Japanese Internet Celebrity Calls for Change in Taiwan’s Traffic Safety
Taiwan has caught the attention of Japanese internet and manga artist Iku Sato, popularly known as “Iku Sensei,” who has been living in the country for 13 years. With a deep love for Taiwan and a personal stake in its future, Iku recently shared his concerns on Facebook about what he considers to be the most unbearable aspect of living in Taiwan – its “pedestrian hell.”
In his thought-provoking post, Iku questioned why Taiwan, with a population of only 23 million, experiences more traffic accidents than Japan, which has a population of 127 million. He believes that the answer is quite simple: Taiwan fails to prioritize traffic safety. He strongly urged for a change in attitude, stating that if Taiwan continues down this path, it will deteriorate further.
Iku’s commitment to the cause was evident as he collaborated with the Pedestrian Zero Death Promotion Alliance to produce a video supporting the pedestrian right-of-way march, “Giving Back to the People – No Deaths for Walkers,” held in Kaidao on August 20. Recognized as “Taiwan’s Most Popular Foreign YouTuber,” Iku has a significant influence and utilized his platform to shed light on the severity of the situation.
Expressing his disappointment with what he refers to as “Taiwan’s serious illness,” Iku criticized the state of the country’s traffic conditions. He highlights the inadequate provision of sidewalks in many areas, often replaced by mere paint markings. Furthermore, he noticed an abundance of potted plants, billboards, and motorcycles parked haphazardly, posing risks to pedestrians.
Iku’s concern extends to his family, particularly his daughter, as he emphasizes the challenges of raising a child in such hazardous conditions. He lamented the blatant disregard for people’s safety in Taiwan, questioning why the country fails to adopt practices like those in Japan, where drivers’ licenses need to be renewed regularly, taking into account factors such as age-related decline in vision and reaction time.
He underscored the importance of prioritizing people’s safety and criticized Taiwan’s myopic view on traffic safety, wondering if it stems from political motives. Iku passionately urged Taiwanese citizens to raise their voices for change, proclaiming that shouting for what they want is the best way to prevent Taiwan from further decline.
Netizens reacted to Iku’s remarks, highlighting the chaotic traffic and poor road conditions in Taiwan. Some expressed concerns about the driver’s license policy, speculating that it may influence future elections. Others criticized a perceived lack of national identity and attributed it to the country’s traffic problems. Many voiced their support for Iku’s call for improvement, while others shared their frustration about the lack of response from legislators and the national character’s pessimistic outlook.
This issue of “pedestrian hell” serves as a wake-up call for Taiwan’s authorities and citizens alike. It is crucial to address these concerns promptly and prioritize the safety of the people. Failure to do so could have severe implications for Taiwan’s future.
2023-08-13 06:56 Real-time report Yang Deyi / Taipei United Daily News reporter
The famous Japanese internet and manga artist “Iku Sensei” (real name Iku Sato) who loves Taiwan and married and settled in Taiwan has lived in Taiwan for 13 years. He shared on Facebook that the most unbearable thing about Taiwan is “pedestrian hell”.
He said, why does Taiwan, with a population of only 23 million, have more traffic accidents than Japan, with a population of 127 million? “The reason is very simple. Currently Taiwan takes traffic safety very lightly,” he called for change. “If you don’t do this, Taiwan will continue to rot.”
“Ms. Iku” was once rated as “Taiwan’s Most Popular Foreign YouTuber”. On the Facebook page “Ms. Iku／Ikulaoshi”, he shared a video co-produced with the Pedestrian Zero Death Promotion Alliance, expressing his support for August 20 The pedestrian right-of-way march “Giving Back to the People – No Deaths for Walkers” held in Kaidao.
“Professor Iku” directly criticized Pedestrian Hell as “Taiwan’s serious illness”. He said he could not accept Taiwan’s traffic conditions at all. Many places don’t even have sidewalks. They paint “sidewalks” with a little paint, “very casual, such a naive way, and there are endless potted plants, billboards, and randomly parked motorcycles.”
He and his wife have one daughter. He said in order to raise a child in Taiwan, you have to push the stroller on the driveway. This is Taiwan in 2023, and the current situation of people’s safety is ignored completely
“Mr. Iku” said, compared to the Japanese driver’s license, which needs to be renewed every 3 years at first, and then every 5 years, and for drivers who often break the rules, it is necessary renewed every 3 years. that, it does not need to be changed until the age of 75.”
He said that Japan on the one hand checks the physical condition of the drivers. After all, as people age, people’s sight, hearing and reaction deteriorate. What is the name of underestimating the safety of the people? medical background, haven’t they learned that?”
“Why does Taiwan, with a population of only 23 million, have more traffic accidents than Japan, which has a population of 127 million?” “Mr. Iku” said that the reason is very simple. Taiwan currently takes traffic safety very lightly. Is it for voters not to change? Really short sighted.
He shouted at the Taiwanese people, “If you don’t want to continue like this, the best way is for everyone to shout loudly, what we want is change! If you don’t do this, Taiwan will continue to rot.”
Japanese internet celebrity “Ms. Iku” expressed her feelings about Taiwan’s pedestrian hell, pointing out that Taiwan takes traffic safety very lightly. Photo / taken from “… a Japanese Internet celebrity expressed “Mr. Iku” his feelings about Taiwan’s pedestrian hell, pointing out that Taiwan takes traffic safety very lightly. Photo / taken from “… Japanese Internet celebrity “Mr. Iku” expressed his feelings about Taiwan’s pedestrian hell, pointing out that Taiwan takes traffic safety very lightly. Photo / taken from “…
Netizens said, “Taiwan’s traffic is chaotic and the roads are very bad”, “Because whoever changed the driver’s license policy, I guarantee that the next election will not be elected”, “There are too many people sour, and the sense of national identity is too low”, “I won’t be surprised if the DPP loses power due to traffic failure”, “I agree, I hope Taiwan will improve”, “In unfortunately, I wrote an email to the legislator in my constituency about the traffic problem, and then there is no more, not even a response letter to deal with it”, “The national character of this country is like this, it is hopeless” .
Pedestrian Hell Japan Side Driving License
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