World War II Japanese fighter pilot Sugiura Shigemine is worshiped as a god for his sacrifice in Tainan

Taiwan News
Date: 2017/02/18
By: Keoni Everington, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A small temple in a quiet neighborhood of Tainan holds an unusual secret — a

shrine dedicated to a fallen Japanese fighter pilot from WWII who sacrificed himself to save the area’s residents and has since been deified.

During World War II, Taiwan was a major hub for the Japanese military’s South Pacific campaigns, and so it eventually became a target of allied bombings as they sought to tighten the noose on the remnants of the Empire of Japan. On the morning of Oct. 12, 1944, aircraft of the U.S. Third Fleet began bombing the area in Tainan where the temple now stands because it was next to a major military installation used by the Japanese.

Sugiura Shigemine, a 20-year old Japanese fighter pilot, flew his Model 32 Zero to engage the American warplanes in an effort to defend his base against superior numbers. During the course of the battle, his aircraft was struck by allied fire, and it began to hurtle toward the small coastal town. Instead of ejecting and parachuting from his aircraft, he chose to stay inside the plane to steer it away from the village.
[FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/02/18
By: Tsai Yi-chu and Lilian Wu

Taipei, Feb. 18 (CNA) Women outspent men on credit cards over a six-month period last year, according to data released recently by the National Credit Card Center of the Republic of China.

Between April and September 2016, women spent NT$533.1 billion, (US$17.31 billion) — over NT$100 billion more than men, who spent NT$427.2 billion.

The figures indicate that men on average spent NT$2,428 on credit cards per transaction, compared with women, who spent NT$2,635 per transaction, during the six-month period.

The center said that the only category in which men outspent women was transportation, spending less on food, clothing, living expenses, cultural activities and daily necessities.    [FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date; Feb 19, 2017
By: Alison Hsiao / Staff reporter

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Hung Hsiu-chu’s (洪秀柱) office on Friday said its own poll

had a different result from one published by a Chinese-language weekly magazine, which showed Hung trailing former vice president Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) and KMT Vice Chairman Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) in the party’s chairperson race.

A poll, commissioned by the China Times Weekly magazine and published on Friday showed Wu leading with 20.1 percent support, followed by Hau on 17.4 percent and Hung on 16.8 percent.

In another poll, also by the magazine, that excluded pan-green supporters, Hau bested Wu with 24.7 percent to Wu’s 23.1 percent, and Hung came in third with 21.3 percent.

Hung’s office said that the magazine’s poll numbers “had apparent gaps with the general consensus and our office’s poll results.”    [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: February 19, 2017
By: The China Post news staff

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Families of the 33 victims in Monday’s fatal freeway bus crash have

called for the government to grant national compensation to relatives of the deceased.

They issued the call at a coordination meeting Saturday morning at the Taipei City Mortuary Service Second Funeral Parlor, where the bodies of the victims were housed.

The meeting started with apologies extended by government representatives and Chou Bi-chang, founder of Iris Travel Service Co., whose bus careened off an exit ramp on National Freeway No. 3, killing the driver, the tour guide and 31 members of a tour group organized by the firm. Eleven other tour group members were seriously injured.

‘Substantive’ Assistance Sought

Some family members rebuffed the officials’ apology, saying the government should do more than offer condolences.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2017-02-17

Premier Lin Chuan says the Cabinet plans to boost investment in public infrastructure projects this year.

Lin, along with senior officials from key departments, was giving a briefing at the Legislature on Friday. The focus, Lin said, will be to accelerate the construction of public infrastructure projects.

“On top of boosting investment in state-run enterprises, we are also planning to set aside a special budget for future construction projects. These include rail transportation, water management, green energy, digital networking, and infrastructure for rural areas. The rail network will connect the island more comprehensively. [We are] pushing for a construction plan which can be completed within the next four to eight years,” said Lin.

Lin also outlined the defense ministry’s plan to build indigenous fighter jets and naval vessels.    [SOURCE]

Video takes a look back at Taiwanese women’s hairstyles over the past 100 years in just over a minute

Taiwan News
Date: 2017/02/17
By: Keoni Everington, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Cut’s latest episode of its “100 Years of Beauty” video series depicts the

hairstyles and makeup of women in Taiwan over the past century packed into a little more than one minute.

The Seattle-based website cut.com on Feb. 15 released a video titled “100 Years of Beauty – Taiwan,” in which the hair and makeup of one model, Sophie Gao, is continuously modified to represent the look for each decade in Taiwan from 1910 to 2010.

The essence of each decade is well encapsulated into the look of the model, from the minimalism of the 1910s to the big hair look of the 1980s. Perhaps the only era that the creators of this video may have failed to capture was the 2010s, though they could be excused for struggling to single out the hairstyle that best epitomizes the decade as it is not yet over.    [FULL  STORY & VIDEO]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/02/17
By: Chen Cheng-wei and Frances Huang

Taipei, Feb. 17 (CNA) Taiwan’s High Speed Rail enjoyed a more than 10 percent increase in the average

daily ridership in 2016 due to the addition of new stations on the rail line, government statistics showed Friday.

Citing the data, the Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) said that the Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp. (THSRC,台灣高鐵), the sole high speed rail transport services provider in the country, carried an average of about 155,000 passengers a day last year, up 11.6 percent from the 139,000 recorded a year earlier.

The DGBAS said that the THRSC has benefited from adding the Miaoli, Changhua and Yunlin stations at the end of 2015, as well as the Nangang station in July 2016, which have boosted its ridership.

Currently, the high speed rail stops at 12 stations from Nangang in the north to Zouying of Kaohsiung City in the south.    [FULL  STORY]

PROTESTED:Numerous controversies erupted during the government’s term in office, causing social turmoil and discontent, KMT caucus convener Sufin Siluko said

Taipei Times
Date: Feb 18, 2017
By: Alison Hsiao / Staff reporter

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers yesterday pounded on their desks in the Legislative Yuan’s

main assembly chamber before Premier Lin Chun (林全) presented the Cabinet’s policy report, calling for the resignation of the premier and Minister of Transportation and Communications Hochen Tan (賀陳旦).

On the first day of the new legislative plenary session, when Lin was scheduled to present the policy report, the KMT caucus greeted the premier and other officials with jeers and placards.

“Lin Chuan step down,” “I thump the desk because the people are discontented” and “the one fixed day off and one rest day policy made everybody lose,” the lawmakers shouted.

Yesterday marked the 270th day since Lin’s Cabinet took office.    [FULL  STORY]