The Taiwan Cultural Center in Tokyo, in collaboration with several institutions including Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association, Books Kinokuniya, and Otsuchi Town Cultural Exchange Center, will launch a traveling exhibition to promote Taiwanese comic books in Japan.
The exhibition, titled "Manga's Bond (漫画の絆)," is set to showcase a total of 288 comic artworks that symbolize the friendship between Taiwan and Japan from March 9 to 31 at three locations, including Books Kinokuniya (Shinjuku Main Store), Otsuchi Town Cultural Exchange Center, and the Taiwan Cultural Center in Tokyo. Consisting of 108 works by 113 Japanese artists and 120 by Taiwanese artists, the exhibition originates from the 10th anniversary of the 311 Great East Japan Earthquake in 2021. To express gratitude for Taiwan's support, the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association invited Japanese comic artists to create artworks with their signatures; subsequently, the works were exhibited and toured in Taiwan.
In appreciation for the donation of COVID-19 vaccines by Japan in 2022, Taiwanese artists also created artworks with their signatures. In the same year, the works by Taiwanese artists, together with those by Japanese artists, were exhibited at the Taipei International Comics and Animation Festival.
On March 9, the opening ceremony was held at Books Kinokuniya (Shinjuku Main Store) in the presence of Taiwan's Representative to Japan Frank Hsieh (謝長廷), Japanese House of Representatives Member Suzuki Norikazu (鈴木憲和), Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association president Yasuaki Tanizaki (谷崎泰明), Kinokuniya chairman Masashi Takai (高井昌史), and numeral distinguished guests from the Japanese comic publishing industry.
According to the Taiwan Cultural Center in Tokyo, many participating Taiwanese artists, such as Ruan Guang-min (阮光民) and Cory Ko (柯宥希), have previously received Japanese awards or have published works in Japan; Ponjea's (彭傑) creation was featured in Japan's most influential manga periodical, Weekly Shonen Jump, making him the first Taiwanese manga creator to receive such recognition.