Premier Cho attends Taiwan-Czech Republic WBC game in Tokyo

Tokyo/Taipei, March 7 (CNA) Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) attended the World Baseball Classic (WBC) game between Taiwan and the Czech Republic in Tokyo on Saturday.

Cho was seen by a CNA reporter on site at Tokyo Dome with Taiwan's Representative to Japan Lee Yi-yang (李逸洋) and Sports Minister Lee Yang (李洋).

After the game, Cho was met with a warm welcome from Taiwanese fans as he left the stadium, shaking hands with them and briefly joining in chants of "Team Taiwan!"

According to a source with knowledge of the matter, Cho arrived in Japan earlier Saturday, marking the first known visit by a sitting Taiwanese premier since Taiwan and Japan severed diplomatic ties in 1972.

In the Pool C game, Taiwan trounced the Czechs 14-0, ending the game early after seven innings under the mercy rule.

• Taiwan defeats Czech Republic 14-0 to secure first win at 2026 WBC

The victory was fueled in large part by a grand slam from Stuart Fairchild and a strong offensive performance by Yu Chang (張育成), who recorded three hits and four RBIs.

The win provided a much-needed morale boost for Taiwan after suffering two previous losses to Australia and Japan.

As of press time, the Cabinet had not commented on Cho's visit to Japan.