Tokyo governor speaks Taiwanese in latest public health video campaign

2022-03-16

A public health video in Taiwanese has been released by the Governor of Tokyo, Yuriko Koike. The unprecedented use of Taiwanese Hokkien in a political release in Japan reflects a subtle shift in political norms. The video calls on residents of Tokyo to get vaccinated and wear masks, in a renewed push for public health vigilance, as Tokyo struggles to contain the spread of COVID.

Governor Yuriko Koike films a public health video in three languages, explaining how to prevent the spread of COVID-19. If you listen closely, you might notice one of the three is Taiwanese – the caption on the top left corner names it formally as “Taiwanese Hokkien.”

In 2020, as Japan faced a worsening COVID crisis, then-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe shared a social media post by President Tsai Ing-wen, writing in Chinese about the support, friendship and encouragement offered by Taiwanese people, and urging Japan and Taiwan to pull through the pandemic together. That was already significant, but this video in Taiwanese from Tokyo’s governor is a historic first.

Iku Sensei
Japanese YouTuber
In the past, it wouldn’t have been very possible to speak Taiwanese like this in Japan, or talk about Taiwanese issues. It’s like this – the mutual support from the Tohoku Earthquake and the pandemic has made Japan start to see Taiwan more seriously.

Japanese YouTuber Iku Sensei once lived in Taiwan. He believes mutual aid given during the Tohoku Disaster and the pandemic have put Japan and Taiwan’s friendship into a “virtuous cycle.” The bilateral friendship is better than ever, he says. Governor Koike has always been friendly to Taiwan, making a visit to the Taiwanese representative office in Japan to pay her respects at the passing of late President Lee Teng-hui.

Iku Sensei
Japanese YouTuber
Recently Japanese people have started to dare to speak these things out, because, after all, in the toughest, most painful moments, the help has come from Taiwan.

Since the pandemic began, Japan and Taiwan have seemed like a pair of island sibling nations. Now the Taiwanese-language video is another sign of deepening ties between the two nations.

對台超友善! 東京都知事"秀台語"籲防疫

2022-03-16

日本東京都疫情持續延燒，東京都知事小池百合子，特地錄製不同語言的防疫注意事項，其中還包含台語篇，呼籲大家打疫苗戴好口罩，一起來做好徹底有效的防疫措施。對台友好的小池百合子，展現出親善的一面。曾經住在台灣的日本YouTuber也認為，就是311大地震和疫情影響，展現"善的循環"。

對著鏡頭，東京都知事小池百合子拍攝防疫短片，一連拍攝三種語言的影片來宣導防疫注意事項，但仔細聽，其中一種語言竟然是台語，影片左上角，還特別註明是台灣閩南語。。

2020年，日本面臨疫情挑戰時，安倍晉三曾轉貼蔡總統的貼文，用中文寫下對這次台灣許多朋友們的友情和鼓勵支持，喊共度難關，日本台灣一起加油。如此友台作法已經很難得了，像小池百合子這樣用台語，可說是史上第一次

[[日本YouTuber Iku老師]]
“之前的日本，不太可能這樣子直接用台語，或者講出台灣的事情。日本也是這樣子，(311地震.武肺)互相幫忙，表示日本開始重視台灣。”

曾經住在台灣的日本YouTuber直言，就是311大地震和疫情影響，雙方展現"善的循環"，也讓台日友誼史上最好。其實小池百合子對台灣向來都相當友善，李登輝辭世時，甚至到我駐日代表處弔唁。

[[日本YouTuber Iku老師]]
“日本最近開始敢開口這些話了，因為畢竟是很辛苦很痛苦的時候，幫忙的是台灣。”

疫情以來，兩國如同緊密的海島鄰居，小池百合子的台語防疫影片，或多或少投射出台日友好的政治現況。