Taipei, Taiwan - Right after the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11, 2011, well over a hundred nations offered their support to the devastated areas and their people, but Taiwan’s was outstanding with its immediate dispatch of rescue teams and donation of about 20 billion yen. In light of another potential threat coming from China’s military expansion, Taiwan emerges as a reliable neighbor with shared values of freedom and democracy, vital for peace and security in Asia and the Pacific zone.
It is therefore very timely for UPF chapters in both countries to deepen their friendship and strengthen their collaboration. Recently, Ambassadors for Peace of both countries assembled in Taipei, the capital of Taiwan.
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On October 11, representative couples of Japan’s Ambassadors for Peace Association were welcomed by their Taiwanese counterparts. In opening the Japanese Ambassadors for Peace Seminar in Taiwan, the President of UPF-Taiwan and former Minister of General Affairs and Communications as well as current chairman of the Central Election Supervisory Commission, Po-ya Chang, stressed the importance of welcoming Japanese Ambassadors for Peace in Taiwan. “At this particular juncture, Taiwan and Japan should strengthen cooperation,” she said.
Over the next two days, the Japanese guests, ten couples who are involved in politics, academia, and business, listened to lectures from both Seiichi Kikuya, Secretary General of UPF-Japan, one of the seminar organizers, and Takayuki Matsunami, its Education Director. They discussed the fundamental principles of UPF such as One Family under God, the origin of conflict, principles of restoration, and marriage blessing.
Masayoshi Kajikuri, Vice President of the Central Council of Ambassadors for Peace, another seminar organizer, introduced the achievements UPF’s Founder Rev. Sun Myung Moon and his personal encounters with him. He also emphasized the roles of Ambassadors for Peace in leading peace initiatives and establishing families of peace centering upon God. Thus, the couples could learn the essence of Rev. Moon’s peace initiatives while re-committing themselves to the ideal of families.
In the evening, they were paired with Taiwanese couples in a Sisterhood/Brotherhood Ceremony between Japan and Taiwan. Inspired by the event, Mr. Jin Hinokida, former member of the House of Representatives and head of the Medical Forum of Ambassadors for Peace said: “World peace needs a basic direction transcending differences of peoples, religions, and regions. That is the global family, which we are committed to strengthen. In this respect, this pairing between couples is very significant.”
In response, representing Taiwanese Ambassadors for Peace, Mr. Shih-Cheng Huang, a board member of UPF-Taiwan and former Chairman of the Central Election Supervisory Commission, expressed appreciation for such pairing as an excellent model for peacebuilding work around the world, saying: “Rev. Moon’s ideas and initiatives are indispensable in solving many global problems. We should share them with Ambassadors for Peace around the world.”
They exchanged signed certificates of sisterhood/brotherhood as well as souvenirs. Some Taiwanese enjoyed conversing in Japanese, which they learned when they were studying in Japan.
On October 14, the Japanese participants flew to Hualien on the Pacific coast, where the Taiwan Air Force is based. Also it was a venue for the Taiwan-Japan Tourism Summit last July. The Japanese guests were awed by one of the best sights in Taiwan: Taroko Valley with its gorge of marble rocks eroded over time. They also had opportunities to appreciate Taiwanese history and culture at the National Palace Museum, Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, and National Revolutionary Martyrs' Shrine in Taipei.
The seminar not only helped strengthen bonds between Japan and Taiwan but also deepened relations among the families of Ambassadors for Peace.