Signing Ceremony for 2nd Year Plan for Taiwan Research Center Project at Waseda University

A ceremony was held at Waseda University on September 27, for the signing of an MOU on the Second-Year of the Taiwan Research Center Project at Waseda University, by Huang Guan-Chau (黃冠超), Director of the Education Division of Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO) in Japan, and by Dr. Takashi Yoshino (吉野孝), Director of the Organization for Regional and Inter-regional Studies (ORIS) at Waseda University.

Dr. Masahiro Wakabayashi (若林正丈), Director of the Waseda Taiwan Research Institute, who also attended the ceremony, said that the Taiwan Studies exchanges and cooperation at Waseda University would be further enhanced through the signing of this MOU.

The Taiwan Research Center Project is jointly sponsored by Taiwan's Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and by Waseda University. This was the first university in Japan to systematically engage in Taiwan-related research, and the Waseda University Taiwan Research Institute was established in 2003. This was expanded to become the Taiwan Studies Center, in 2018, and it has become an important base for conducting influential Taiwan-related research.

Dr. Masahiro Wakabayashi is an important and highly respected scholar who has studied Taiwan's modern history and post-war political history for decades. On September 18 this year, Dr. Wakabayashi was officially awarded the Order of Brilliant Star"(紫色大綬景星勳章) by Taiwan's Foreign Minister Joseph Wu. This civilian decoration was awarded in recognition of Dr. Wakabayashi's long-standing commitment and dedication to enhancing the friendly relations between Taiwan and Japan. Dr. Wakabayashi, who formerly worked at the University of Tokyo, has been working at Waseda University since the establishment of the Taiwan Research Institute in 2003.