President Ma Ying-jeou met on the afternoon of March 20 with Japanese Political Science Association President Yutaka Tsujinaka. In addition to explaining advances in ROC-Japanese relations in recent years, the president also expressed hope for further strengthening of bilateral interaction and cooperation in a wide range of areas.
In remarks, the president stated that the Association of East Asian Relations has invited President Tsujinaka, University of Tokyo Professor Kengo Kuma, and other experts and scholars to participate in the Joint Forum 2015—Japanese Studies in Taiwan. The attendees will exchange opinions on three major topics—international relations, the economy, and culture—examining substantive current issues in the interaction between the two countries.
The president noted that upon taking office in 2008, he designated the relationship between the ROC and Japan as a "special partnership." While the two nations do not maintain formal diplomatic relations, they have frequent interaction in the areas of culture, economics, and trade, as well as science and technology. The ROC and Japan have signed over 20 agreements, including a youth working holiday agreement, the Taiwan-Japan Bilateral Investment Arrangement, a fisheries agreement, and an open skies agreement, all of which have been conducive to expanding and adding depth to bilateral interaction.
The president stated that the Taiwan-Japan Bilateral Investment Arrangement marked the first formal investment agreement between the two sides since Japan began investing in Taiwan over 60 years ago. That agreement has enabled the cooperative relationship between the two countries to enter a new realm. Meanwhile, the signing of the fisheries agreement was monumental, as it resolved a 40-year fishing dispute between the two countries. President Ma furthermore explained that three years ago he unveiled his East China Sea Peace Initiative, which stresses that "although sovereignty over national territory cannot be compromised, natural resources can be shared." The initiative urges all parties to shelve sovereignty disputes and work together to develop resources. The president said that in the year prior to the signing of the fisheries agreement, the two sides had 17 fishing disputes. Currently, there are none, and the fishermen of both countries are enjoying bigger catches. Meanwhile, the European Parliament previously echoed the spirit of the ROC's East China Sea Peace Initiative, while at the Shangri-La Dialogue 2014 in Singapore, then US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel and Australian Minister for Defence David Johnston voiced their approval. The president also mentioned that in September of last year, People to People International awarded him its Eisenhower Medallion in recognition of his contributions to peace in the East China Sea. All of these developments point to the importance and recognition given to that initiative by the international community.
Commenting on cultural interaction, President Ma remarked that works from the collection of Taiwan's National Palace Museum (NPM) were exhibited for the first time in Tokyo and Kyushu (Fukuoka) last year. The exhibitions attracted a total of some 660,000 visits and marked a major event in bilateral cultural exchanges. Meanwhile, the Tokyo National Museum plans on displaying 160 of its cherished relics and artworks next year at the NPM Southern Branch, which will further strengthen mutual friendship. The president added that since the signing of an open skies agreement, the number of flights serving first-tier cities has increased, and flights are being introduced to a number of second-tier cities. Consequently, private-sector contacts between the two nations are becoming more frequent.
Lastly, the president hopes that the experts and scholars from Taiwan and Japan will take advantage of this forum to strengthen interaction on the academic front, and further deepen bilateral cooperation.