Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung conferred the Friend of Foreign Service Medal on Tottori Prefecture Governor Shinji Hirai on February 10 in recognition of his outstanding contributions over the years to advancing Taiwan-Japan exchanges in such areas as agriculture, youth affairs, and urban development.
In his remarks, Minister Lin stated that he formed a friendship with Governor Hirai while serving as Taichung City mayor and minister of transportation and communications. Minister Lin lauded Governor Hirai for staunchly promoting Taiwan-Japan relations in a wide range of fields since becoming governor nearly 20 years ago.
Minister Lin pointed out that last year the number of visits between Taiwan and Japan exceeded 8 million, setting a record. He also expressed pleasure that direct flights between Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and Yonago Airport in Tottori Prefecture were officially launched in May 2025, adding that he anticipated bilateral exchanges would grow even closer in the future.
In his remarks, Governor Hirai thanked Minister Lin for welcoming him as an old friend and for fully supporting substantive exchanges with Tottori Prefecture during his tenure as Taichung City mayor. Governor Hirai said that Tottori Prefecture and Taichung City were linked by pear grafting and that the two sides had signed a partnership agreement in 2018, entering a relationship that had continued to now. In addition, he noted that Tottori Prefecture was scheduled to host four events in next year’s Kansai World Masters Games and that he expected to continue fostering exchanges with Taiwan in the field of sports.
Since being first elected in 2007, Governor Hirai has actively promoted cordial exchanges between Taiwan and Japan. In 2023, Taichung City awarded him an honorary citizen medal. Due to his endeavors, many towns and municipalities in Tottori Prefecture have established stable and friendly exchange relationships with local governments in Taiwan.
