Ferry connecting Taiwan with Japan’s Ishigaki set for maiden voyage

Travel & Leisure

Service expected to buoy high tourist flows, strengthen ties in tense region

The Yaima Maru ferry will ply the route between Taiwan’s Keelung and Japan’s Ishigaki. © Yaima Line

KAOHSIUNG, Taiwan — A new ferry service connecting northern Taiwan with the southwestern Japanese island of Ishigaki in Okinawa prefecture is set for its maiden voyage Thursday, promising a boost for tourism that is already at high levels.