Virus Outbreak: Minister cautious over Japan’s travel plansBy Dennis Xie / Staff writer, with CNAJapan’s plan to negotiate with Taiwan over mutually easing travel limitations shows Tokyo’s confidence in Taiwan’s efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19, but tourists returning from Japan could add pressure to the nation’s health system, Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) said yesterday. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Wednesday evening announced that his nation would begin talks with 12 countries, including Taiwan, to allow entry of businesspeople. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a news release that the Japanese move shows that Tokyo recognizes Taiwan’s achievement in curbing the pandemic. Vice President William Lai, right, and Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association Chief Representative Hiroyasu Izumi, left, hold a discussion at the Presidential Office in Taipei yesterday. Taiwanese athletes selected for the postponed 2020 Tokyo Olympics model their Olympic kits at a news conference in Taipei yesterday.

Source: Taipei Times July 23, 2020 15:56 UTC