Frank Hsieh Criticized over Not Helping Taiwanese in Japan|未協助滯日台客卻發文批吳 謝長廷挨批

Aside from the earthquake, Kensai and Hokkaido in Japan were also recently hit by typhoon Jebi. So far, over 100 Taiwanese citizens are still stranded in Japan due to flight cancelations. Taiwan's representative in Japan, Frank Hsieh, however, took this opportunity to criticize KMT Chariperson Wu Den-yih, instead of finding ways to help and drew a mass of criticisms onto himself.


Tropical storm Jebi hit Japan's Kensai region, causing local airports to cancel all flights and suspend operation. Hokkaido was also hit by a strong earthquake, which caused major issues in local transportation. The natural disasters have left over 100 Taiwanese nationals stranded in Japan. In response, all that Japan's Taiwan's representative Frank Hsieh did, was to published a Facebook post on September 5 to criticize Kuomintang Chairperson Wu Dun-yih. Many Taiwanese internet users left messages in the comment section, criticizing Taiwan's office in Japan for not providing assistance for stranded citizens. Hsieh responded later on, saying that he has no time to explain the details, and that he is okay with people's angry comments. On the other hand, KMT asked the foreign ministry to reflect on their lack of action.

Representative Office of Taiwan in Japan needs to review their SOP of disaster relief as well as their attitude when dealing with problems. We would also like to ask the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to improve and provide related reports if needed.

The tropical storm has caused all connection roads to the Kensai International Airport to close. There were rumors that The Chinese Embassy in Japan has dispatched shuttle buses to help out stranded Chinese nationals and if Taiwanese tourists wanted a ride, they need to claim they're Chinese citizens.The Kensai International Airport responded by saying that all passengers was shuttled by the airports buses and boats. Taiwan's office in Japan received criticism for their bad attitude when Taiwanese citizens called for their help. The foreign ministry responded to the incident, saying that they will seriously reflect on the issue.

The number that needs emergency rescue service this time is so huge and it might let people think that the Office is lukewarm and even indifferent. It has already left a bad impression with Taiwanese people. We will ask the Office to rectify the mistake and improve.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that they are contacting local hostels in an effort to provide free accommodations for Taiwanese citizens stranded in Kensai. The ministry said they are also urging local tourist agencies to contact airlines to provide return tickets as soon as possible. Taiwan's representative office has dispatched two officials to help out the office in Sapporo, the capital of Hokkaido, which is currently suffering from a power outage. The office said it will continue to provide relief and assistance to the stranded Taiwanese citizens, and that it has asked local welfare organizations to provide assistance.