TAIPEI -- A ceremony was held in Tainan, southern Taiwan, on Saturday to honor the 100th anniversary of the start of a dam and irrigation project launched by a Japanese engineer during Japan's colonial rule.
Led by Yoichi Hatta (1886-1942) from Kanazawa City, the project transformed the barren plains of southern Taiwan into a grain-growing area.
Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen said at the ceremony, "I hope that Taiwan and Japan will cooperate with each other, learn from Hatta and leave a beautiful environment for our descendants 100 years from now."
Taiwan is currently experiencing a serious water shortage, and Tsai added, "It's very meaningful to pay tribute to Hatta's achievements at this time."
An annual memorial service is held on the anniversary of Hatta's death on May 8, and the anniversary ceremony also took place on that day to coincide with it.
--Hometown ceremony
Hatta's project was also commemorated in his hometown of Kanazawa City on Saturday. The two venues in Tainan and Kanazawa were connected online.
Initially, the ceremonies had been scheduled for last year, 100 years after Hatta's project was launched in 1920. However, they were postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
In Kanazawa, about 140 people, including Hatta's grandson, Shuichi Hatta, and Kanazawa Mayor Yukiyoshi Yamano, were present. The ceremony in Tainan was livestreamed on a large screen.
"The people of Taiwan have provided us with masks and other supplies amid the coronavirus pandemic. We'll continue to make efforts to deepen our exchanges with each other," Yamano said.
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