Taipei, Feb. 1 (CNA) Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) on Tuesday expressed its condolences on the passing of author and former Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara, who died Tuesday at the age of 89.
Ishihara was an important friend of Taiwan who was also committed to deepening the relationship between Taiwan and Japan, MOFA told CNA.
According to Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK), Ishihara was born in Kobe on Sept 30, 1932.
He made a name for himself when he was a student at Tokyo's Hitotsubashi University by winning the prestigious Akutagawa Award in 1956 for his novel "Taiyo no Kisetsu" (The Season of the Sun), according to Japanese media reports.
The award-winning novelist later turned to politics, serving in the Japanese parliament for almost 30 years, before being elected as Tokyo governor in 1999.
Ishihara is known for announcing that Tokyo would purchase the Senkaku Islands in 2012, according to NHK.
The islands, also known as Diaoyutai Islands in Taiwan and northeast of it, are claimed by Taiwan, China, and Japan.
At the time, Ishihara said Tokyo would protect the islands from China, according to NHK.
