Letter Across the Sea Fulfills 47-Year-Old Wish, Witnessing Kaohsiung-Kagoshima Friendship

(Central News Agency, reporter Tsai Meng-yu, Kaohsiung, 8th) A Japanese woman, Tsurumi Iwayama, wrote a letter to the Kaohsiung City Marine Bureau seeking help to find the family of a Taiwanese crewman she had met 47 years ago when a Taiwanese fishing boat was stranded in Kagoshima, Japan, due to a breakdown. The Marine Bureau successfully located the family, leading to a heartwarming reunion between the Taiwanese and Japanese families.

Looking back to March 1979, the Taiwanese fishing boat "Chun Fu Tsai Hao" was stranded at Anbo Port on Yakushima Island in Kagoshima Prefecture due to engine failure. Tsurumi Iwayama's father, Mitsukiyo Iwayama, worked at the local port. Despite the language barrier, he and the Taiwanese crew developed a family-like friendship. When they parted, they only had the name and address of a crew member surnamed Chiu from Kaohsiung.

However, the address left in the letter had long since changed. Mitsukiyo Iwayama had passed away, but his daughter, Tsurumi Iwayama, still hoped to fulfill her father's lifelong wish: to find the Taiwanese people he had once spent time with, visit Taiwan on his behalf, and renew the bond. Therefore, she wrote to the Kaohsiung City Marine Bureau for help.

The Marine Bureau issued a press release today stating that upon receiving the letter, it immediately initiated cross-agency collaboration. Although the clues in the letter were very limited and the address mentioned in Linyuan was difficult to find, the longing of a Japanese elder for Taiwanese people was so precious and touching.

With the assistance of the household registration office and local village chiefs, they meticulously followed the clues and finally found the family of the crew member surnamed Chiu in Linyuan. They delivered the letter, filled with 47 years of longing, and the yellowed old photos into the hands of the family.

Although the crew member surnamed Chiu had also passed away, the warmth of the trust and mutual care from back then was not forgotten through this search operation. The Iwayama family of eight recently made a special trip to Taiwan. Facilitated by the Marine Bureau, they met with the family of the crew member surnamed Chiu at the Linyuan District Office in a heartwarming and touching scene.

Kaohsiung Marine Bureau Director Shih Ching-feng stated, "The ocean connects the world and also showcases Kaohsiung's inclusive and warm harbor city characteristics. This was not just a 47-year search mission, but the best testament to the deep civilian friendship between both sides." This reunion across time and space has drawn a perfect conclusion to this chapter of history. (Editor: Chen Jen-hua) 1150608