日本北九州——日本地方政府正加强与台湾的交流合作，派遣商务代表团，并在人工智能、半导体等领域寻求伙伴关系，希望将台湾产业增长的红利引回国内。
KITAKYUSHU, Japan -- Japanese local governments are stepping up engagement with Taiwan, sending business missions and seeking partnerships in such fields as artificial intelligence and semiconductors, hoping to bring the benefits of the island's industrial growth back home.
7月下旬，位于最南端主岛九州的北九州市，派出了首个由官民共同组织的代表团访台。包括安川电机特别顾问、北九州商工会议所会长津田纯二在内，约30名企业界领袖随团出访。
In late July, the city of Kitakyushu, on the southernmost main island of Kyushu, sent its first delegation organized jointly by the public and private sectors to Taiwan. Around 30 business leaders joined, including Junji Tsuda, special adviser to Yaskawa Electric and chairman of the Kitakyushu Chamber of Commerce & Industry.
北九州市市长武内和久于7月27日在台积电总部所在地新竹举办的经济研讨会上表示：“我们希望共同成长，而非竞争。”近50家台湾企业和团体出席了该活动，超出预期。
"We want to grow together, not compete," Kitakyushu Mayor Kazuhisa Takeuchi said at an economic seminar held on July 27 in Hsinchu, home to the headquarters of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Nearly 50 Taiwanese companies and organizations attended the event, exceeding expectations.
安川电机正专注于实体AI领域，即让机器和机器人实现自主运行。北九州市期待获得台湾日月光投资控股的投资，后者是全球最大的芯片封装测试服务商。作为先进芯片的潜在用户，安川电机在台湾引起了高度关注。
Yaskawa is focusing on physical AI, which enables machines and robots to operate autonomously. Kitakyushu is expecting an investment from Taiwan's ASE Technology Holding, the world's largest provider of chip assembly and testing services. As a potential user of advanced chips, Yaskawa has attracted significant interest in Taiwan.
台积电设有制造基地的九州熊本县，以及该县的经济团体也于7月27日在台北举办了研讨会。熊本县预计未来十年将从不断壮大的芯片产业集群中获得超过10万亿日元（约合634亿美元）的经济效益，并寻求通过深化与台湾的交流来最大化这些收益。
Kyushu's Kumamoto prefecture, where TSMC has established manufacturing operations, and business groups from the prefecture also held a seminar in Taipei on July 27. Kumamoto expects more than 10 trillion yen ($63.4 billion) in economic benefits over the next decade from its growing chip cluster and is seeking to maximize these gains through deeper exchanges with Taiwan.
日本中部岐阜县的五个城市的市长及企业代表也于当天访台，向政府机构、行业组织和芯片企业推介产业投资机遇。
Mayors and business representatives from five cities in central Japan's Gifu prefecture also visited Taiwan on that day to promote industrial investment opportunities to government agencies, industry organizations and chip companies.
从岐阜县当选的众议员、日台议员联盟会长古屋圭司表示，该举措与九州的努力是分开的。
Keiji Furuya, a lawmaker elected from Gifu and head of a cross-party Japan-Taiwan parliamentary association, said the initiative is separate from Kyushu's efforts.
日本东北部的宫城县拥有东京电子等芯片相关企业，于9月在新竹举办了研讨会，地点设在国际大型芯片展会"Semicon Taiwan"期间。九州的大分县于周四在台北举办了研讨会。
Northeastern Japan's Miyagi prefecture, home to such chip-related companies as Tokyo Electron, held a seminar in Hsinchu this September on the sidelines of Semicon Taiwan, a major international chip exhibition. Kyushu's Oita prefecture hosted a seminar in Taipei on Thursday.
据日本台湾交流协会统计，截至7月底，日台地方政府间约有180份合作协议。其中40多份涉及九州和冲绳的市町村，约三分之二是在台积电于2021年秋季决定在熊本建设生产设施后签署的。
At the end of July, there were about 180 partnership agreements between Japanese and Taiwanese local governments, according to the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association. More than 40 involve municipalities in Kyushu and Okinawa, and roughly two-thirds of these were signed after TSMC decided in the autumn of 2021 to build production facilities in Kumamoto.
地方政府被台湾的经济增长以及地理和心理上的接近性所吸引。台湾主计总处预测，2026年实际国内生产总值将增长11.05%——这是该岛16年来首次实现两位数增长。"日元疲软让欧洲和美国感觉更遥远，而政治考量让前往中国大陆变得更加困难，"这增加了台湾的吸引力，一位在台湾有丰富经验的日本金融业高管表示。古屋圭司表示："地方政府如此密切关注台湾是正确的决定。"
Local governments are being drawn to Taiwan's economic growth and its geographic and psychological proximity. Taiwan's Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics forecasts that real gross domestic product will rise 11.05% in 2026 -- the island's first double-digit growth in 16 years. "The weak yen has made Europe and the U.S. feel more distant, while political considerations have made travel to mainland China more difficult," increasing Taiwan's appeal, a Japanese financial-industry executive with extensive experience in Taiwan said. Furuya said that "local governments paying such close attention to Taiwan is the right call."