Taipei: Premier Cho Jung-tai on Friday said grateful Taiwanese fans would deliver "one sellout after another" for Japanese performers facing backlash in China after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested Tokyo could intervene if Taiwan were attacked.
According to Focus Taiwan, Prime Minister Takaichi's remarks have sparked a series of retaliatory measures by Beijing. These measures include discouraging tourism to Japan, suspending some Japanese seafood imports, and pressuring organizers to cancel or disrupt concerts in China by Japanese singers Ayumi Hamasaki and Maki Otsuki, among others.
Cho stated that the situation has prompted a shift among Taiwanese travelers, with many choosing Japan as their destination to show support. He emphasized that this show of solidarity extended to Japanese entertainers, asserting that performers targeted by China could expect enthusiastic receptions and sold-out shows in Taiwan.
Sumi, head of the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association, noted that at the 49th Taiwan-Japan Economic and Trade Conference on Thursday, the two sides signed a memorandum of understanding on regional customs cooperation and a digital trade agreement, further advancing bilateral cooperation. He added that he would attend a Taiwan-Japan Third Market Business Cooperation Forum later in the day, aimed at forging partnerships between Taiwanese and Japanese businesses to jointly explore foreign markets.