Taiwan held its National Day ceremony in front of the Presidential Office, using the event to project unity, democratic confidence and civil-defense readiness — a pointed signal at a moment of rising pressure from China.

• A giant national flag was flown over the plaza by an army Chinook escorted by two Black Hawk helicopters, with the national anthem led by ten disaster-response volunteers from different walks of life.
• Legislative speaker Han Kuo-yu opened the ceremony as chair, followed by President Lai Ching-te's National Day address.
• Disaster preparedness was the theme: fire crews and air rescue teams ran a live stretcher hoist from a Black Hawk, and more than 2,500 certified disaster responders marched in five columns alongside police, local officials, religious groups and civic bodies.
• Japan's largest cross-party pro-Taiwan parliamentary group joined the parade, an open show of foreign political support.
• Military and sporting pride closed the day, with motorcycle drills, an air formation flypast, athletes paraded as national heroes, and the Thunder Tiger aerobatic team trailing blue, white and red smoke over the Presidential Office.

Outlook: Expect Taipei to keep pairing national pride with "whole-of-society resilience" messaging, and expect Beijing to respond critically to both the speech and the Japanese delegation's presence.