For Max Hirsch's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
TAIPEI — The Japanese animated movie "Hatta Yoichi" was given wide theatrical release Friday in Taiwan, but few moviegoers here are likely to grasp its political significance. Purely as "anime" entertainment, the film has much to offer young Taiwanese unconcerned with politics. But it is ...
Taiwanese power brokers seemed upbeat Tuesday on the possibility that Taro Aso, secretary general of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, would become Japan's next prime minister. But the Taiwanese Foreign Ministry predicted stable relations with Tokyo no matter who replaces Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda. Fukuda announced ...
Taiwan's relations with Japan have regressed since the Nationalist Party came to power, but they are likely to rebound, parliamentary speaker Wang Jin-pyng said in an interview. "Relations were at their highest because of the government of the Democratic Progressive Party . . . and ...
More than a month after Taiwan's envoy to Japan resigned his post, Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou faces a dearth of candidates he can trust to appoint as de facto ambassador to Tokyo, revealing yet another stumbling block in bilateral relations, experts said. "There just aren't ...
TAIPEI — He understands only English but hails from Japan, where his kind is reared and trained for deployment overseas. A white Labrador, Hope is part of a wave of elite Japanese canines that is transforming Taiwan from an island once known for putting dogs ...
Max Hirsch, Taipei — China's new top official for managing relations with Taiwan, experts say, is uniquely positioned to hamper the island's burgeoning ties with Japan, which was possibly a consideration when China made the appointment. Wang Yi, China's ambassador to Japan from 2004 until ...
Amid roaring applause in a packed stadium, Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou heralded what he called "a new era" in relations with China in his inaugural speech, delivered at the Taipei Arena just hours after he took office May 20. But for many in Japan, from ...
Two days before Chinese President Hu Jintao signed a historic joint statement with Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda in Tokyo, another historic, albeit quiet, agreement emerged between Japan and Taiwan. On May 5, Tokyo and Taipei formalized a cooperation pact on aviation safety, paving the way ...
Taiwan's president-elect, Ma Ying-jeou, said Sunday he has not ruled out visiting Japan and the United States before his inauguration in May. "I am indeed considering using this opportunity to visit overseas," Ma said, a day after he won the presidential election. Asked where he would ...
Taiwan's Japan-built high-speed trains have yet to become a cash-cow success, but neither are they the disaster critics had once predicted. As Taiwan marked the first year of the rail system on Jan. 5, bittersweet pride surely ranks high among its founders. The bitter sprouts from ...
