Secretariat, Taipei City Government

Taipei Deputy Mayor Wen-Te Chang, on behalf of Mayor Wan-An Chiang, continued his official visit to Japan. On the morning of April 28 (local time), Deputy Mayor Chang paid a special visit to Kizuki Ushijima, the newly appointed Director General for Crisis Management of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, to further strengthen practical exchanges on disaster prevention and emergency management between the two cities. In the afternoon, he attended the G-NETS Leaders Summit, where he joined representatives from cities around the world in issuing a joint declaration that commits participating cities to leveraging innovative technologies to strengthen urban resilience and enhance public well-being.

During the morning meeting with Director General Ushijima, Deputy Mayor Chang noted that both Taipei and Tokyo have long confronted the challenges posed by earthquakes and extreme weather events; the two cities also share a strong foundation for sustained cooperation in disaster prevention and response. The deputy mayor presented Taipei’s achievements in applying artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to strengthen early warning capabilities, emphasizing that disaster prevention requires technological advancement and is essential for protecting human lives. Director General Ushijima expressed strong recognition of Taipei’s efforts, and both sides conveyed their expectations to further deepen substantive dialogue on disaster response coordination and intelligence sharing within the existing framework of cooperation.

At the G-NETS Leaders Summit, Deputy Mayor Chang represented Taipei in signing the joint declaration alongside mayors and city representatives from around the world. The declaration focused on two core themes: “climate and disaster resilience” and “urban well-being.” Participating cities pledged to advance practical initiatives through a newly established “Resilience Working Group,” applying emerging technologies to strengthen disaster preparedness and emergency response while accelerating decarbonization efforts and enhancing quality of life through digital transformation.

In his remarks during the joint declaration ceremony, Deputy Mayor Chang stated that Taipei has emerged as a global hub for AI research and development following NVIDIA’s announcement that it will establish an overseas headquarters and research and development center in Taipei. He also stressed that “the true value of technology lies not in powerful computing capabilities but in its ability to safeguard lives.” He noted that over the coming decade, the Taipei City Government plans to comprehensively integrate AI and big data technologies with the goal of strengthening precision risk management for a variety of natural threats, including typhoons, earthquakes, and landslides, enabling the early detection of warning signs and the rapid protection of residents. Deputy Mayor Chang emphasized Taipei’s commitment to developing human-oriented technology, ensuring that every resident can feel completely secure anytime and anywhere.

Following the summit, Deputy Mayor Chang warmly invited representatives from around the world to visit Taiwan and remarked that the signing of the joint declaration symbolized the opening of a new chapter of friendship among cities.