Via KH City Govt / KHT Staff
Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) attended the inaugural ceremony for the new Jetstar Airways direct flight between Kaohsiung and Tokyo’s Narita Airport. The event was held on Wednesday (Dec. 18) at Kaohsiung International Airport, where Mayor Chen joined Jetstar Japan President Masakazu Tanaka (田中正和) in the official launch event.
Chen said Kaohsiung continues to strengthen its international flight network as part of efforts to position the city as a key transportation hub in southern Taiwan. The Kaohsiung–Tokyo Narita route is operated daily using Airbus A320 aircraft.
The Mayor also expressed appreciation to Legislators Lee Kun-tse (李昆澤) and Hsu Chih-chieh (許智傑), both long-serving members of the Legislative Yuan’s Transportation Committee, for their continued efforts to promote Taiwan–Japan cultural, tourism, and industrial exchanges.
Chen noted that exchanges between Taiwan and Japan are frequent and that ties between the two societies run deep, recalling that during the 1999 Jiji earthquake, Japan was the first country to dispatch rescue teams to Taiwan and also sent the largest number of personnel. After Typhoon Morakot in 2009, Japanese rescue teams again provided Kaohsiung with timely assistance and support.
“Taiwanese people deeply feel that when Taiwan faces difficulties, Japan will always lend a helping hand,” Chen said, adding that in everyday life, many Taiwanese also enjoy traveling to Japan.
Chen encouraged travelers to make good use of the new service.
