The 75th anniversary memorial service for Yoichi Hatta was held at Wushantou Reservoir Hatta Yoichi Memorial Park on the afternoon of May 8 to express respect and gratitude to Mr. Yoichi Hatta and his contributions. The official service began after Taiwanese and Japanese monks chanted prayers and blessed the event. Mayor William Lai joined Kanazawa City (hometown of Yoichi Hatta) Mayor Yukiyoshi Yamano, Hatta's eldest grandson Shuichi Hatta and family members, and others from Taiwan and Japan to pay their respects to the Japanese engineer at the solemn ceremony.
During the service, Mayor Lai expressed the utmost respect, gratitude and grief on behalf of Tainan citizens. He was pleased that this year’s service was not only carried out as planned but also larger than those held in the past years. The successful ceremony proved that the vandalizers have not achieved their goal, remarked Mayor Lai, and the friendship between Taiwan and Japan has not been affected. In fact, the incident had actually strengthened the bonds between the two areas.
Mayor Lai further pointed out that the reason why Jianan Plain became Taiwan’s main rice production area was because Yoichi Hatta designed and built Wushantou Reservoir and Jianan Irrigation Waterways to irrigate the fields in the area. The hydraulic infrastructures not only benefited the farmers, but also stimulated Taiwan’s agricultural economics. Even today, the Irrigation Waterways are still very useful. Hatta’s Wushantou Reservoir also nurtured the lives and souls of many Taiwanese and Japanese, so Tainan should never forget this part of history and sincerely thank Yoichi Hatta.
Moreover, Mayor Lai stressed that the friendship between Taiwan and Japan is invaluable and irreplaceable. The statue was vandalized on April 15, and the restoration work was promptly completed on April 26 just in time for the memorial service, thanks to the joint efforts of the city government, Chianan Irrigation Association President Yang Ming-feng, Chimei Museum, and artist Wang Chao-wang. The swift repair of the statue indicates the sincere respect people have for Yoichi Hatta, and the large Taiwanese and Japanese crowds present at the ceremony prove that the bonds between Taiwan and Japan is and will become stronger and stronger.
Kanazawa City Mayor Yukiyoshi Yamano said he felt regretful upon hearing about the vandalism, but conveyed his gratitude towards the people in Taiwan and Mayor Lai for repairing the statue immediately and allowing the statue of his townsman to once again stand at Wushantou Reservoir. He also emphasized that the friendship between Taiwan and Japan would not be affected in any way by this incident, and further remarked that hopefully this incident will let the younger generation know more about the contributions of Yoichi Hatta and stimulate more exchanges in culture and academics between the students on both sides.
Hatta's eldest grandson Shuichi Hatta said that he felt very sorry when he heard the statue was vandalized, but he harbors no ill feelings as it could happen in any country. He is very happy to see that the statue has been restored and thanked Mayor Lai, Chianan Irrigation Association President Yang Ming-feng and Shi Wen-long from Chimei Museum for offering their help, and the support of the people in Taiwan. Shuichi Hatta also stressed that the friendship between Taiwan and Japan remains unchanged and hopes that he can attend the annual memorial every year.
Council of Agriculture Minister Lin Tsung-hsien said that farmers in Taiwan understand the importance of being thankful for the resources they use and receive, and this is why there is an old Taiwanese saying, “thank the tree when you eat the fruit”. With a grateful heart, Lin remarked that he is honored to take part in today’s memorial and sincerely thanked Yoichi Hatta for his great contribution in irrigation and hydraulics engineering. Water and land are the main lifelines of Taiwan’s agriculture, and the infrastructure Yoichi Hatta designed and built has indeed benefited the farmers in the vast Jianan area. Hopefully the engineer can be a role model for all of us and we can learn more about being responsible and creative.
Chianan Irrigation Association President Yang Ming-feng pointed out that although all memorial services in the past 75 years have been similar, but the people’s respect and gratitude towards Yoichi Hatta have grown with time. Originally the fields in southern Taiwan relied solely on rainfall for irrigation, but after Wushantou Reservoir and Jianan Irrigation Waterways were built, the fields became good farmlands and consequently established the foundation for modern agriculture. These water infrastructures also led to a strong diplomatic platform on which Taiwan and Japan can conduct exchanges in other areas.
The memorial service was attended by many officials and people from both Taiwan and Japan. The Council of Agriculture Minister Lin Tsung-hsien, Tainan Mayor William Lai, Chianan Irrigation Association President Yang Ming-feng and elected council members and representatives from Tainan took part in the event. Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association Taipei Office Chief Representative Mr. Mikio Numata and Kaohsiung Office Director General Mr. Kinzo Nakagun also attended the service along with Kanazawa City Mayor Yukiyoshi Yamano and eight Kanazawa city councilors (including two former speakers of the city council). In addition, organizations from various parts of Japan and a visiting group from Hokkaido all came to pay their respects to the engineer at the solemn and heartwarming event.