Taiwan representative in Japan’s Osaka commits suicide

One of Taiwan’s representatives stationed in Japan’s western city of Osaka committed suicide this week, the government of the selfruled island said.

The official had been an excellent diplomat “keen to offer help to junior colleagues”, Taiwan’s foreign affairs ministry said in a statement on Friday, expressing its “deepest sorrow and regret over the unfortunate incident”.

It added, “Su Chii-cherng committed suicide at his official residence this morning.” Taiwan’s Premier William Lai was saddened by the news, he said in a statement. Taiwan’s official Central News Agency said the 61-year-old had only taken up the Osaka post in July, having previously led the island’s office in Naha, the capital of Okinawa.

An official of the Osaka prefectural police declined to comment to Reuters when reached by telephone on Saturday. Taiwan media said Su had faced harsh criticism over his handling of Taiwan nationals stranded in Japan in the wake of typhoon Jebi, which killed 11 and injured hundreds this month. Thousands were marooned at a flooded airport in Osaka. Reuters could not independently verify the comments cited by several news groups and published on social media accounts. Taiwan cabinet spokeswoman Kolas Yotaka praised Su’s performance as a diplomat and urged its citizens to give more support and encouragement to frontline diplomats. Brazil’s far-right presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro, in intensive care after being stabbed at a campaign rally, kept his first-round lead in an election opinion poll on Friday, but a leftist rival from the Workers Party (PT) made solid gains.

Bolsonaro was backed by 26% of those surveyed, up two percentage points from the same poll published earlier this week, according to the Datafolha survey published by the Folha de S.Paulo newspaper.

The knife attack against Bolsonaro last week has further complicated Brazil’s most unpredictable election in three decades, with its most popular politician, jailed former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, banned from running in the 7 October vote due to a corruption conviction.

Lula’s hand-picked successor to stand for the PT is former Sao Paulo mayor Fernando Haddad, who jumped to 13% of support in Friday’s poll, up 4 points.

The poll indicates the PT’s strategy of transferring Lula’s massive appeal to the relatively unknown Haddad is bearing fruit. The party’s campaign rolled out advertising this week with the simple message: “Haddad is Lula.” Lula’s backing is expected to propel Haddad into a likely 28 October runoff vote, required if no candidate takes a majority in the first ballot.

The Datafolha poll showed that Bolsonaro, who has spent nearly three decades in Congress, and Haddad would be technically tied in a simulated second-round vote.

Bolsonaro would lose to all other major candidates in a runoff, the survey found.