Japanese artists to build lantern floats for Taiwan Lantern FestivalStaff writer, with CNANebuta artists Makoto Suwa and Hiromi Hayashi from Japan’s Aomori City yesterday announced they will craft large lantern floats for the 2026 Taiwan Lantern Festival in Chiayi County at the invitation of the General Association of Chinese Culture (GACC). Nebuta are traditional lantern floats handmade with wood, metal wire and paper. The Aomori Nebuta Festival was designated an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Japan in 1980. GACC Secretary-General Lee Hou-ching (李厚慶) said the lantern festival coincides with the 15th anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake, which occurred on March 11, 2011. The floats will also take part in the festival parade scheduled for the evening of March 7, accompanied by nebuta dancers known as haneto, a staple feature of the Aomori Nebuta Festival.

Former Cabinet official, businessman indicted over ‘united front’ workBy Hollie Younger / Staff writer, with CNAThe High Prosecutors' Office today indicted retired Cabinet official Hu Peng-nien (胡鵬年) and businessman Cheng Ming-chia (鄭明嘉) for cooperating with the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) United Front Work Department to establish organizations in Taiwan. The office after completing its investigation indicted the two for contravening the National Security Act (國家安全法) by developing organizations for China. Law enforcement lead retired Cabinet official Hu Peng-nien through the High Court in Taipei today. Cheng, who has long conducted business in China, previously held a key position in an organization affiliated with the CCP’s United Front Work Department, they said. Hu and Cheng allegedly attempted to recruit active and retired military personnel and political figures to obtain classified military information, they said.

Indigenous submarine begins sixth sea trialStaff writer, with CNATaiwan's first indigenous submarine, the Hai Kun (海鯤), or Narwhal, began its sixth sea trial today, drawing many military enthusiasts to Kaohsiung Harbor. Fans were spotted waving the Republic of China flag and holding banners to show support for the submarine project. Taiwan's first indigenous submarine, the Hai Kun undergoes a sea acceptance trial this morning at Kaohsiung Harbor. Photo: Lee Huei-chou, Taipei TimesThe submarine sailed out to sea from CSBC Corp, Taiwan's shipyard, for its sixth sea trial, or sea acceptance test (SAT). CSBC, the main contractor for the prototype of the Hai Kun, completed the fifth SAT for the submarine on Nov. 28 last year.

Mataian River barrier lake almost drained: FNCABy Wang Chin-yi and Hollie Younger / Staff reporter, with staff writerThe Mataian River (馬太鞍溪) barrier lake in Hualien County has almost been drained after nearly a month of construction work, the Hualien branch of the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency (FNCA) said today. The barrier lake burst into Hualien County’s Guangfu Township (光復) on Sept. 23 last year, triggering a deadly flood that killed 19. The lake’s stored water volume has been successfully reduced from 279,000m³ to 26,000m³, the Hualien branch said. Construction equipment is pictured from above at the Mataian River barrier lake in Hualien County this morning. Excavators are pictured at the Mataian River barrier lake in Hualien County in an undated photograph.

Defense budget delay could stall upgrades over eight months: MNDBy Huang Ching-hsuan and Sam Garcia / Staff reporter, with staff writerDelays in signing the US’ arms procurement offer could force the government to restart the eight-month procurement process, slowing military upgrades and raising doubts among allies about Taiwan’s commitment to self-defense, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said today. The Legislative Yuan’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee met today, calling Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) and other defense officials to present on weapon procurements and consequences of delaying review of the NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.68 billion) special defense budget. Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo answers questions during a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee in Taipei today. As there is growing competition for the same resources, Taiwan needs to secure the asymmetric defense equipment it needs as soon as possible, he added. Delays in signing the pricing letter could stall Taiwan’s military upgrades and make the US and democratic allies question its commitment to self-defense, Koo said.

WHO denies ignoring Taiwan, as US criticizes COVID-19 responseBy Sam Garcia / Staff writer, with CNAUS Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services Jim O’Neill last week said that the WHO ignored early COVID-19 warnings from Taiwan, as part of justification for the US withdrawing from the global health body. In a post on X on Friday last week, Taiwan time, O’Neill said that the WHO “ignored early COVID warnings from Taiwan in 2019 by pretending Taiwan did not exist. Taiwan had already detected an unknown virus emerging in China and asked whether Japan had any relevant information, he said. Many of Japan’s COVID-19 response measures relied on key information provided by Taiwan, which played an important role in Japan’s assessments and decision-making, Iwasaki said. Taiwan has helped Japan tremendously, but Japan has never properly reciprocated, he said, adding that he hopes to promote more tangible cooperation between the two nations.

Taiwanese snowboarders await rescue at Japanese ski resortBy Hollie Younger / Staff writerA group of six Taiwanese and Chinese snowboarders who went missing yesterday afternoon in Japan’s Minamiuonuma is in contact with authorities, but are still awaiting rescue, Japanese news outlets reported today. The group became lost when snowboarding off-piste at the Muikamachi Hakkaisan Ski Resort in Niigata Prefecture, then contacted a friend to call emergency services at about 2pm yesterday, they said. The Muikamachi Hakkaisan Ski Resort in Japan’s Niigata Prefecture is pictured on Jan. 18. Photo from the Muikamachi Hakkaisan Ski Resort FacebookThe group had not yet been rescued as of 8am, although authorities have maintained contact with them via smartphone, they said. The incident comes shortly after a sightseeing helicopter carrying two Taiwanese passengers crashed on Mount Aso in Kumamoto Prefecture on Tuesday last week.

Police apprehend Taoyuan jewelry thievesBy Lee Jung-ping and Kayleigh Madjar / Staff reporter, with staff writer and CNATwo men were detained late last night after allegedly stealing a stole a gold necklace and pendant valued at about NT$420,000 from a jewelry store in Taoyuan, police said. Police at the city's Yangmei Precinct said they received a report at about 5pm that a jewelry store on Zhongzheng Road in Sinwu District (新屋) had been robbed. Surveillance footage shows suspects in a jewelry store theft in Taoyuan's Sinwu District yesterday. Photo courtesy of policeWhen police arrived on the scene, they learned that the two men had entered the shop earlier, pretending to be shopping for gold jewelry, the precinct said. The case has been forwarded to the Taoyuan District Prosecutors' Office for investigation into the suspects' communications to track the flow of money and determine whether there are any other accomplices.

Earphones help woman escape elevatorBy Hsu Kuo-chen and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writerA woman trapped in an elevator of a newly purchased residence in Taichung’s Longjing District (龍井) was able to use her wireless earphones’ built-in functions to call emergency services last month. A woman surnamed Hsu (許) was going downstairs on Jan. 21 when the elevator made a weird noise and became stuck between floors three and four, according to the Wurih Precinct’s Longjing Police Station. Photo: Screen grab from the precinct’ s Facebook pageHsu then realized she was still wearing her wireless earphones and used her phone’s digital assistant function to contact emergency services, police said. Wurih Precinct captain Hsieh Po-hsien (謝博賢) said that people trapped in an elevator should not panic, not force open the elevator doors and calmly contact emergency services, as the risk of asphyxiation is minimal. Trying to open the doors and escape on one’s own could end in injury or a fall down the elevator shaft, he said.

Coville sets world sailing record, wins Jules VerneAP, PARISFrench skipper Thomas Coville set a new record for the fastest sail around the world, improving the previous mark by more than 12 hours when he yesterday won the Jules Verne Trophy. The previous record was 40 days, 23 hours, 30 minutes, 30 seconds, set in 2017 by another Frenchman, Francis Joyon. French skipper Thomas Coville, right, and his crew celebrate aboard the Sodebo Ultim 3 after finishing their Jules Verne Trophy attempt off Brest, France, yesterday. They set new benchmark times at every Cape — Good Hope, Leeuwin and Horn. Coville averaged 29.17 knots (54kph) over 45,569km, also improving two intermediate records during the journey.

CAA probes Starlux flight to Kobe after hard landingStaff writer, with CNAThe Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) is investigating a Starlux Airlines flight from Taichung to Kobe, Japan, after it experienced a hard landing on Jan. 20, and has grounded the crew pending the inquiry. According to the CAA, flight JX306 exceeded vertical G- force limits during its landing, meaning the aircraft touched down with a stronger-than-normal downward force. Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, explained yesterday that its flight encountered a sudden gust of wind on approach, which triggered abnormal system readings, but it did not elaborate further. The return flight to Taichung was canceled due to the expected maintenance time, while post-flight inspections by Airbus confirmed the aircraft’s frame remained structurally sound, the carrier said. Passengers scheduled to return on the canceled flight were rebooked on other flights or provided accommodation to stay in Kobe overnight and then take another Starlux aircraft specially deployed to Kobe home on Jan. 21, the carrier said.

Luka Doncic soars as Lakers down Dallas MavericksAP, LOS ANGELESLuka Doncic on Saturday night walked toward the wrong locker room at halftime before a quick U-turn by the Lakers star in his second trip to Dallas since the shocking trade that sent him to Los Angeles almost a year ago. The Los Angeles Lakers’ Luka Doncic, second right, drives to the basket in their NBA game against the Dallas Mavericks in Dallas, Texas, on Saturday. “But a little bit better, a little bit easier for me. Early in the game, Doncic became the youngest player in NBA history to score his 1,500th career three-pointer. Maybe the next visit would be even a little bit easier.

Teachers urge end to campus incident meeting practiceBy Esme Yeh / Staff reporterHundreds of teachers took part in a rally in Taipei yesterday calling for the abolition of campus incident resolution meetings to stop the waste of administrative resources and ensure decent work for frontline primary and secondary school teachers. The National Federation of Teachers Unions hosted the rally near the Ministry of Education to oppose threatening teachers with dismissal and reputation damage using the mechanism. Campus incident resolution meetings were abused by some students and parents to blame hardworking teachers for trivial matters, or by some school personnel to target teachers in workplace politics, it said. Pingtung Education Industrial Union president Kuo Wei-chen (郭瑋真) said campus incident resolution meetings are squandering administrative resources at schools. Campus incident resolution meetings not only sideline such committees and measures, but also severely discriminate against primary and secondary-school teachers, the federation said.

Traditional manufacturers miss out on export boomWHAT GROWTH? While it was good news for traditional manufacturers, Wu said it was not a panacea. “I don’t think there is a single Taiwanese machine toolmaker that can negotiate to absorb [the tariff] in full — maybe 2 to 3 percent, but absorbing everything is impossible,” he said. Many in the traditional manufacturing sector, including Litz Hitech, have put employees on unpaid leave or reduced their working hours. Conditions for small and medium-sized manufacturers could get tougher this year if the US Federal Reserve cuts interest rates.

Building to succeed together: The Taiwanese story in IndiaBy Ninad S. DeshpandeIndia is celebrating its 77th Republic Day today. Having recently arrived in Taipei, I have been struck by how often conversations are turning to the same refrain: Taiwanese enterprises in India are moving beyond mere presence to sustained success, and what ought to come next. These conversations reflect prudence, long-term vision and a preference for on the ground evidence over declarations — qualities that have shaped Taiwanese enterprises’ engagement with India. The success visible in Taiwan-India economic engagement is neither accidental, nor a product of short-term transactions. It reflects an ecosystem shaped by steady reform, credibility-driven governance and an ability to support long-term enterprises across a wide spectrum of activity.