After Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remarks on Taiwan, which have intensified tensions between China and Japan, it is forecasted that the number of mutual visits between Taiwan and Japan, united by the common theme of “containing China,” will reach a record high of 8.2 million this year.
According to the Taiwan United Daily News Network (UDN) on the 29th, Lee Yi-yang, the head of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Japan, indicated on Facebook that “the exchange of people between Taiwan and Japan continues to increase.”
Lee noted that last year, 6.04 million Taiwanese tourists visited Japan, while 1.32 million Japanese tourists visited Taiwan, marking the highest-ever mutual visits at 7.36 million. He expects this record to be surpassed this year due to the excitement surrounding visits to the Osaka Expo.
As of the 23rd, 1.42 million Japanese tourists have already visited Taiwan this year, exceeding last year’s total. Considering that the year-end and New Year holidays are peak seasons for Taiwanese tourism, the total number of tourists this year is expected to reach about 1.48 million.
Citing data announced by the Japan International Exposition Association on the 24th, Lee mentioned that approximately 25.57 million visitors attended the Osaka Kansai Expo. Taiwanese visitors comprised 17.5% of overseas attendees, ranking first, followed by China (15.4%), the United States (11.4%), and Hong Kong (7.3%).
Following Prime Minister Takaichi’s remarks in the House Budget Committee on the 7th of last month, stating that a “Taiwan contingency” could trigger Japan’s collective self-defense rights as a “crisis situation affecting survival,” China has strongly pressured Japan. China has taken various measures, including advising against visits by tourists and students to Japan and imposing restrictions on films and performances, leading to deteriorating Sino-Japanese relations.
Meanwhile, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Japan recently announced the results of a survey on Japanese perceptions of Taiwan. It revealed that 74.5% of Japanese feel close to Taiwan, 63.6% trust Taiwan, and 68.5% believe the current relationship between Taiwan and Japan is good.
This survey was conducted by the Taipei Representative Office in Japan through the Central Research Services during October 24-28, targeting 1,000 Japanese individuals.