Tainan's mayor met senior Saitama Prefecture officials in Japan, a small but friendly sign of warming local ties between Taiwan and Japan.

• Tainan Mayor Huang Wei-che visited Saitama's assembly speaker and deputy governor to talk about future exchanges.
• He also promoted Tainan tourism and food at the Saitama Seibu Lions' home stadium.
• Both sides pointed to disaster aid as the glue: Japan helped Taiwan after quakes and the pandemic, and Tainan raised money after the Kumamoto earthquake in late July.
• Tainan and Saitama's Honjo City signed a sister-city deal in early 2025 and have been building school and tourism links since.

Outlook: Expect more city-level tourism, school, and business exchanges between Tainan and Saitama in the months ahead.