On May 8th, President of the Republic of China, Tsai Ing-wen, attended the “83rd Memorial Ceremony for the Death of Engineer Yitsu Hatta” to reflect on his contributions to Taiwan and to express the hope for continuous efforts between Taiwan and Japan in promoting peace and stability.
President Tsai Ing-wen visited Tainan on the afternoon of May 8th to attend the memorial ceremony, joined by Minister of Agriculture Chen Chun-chi, Tainan Mayor Huang Wei-che, legislators Kuo Kuo-Wen, Lai Hui-yuan, and Chen Ting-fei, as well as Mayor of Kanazawa City in Japan Taku Murayama, Representative of the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association Taipei Office Kazuyuki Katayama, Director of the Kaohsiung Office Masashi Oku, and Hatta Yuitsu’s grandson Hatta Shuichi, among others.
In his speech, President Tsai expressed his pleasure at seeing Yuitsu Hatta’s grandson, Hatta Shuichi, and the Hatta family coming to Taiwan every year to participate in the event. He also thanked Mayor Taku Murayama of Kanazawa City, Representative Kazuyuki Katayama of the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association, and Director Masashi Oku of the Kaohsiung Office for attending the event in person, showing their importance.
President Tsai emphasized that representatives from Tainan and various sectors of Taiwan enthusiastically participate in the memorial activities every year. This year, the number of participants from both Taiwan and Japan exceeded 500, signifying the importance placed on Taiwan-Japan relations and the enduring gratitude towards Yuitsu Hatta. The government units organizing the event put a lot of effort into planning and producing memorial videos each year, which deeply moved President Tsai, prompting him to offer his sincere appreciation.
He mentioned that Engineer Yitsu Hatta, at the young age of 20 when he came to Taiwan from Japan, possessed a grand vision and expertise. With courage and resilience, he overcame numerous challenges to successfully complete the monumental project of building reservoirs. His contributions not only transformed the Chianan Plain into Taiwan’s important rice granary but also propelled the vibrant development of Taiwan’s agriculture, further boosting industrial and commercial progress. Moreover, the daily consumption of water, vegetables, fruits, food, beer, and even Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company’s cutting-edge three-nanometer process in the Hsinchu Science Park all rely on the water from the Wushantou Reservoir.
President Tsai noted that Engineer Yitsu Hatta’s water conservancy projects in Taiwan extended beyond the Wushantou Reservoir to include the Tainan water supply project, Kaohsiung port construction, Nantou Sun Moon Lake hydroelectric power plant, Taoyuan Da-zun drainage, and Taipei sewer project. His contributions spanned across agriculture, industry, commerce, and technology sectors, exerting a positive impact on Taiwan as a whole.
Regarding Engineer Yitsu Hatta’s background, President Tsai highlighted that although he was born and raised in Japan and was a Japanese national, he devoted his entire life to Taiwan after graduating from the University of Tokyo. Hence, the people of Tainan view him as one of their own, and the people of Taiwan also regard him as a Taiwanese. During his tenures as Tainan Mayor and Premier, President Tsai expressed gratitude on behalf of the people to Engineer Yitsu Hatta, and now as President, he sincerely thanked him on behalf of the nation and government.
President Tsai stated that the Wushantou Reservoir not only irrigates farmlands and supplies water to the science park but also holds a special and precious place in the hearts of Taiwanese and Japanese people. The emotional bond between Taiwan and Japan goes beyond mere friendship, resembling that of family. When Taiwan experiences earthquakes, Japan expresses concern; similarly, Taiwan expresses concern when Japan faces earthquakes.
Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe once said, “If Taiwan has a problem, it’s Japan’s problem.” President Tsai mentioned that former Prime Ministers Yoshihide Suga, Fumio Kishida, and incumbent Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba have repeatedly publicly expressed that peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait are essential elements for global security and prosperity, demonstrating full support and concern for Taiwan’s security.
In conclusion, President Tsai, on behalf of the Taiwanese people, expressed gratitude to the Japanese government, parliament, society, and people for standing hand in hand with Taiwan for many years, showing mutual care. He hoped that Taiwan and Japan would continue to work together for the development and peace and stability of the Indo-Pacific region.