On the morning of March 22, President Ma Ying-jeou met with Hiroshi Nakada, a former member of the Japanese House of Representatives (Diet). In addition to briefing Mr. Nakada on bilateral ties in the fields of culture and tourism, the president also expressed hope that Japan will continue to support Taiwan's entry into the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).
In remarks, President Ma noted that as mayor of Taipei in 2005 he visited Japan and spent a bit less than 20 hours in Tokyo, spending nine of those hours accompanied by Mr. Nakada, whose warm hospitality was very touching. In addition, Mr. Nakada helped Taipei and other cities join CityNet, an organization of international cities in Asia, and was once a key member of the Japan-ROC Diet Members' Consultative Council. As such, he has made many contributions to Taiwan-Japan relations.
The president pointed out that when he was campaigning for the presidency in 2007, a major item in his campaign platform was a proposal to establish a "golden aviation loop" in Northeast Asia connecting Songshan Airport in Taipei, Hongqiao Airport in Shanghai, Haneda Airport in Tokyo, and Gimpo International Airport in Seoul. This loop has taken shape over the past few years, thus turning a campaign pledge into a reality. And in 2012, Taiwan and Japan signed an open skies agreement, which constituted a major revolution in the aviation history of both nations. In addition, tourist travel between Taiwan and Japan generated a combined 2.5 million arrivals in the two countries when he took office, which rose to 5.4 million in 2015, which shows that tourist interactions involving Taiwan and Japan are frequent and friendly.
Turning his attention to the earthquake that hit the city of Tainan in southern Taiwan on February 6, President Ma noted that Japan's prime minister and the Japan-ROC Diet Members' Consultative Council immediately sent condolences and donated a total of US$1.2 million, for which the president expressed sincere gratitude.
Commenting on cultural interaction, the president mentioned that the Japan-ROC Diet Members' Consultative Council successfully pushed for passage of the Law Concerning Promotion of Exhibitions of Art Objects from Overseas, which eliminated an obstacle that had prevented items from Taiwan's National Palace Museum (NPM) from being put on display in Japan. In 2014 the NPM Southern Branch held an exhibit—Treasured Masterpieces from the National Palace Museum, Taipei—in Tokyo and Fukuoka, attracting an unprecedented 650,000 visitors. In August 2015, Japan's Takarazuka Revue performed for a second time in Taiwan. And in late 2016, the Tokyo National Museum and Kyushu National Museum are scheduled to hold an exhibit of selected treasures from the Japanese imperial court at the NPM Southern Branch. Without a doubt, said the president, such events can boost bilateral cultural ties.
The president also noted that Taiwan and Japan over the past 40 years have concluded 61 bilateral agreements, 28 of which, or 45%, have been signed during his presidency. Included among them is a fisheries agreement, whereby the two sides have agreed to shelve disputes while sharing resources. As a result, Taiwan has ceded nothing in terms of sovereignty, yet made great strides in terms of fishing rights. This breakthrough has been widely praised within the international community, he said.
Commenting on Taiwan's participation in the process of regional economic integration, President Ma pointed out that Taiwan is actively seeking to join the TPP, which the Japanese government has said it would welcome. It is possible that, before joining the TPP, Taiwan might first negotiate a bilateral economic cooperation agreement with Japan, but either approach, said the president, will be extremely beneficial to both sides. President Ma also expressed hope that Mr. Nakada can continue to exert his influence by urging the Japanese government to support Taiwan's admission to the TPP so that the two countries can work together for regional economic prosperity.