Kazuyuki Katayama, chief representative in the Taipei Office of the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association (JTEA) visited Minister of Agriculture Chen Junne-jih on July 1. Minister Chen specially prepared dragon fruit for Chief Representative Katayama to  thank Japan for  the approval of importing red dragon fruit from Taiwan. The first container of red dragon fruit will be shipped to Japan this week. Minister Chen stated that the public and private sectors in Taiwan and Japan have long been building diversified and multi-faceted agricultural cooperation and technical exchange mechanisms. Moreover, the two sides have introduced and promoted  each other’s agricultural products in their home markets, thereby developing a new type of cooperative mechanism. At the meeting both sides agreed that they will continue to work to jointly strengthen  even more comprehensive trade and exchanges in agricultural products between the two countries.

Minister Chen noted at the meeting that Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries formally announced on June 5, 2024 that Japan had approved the import of red dragon fruit from Taiwan. Chen specially thanked Chief Representative Katayama for his efforts and assistance during the approval process. This announcement marked a major breakthrough in the development of export markets for premium quality fruit from Taiwan. Moreover, the JTEA has worked with the General Assembly of Chinese Culture for two consecutive years to hold the Taiwan-Japan Summer Fruit Festival on Ketagalan Boulevard in Taipei, enabling Taiwanese and Japanese in Taiwan to enjoy delicious fruit from the two countries, while also deepening Japan-Taiwan friendship. The third iteration of this event, which has proven very popular, will be held from August 24 to 25, 2024. This year it will be moved to the Pier2 Art Center in Kaohsiung to make it more convenient for people from southern Taiwan to attend this resplendent and meaningful event.

The Ministry of Agriculture says that statistics for agriproduct exports from Taiwan show that Japan became the number one market in terms of proportion of fresh fruit exports in 2023, with export volume of 17,876 metric tons worth NT$29.73 million. Besides importing high-quality fruits including bananas, pineapples, pomelos, lychees, and jujubes, in the near future red dragon fruit will be available across Japan. At present mangoes from Taiwan (including Jinhuang and Irwin mangoes) are in the process of being reviewed by Japan’s inspection and quarantine authorities. It is hoped that they will, like red dragon fruit, be given approval for import into Japan so that even more premium quality agriproducts from Taiwan can be exported to that country and both the Japanese people and Taiwanese expatriates in Japan can enjoy these agriproducts. Everyone involved looks forward to closer and sustainable Taiwan-Japan friendship and a continual increase in trade and exchanges of agriproducts between the two countries.

A photo of Minister of Agriculture Chen Junne-jih (right) with Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association Chief Representative Kazuyuki Katayama (left).

A photo of representatives of Taiwan’s Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) and the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association (JTEA): (from left) JTEA Deputy Representative Takashi Hattori, JTEA Chief Representative Kazuyuki Katayama, Minister of Agriculture Chen Junne-jih, and Grace Lih-fang Lin, Director-General of the MOA’s Department of International Affairs.