Presidential office condemns assault on media personality Yaita Akio

Presidential office condemns assault on media personality Yaita Akio

2026-07-07

In Taiwan, free speech is enjoyed by all, but with that freedom comes the reality that some want to take it away, especially with violence and intimidation. On Monday, veteran media personality Yaita Akio was suddenly punched by a Chinese man who had come to Taiwan as a Hongkonger, and on Tuesday the Presidential Office condemned the incident, saying in Taiwan violence like this is never permissible.

Yaita Akio
Media personality
If they sent someone here, it’s because they’re hoping to get me to shut up. It’s as if they’re saying they can sanction me from abroad. This is something akin to Lam Wing-kee’s red-paint attack or young exiled Hong Kong activists now living in Taiwan. For China, they use criminals in Hong Kong who come to Taiwan to commit crimes before fleeing. They’ve found success at creating an environment of fear, and so I think this time what happened to me is an extension of that.

Hsiao Bi-khim
Vice President
We absolutely do not condone violence. For incidences like this, I’m confident that they serve as a warning sign for Taiwan. We need to defend freedom of speech, so, going forward, we all need to work even harder.

Karen Kuo
Presidential Office spokesperson
Around the world, China is stalking, harassing, and using violence in order to suppress a variety of voices. When it comes to clamping down on free speech, Taiwan is a democratic society governed by the rule of law, so, for our legal system, situations like this cross the line, and therefore this kind of behavior will not be permitted.

Police found that the Chinese man surnamed Liao had entered Taiwan with a Hong Kong passport on July 2. On July 5, Liao went to the hotel to check out the area’s surroundings. On July 6, Liao, who knew exactly when Yaita Akio’s speech would end, attacked the veteran media personality and then fled to the airport. Someone revealed that the suspect has a criminal record in Hong Kong, so it seems like he was motivated by someone else to come to Taiwan to commit this crime. Yet many questions remain unanswered, such as where did he go between July 2 and July 5? Where did he stay? And, was someone else in Taiwan offering support to him while he was here?

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

#矢板明夫 #mediapersonality #taiwan #japan #china

矢板明夫遭中國男攻擊質疑"幕後勢力" 蕭美琴譴責暴力

2026-07-07

印太戰略智庫執行長矢板明夫，週一遭到一名中國籍男士尾隨攻擊，副總統蕭美琴也發聲譴責，強調不允許暴力。週二矢板明夫再度現身，認為幕後有人指使，想藉由跨境鎮壓方式讓他畏懼、噤聲。

[[印太戰略智庫執行長矢板明夫]]
“派人過來的話，希望就是說讓我閉嘴，然後說他們可以跨國進行制裁的。像林榮基的事件，還有香港在台灣流亡的香港年輕人，對中國來說，用香港的流氓來台灣犯罪，然後趁勢逃跑，製造一種恐怖的氣氛，他們是有成功經驗的，所以說我認為這一次可能是這個事件的延長。”

[[副總統蕭美琴]]
“絕對不允許暴力，相關事件我相信對台灣也是警訊，我們要維護自身的言論自由，大家還是需要有更多努力。”

[[總統府發言人郭雅慧]]
“中國在全世界各地用跟蹤騷擾、暴力脅迫的方式壓制多元的聲音，在箝制言論自由。台灣是民主法治社會，這樣的情況逾越了法制的底線，是不會容許的。”

警方查出，中國籍廖姓男子，7月2日就持香港護照入境，7月5日犯案前一天曾前往飯店周邊勘察環境，7月6日掌握矢板明夫演講結束時間，精準犯案，逃去機場打算離境。犯嫌也遭起底，在香港有前科紀錄，恐怕遭人指使來台犯案。犯嫌入境這幾天人在哪裡?住哪裡?有沒有在地協力者接應，都是追查重點。

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For more Taiwan news, tune in:
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A driver in Hsinchu recently noticed some unusual road signage while driving around the city. In one instance, two signs for the same road had the same Chinese, but totally different English translations. Some are literal, while others use transliteration. Someone else discovered that a graphic on one sign was actually upside down. What’s even worse—it’s been that way for three years.

Vehicles on this busy thoroughfare pass a vertical green sign clearly saying the name of the street in Chinese and English: Puding Road. The sign above the road next to the traffic light also says Puding in Chinese, but the English translation for some reason starts with an N. It’s the same road, but has two different names.

People were puzzled by the difference, although it seems like the correct name might have peeled off. But this isn’t the only problematic sign in the city.

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Huang Chi
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As for the signboard, we will fix the issue by the end of July.

City officials promised to complete improvements by the end of the month. After all, road signs aren’t just for locals. Foreign tourists could be led astray by a confusing sign.

Aside from translation errors, people also discovered an instance in which two road signs showed different English spellings. Both refer to Zhubei City, but the bottom one reads “Zhugbed Shi” in English. Turns out that it’s the Hakka pronunciation, installed only at major intersections as part of an initiative by the Hakka Affairs Council.

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At this ceremony held on July 3, the audience applauds as New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi and other guests reveal the sign for a brand-new long-term care shelter for elderly and disabled pets. The facility is the first of its kind in Taiwan.

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Hou You-yi
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We’ve launched a special card for long-term medical care. Anyone who adopts a dog or cat from a New Taipei City shelter that has special needs can receive medical care free of charge for the rest of the animal’s life from this shelter.

With significant upgrades to shelter facilities and animal welfare policies, New Taipei is taking strides to provide all pets the care they deserve, and hopefully find special needs pets a forever home.

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Pork chops are deep-fried until golden and crispy, before being placed into bento boxes. Recently, on the food delivery app of this shop, someone ordered a "suspended meal," which is a meal that someone else has already paid for. The person even explained in the remarks column why he ordered the meal, and that made an impression on the shop owner.

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While the victim grasps onto the lifebuoy, rescuers drag them back onshore.

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On July 6, Taiwan’s Industrial Technology Research Institute celebrated its 53rd anniversary. During its celebration ceremony, ITRI exhibited a host of high tech developments, including advanced semiconductors, smart robots, and smart medical technology. These advancements will help bolster Taiwan’s tech resiliency, ensuring that the country remains competitive during this era of digital transformation.

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There’s also this drone, which, when disaster strikes, can do many helpful tasks that improve disaster response efficiency, like flying to hard-to-reach mountainous areas. Celebrating its 53rd anniversary, the Industrial Technology Research Institute, or ITRI exhibited seven fields of technological advancements. Ministry of Economic Affairs Deputy Minister Ho Chin-tsang and Legislator Ker Chien-ming congratulated ITRI for its good work.

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This year, ITRI’s theme is “advancing via cross-domains, breaking new ground together”. Facing the ever-present challenge of AI, ITRI is focusing on 3 key fields: uncrewed vehicles, cutting-edge semiconductors, and all the various fields of AI. The institute is also striving to connect the data and computing power of small and medium-sized enterprises to make Taiwan an even stronger competitor.

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Right now, we’re primarily working towards three directions: one is AI, another is drones, and the third is robots. By utilizing these AI tools that I just mentioned along with systems engineering methods, I hope we can develop technology that industries will quickly adopt.

In its five decades of existence, ITRI has worked hard to upgrade all of Taiwan’s industries in order to help the country become a resilient global center of tech.

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