The Taipei Culture Center in Tokyo opened Wednesday, becoming the third of its kind after similar facilities in New York and Paris. Council for Cultural Affairs Minister Emile Sheng and John C. T. Feng, Taiwan's top envoy to Japan, presided over the opening at the the Tokyo-based Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office. More than 100 guests from the two countries attended the ceremony, including professional Go player Cho U from Taiwan, Japanese Dietman Takeo Hiranuma and Reijiro Hattori, president of Japan's Interchange Association. Addressing the ceremony, Feng said one of his office's top tasks this year is inaugurating the culture center to boost bilateral cultural exchanges. 'Next I'll work to organize an exhibition of treasures from the Taipei-based National Palace Museum in Japan,' he said. Noting that the Tokyo culture center was one of President Ma Ying-jeou's campaign promises, Sheng said he was happy to witness its opening prior to the second anniversary of Ma taking office. Sheng said he expects Japanese friends to better understand Taiwan through the center -- the first of its kind in Asia. Hiranuma, a long-time supporter of Taiwan and the leader of a group friendly to Taiwan in Japan's parliament, said he is planning to propose legislation in early May to secure the safety of Taiwan's national treasures if they are displayed in Japan. 