, ensuring that Taiwan-Japan friendship continues to take root in the younger generation.

Shoko Hirazuma expressed gratitude to Mayor Huang and Tainan citizens for their concern and support for Kumamoto’s earthquake victims, stating that mutual aid during disasters is the most precious foundation of Taiwan-Japan friendship. He noted that Taiwan and Japan share common values such as freedom and democracy, and the LDP Youth Division will continue to serve as a bridge for bilateral exchange and cooperation.

Hirazuma added that delegation members came from various regions of Japan and were deeply impressed that Tainan has 22 sister cities in Japan—the highest number among all Taiwanese cities. He expressed hope for expanded collaboration in local exchanges and youth engagement, further strengthening bilateral relations. Shoko Hirazuma, grandson of former Prime Minister Keisuke Hiranuma, is a three-term member of Japan’s House of Representatives. He currently serves as Deputy Director-General of the Diet Members’ League for Japan-Taiwan Friendship and the LDP Taiwan Policy Group. He has long been engaged in Taiwan-Japan relations, and his electoral district in Yamaguchi Prefecture is also a sister city of Tainan. In April last year, he visited Tainan as acting director of the LDP Youth Division and met with Mayor Huang.