Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association thanks Taoyuan for donating medical supplies

Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association representative Izumi Hiroyasu visited Taoyuan on Thursday to thank the city for its donation of medical supplies to several Japanese cities. Izumi was welcomed by Taoyuan Mayor Cheng Wen-tsan, who took him on a tour of Taoyuan landmarks. The tour culminated with a stop at the Taoyuan International Baseball Stadium, where Izumi threw the ceremonial first pitch at a baseball game. Sendai is the largest city in Japan’s Tohoku region. It’s also the home turf of Taiwanese ace Sung Chia-hao, who plays for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles in the Nippon Professional Baseball league. The city of Sendai filmed this short video to thank Taoyuan for its donation of medical supplies. Izumi Hiroyasu Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association Taoyuan’s donations went to Taoyuan’s friends: Narita in the Chiba prefecture, the city of Kaga, Kagawa prefecture, Miyazaki prefecture and so on. These cities received medical resources such as face masks. I would hereby like to convey our heartfelt appreciation. To thank Taoyuan for its donation, the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association sent its long-standing representative in Taipei, Izumi, to pay a visit to Taoyuan. Izumi met with Taoyuan Mayor Cheng to convey Japan’s gratitude. Cheng welcomed the representative warmly, inviting him on a tour of the Taoyuan Martyrs’ Shrine and Cultural Park. In the evening, Izumi was given the honor of throwing the first pitch at the Rakuten Monkeys versus Uni-President Lions game at the Taoyuan International Baseball Stadium. Immediately after arriving at the ballpark, Izumi went straight to the bullpen to warm up, so that he could toss a good starting pitch. All was smooth as Izumi hopped on the mound and kicked off the game. Cheng Wen-tsan Taoyuan mayor The Rakuten Monkeys are currently the only team in the CPBL that is funded and run by a Japanese company. Rakuten also has a team in Sendai, the Golden Eagles. I think this shows that the baseball culture of Taiwan and Japan can be something that furthers our friendship. Cheng said he hoped that after the pandemic, Taiwanese baseball teams could go on exchanges to Japan, and Japanese teams could join Taiwan’s spring training. He said both sides could learn from one another and improve their game while deepening the close ties between Taiwan and Japan.