The Hualien County Juisui Township Office held a digital signing ceremony with Numata in Hokkaido, Japan this Thursday to forge a friendly exchange agreement. Taiwan Representative to Japan Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) says this marks the 14th partnership between cities in Hokkaido Prefecture and Taiwan.
Between the 11 villages located in the Juisui township, the total population is around 12,000, while Numata’s population is around 3,000. Numata Mayor Shigeru Yokoyama points out that the two places share many similarities including rich natural resources, quality agricultural products, and beautiful pastures.
The Juisui Township Office says the partnership agreement covers several important aspects that include promoting mutual understanding, strengthening cooperations, and jointly promoting Taiwan-Japan youth exchanges to foster understanding in the next generation. It also encourages promoting each town’s culture, traditional arts, local businesses, tourism, and agriculture to benefit Juisui and Numata economically.
Hsieh also gives special thanks to the Taiwan Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECO) in Japan as well as the various rural and urban leaders for making the partnership possible. Hsieh says he hopes Juisui and Numata can uphold the spirit of the friendly exchange agreement, and looks forward to strengthening bilateral relations between Taiwan and Japan.