TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The Cabinet has appointed the founder of a chain of ramen restaurants based in Tainan City as a special advisor, reports said Saturday (Sept. 7).

Nozaki Takao (野崎孝男) is no stranger to politics as he once served on the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly and more recently as an advisor on international city diplomacy to Tainan City Government, per CNA. He has been living in the southern Taiwan city for the past 11 years and has obtained an Alien Permanent Resident Certificate (APRC), he wrote in a Facebook post Saturday.

Returning from a visit to Tokyo, he said he had first been contacted by the Cabinet about the position of advisor in early August. The official notice of his appointment as advisor on political affairs arrived Thursday (Sept. 5), he said.

Though his work for Tainan and the central government is unpaid, Nozaki said he would do his utmost to contribute to the improvement of Taiwan-Japan relations. He also intends to pay attention to issues facing new residents of the country and to work on youth affairs. He added that he had already withdrawn from management of the Mr. Ramen restaurant chain.

Nozaki thanked both Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) and President Lai Ching-te (賴清德), a former mayor of Tainan City he said he considered to be an old friend.