President Ma Ying-jeou met with Takao Fujii, Secretary-General of the Japan-ROC Diet Members' Consultative Council and Member of the Japanese House of Councillors, on the afternoon of December 24 at the Presidential Office. The president extended a cordial welcome to Secretary-General Fujii on his visit to Taiwan.
The president commented that the Japan-ROC Diet Members' Consultative Council has played a crucial role since its establishment in promoting relations between Taiwan and Japan. The president said Chairman Takeo Hiranuma has consistently been one of Taiwan's best friends. President Ma noted that this marks Secretary-General Fujii's 12th visit to Taiwan, including a trip here last year to attend the president's May 20th inauguration ceremony. The president said he is delighted that Secretary-General Fujii has visited Taiwan so many times, which points to the close relationship between him and Taiwan.
President Ma said that two important developments with regards to relations between Taiwan and Japan have been seen this December. The first was Taiwan's opening of a branch representative office in Sapporo. This facility will serve the 280,000 Taiwan tourists visiting Hokkaido each year and will strengthen contact with northern Japan. The second development was the signing of an agreement that paves the way for the commencement of four daily charter flights between Tokyo's Haneda Airport and Taipei's Songshan Airport starting in October of next year. The president said that this is wonderful news for business travelers and tourists between the two nations. Even though the price of a ticket will be NT$2,000 more expensive than other flights between the two cities, many people have expressed their interest in taking these flights, he said.
The president furthermore said that several months ago Japan amended related laws to allow Taiwanese residing in Japan to write their nationality as "Taiwan" on forms instead of "China." This move will help to alleviate misunderstandings associated with nationality, he said. The president said many Taiwanese residing in Japan have sought this change for over a decade. He said he is pleased that the Japanese government has been able to respond to their requests.
President Ma remarked that starting in June of this year, Japan began allowing young people from Taiwan between the ages of 18 and 30 to travel to Japan for working holidays lasting up to one year. Each year, up to 2,000 people can take part in the program. This will be an enormous aid in fostering interaction among youth of the two countries, he said. Meanwhile, Taiwan will be opening a cultural center in Tokyo and is seeking to allow for articles from the National Palace Museum to be exhibited in Japan, he said. Furthermore, fishing negotiations between the two countries were completed early this year. All of these developments point to the substantive formation of a special partnership between Taiwan and Japan, he said.
President Ma furthermore noted that after southern Taiwan experienced severe flooding and landslides in early August caused by Typhoon Morakot, the government and people of Japan provided 250 million yen worth of assistance and donations. The president expressed his appreciation on behalf of the people and government of the ROC (Taiwan) for this gesture. In addition, he said he wants to specially thank the Japan-ROC Diet Members' Consultative Council for the contributions and efforts it has made in assisting in the development of relations between Taiwan and Japan.
Secretary-General Fujii expressed his appreciation to President Ma for taking time out of his busy schedule to meet with him. He also recognized the emphasis President Ma has placed on Taiwan-Japan relations since taking office and the concrete achievements seen so far. This is a perfect portrayal of the special partnership between the two sides, he said. He added that the results being seen today are also in part due to the efforts made by Ambassador John Feng. Secretary-General Fujii expressed his gratitude for the efforts made by the two.
Secretary-General Fujii also remarked that with regards to the charter flights between Haneda and Songshan airports that are scheduled to commence in October next year, he will inquire after his return to Japan as to the possibility of starting the flights earlier than originally slated. As for the exhibition of artworks from the National Palace Museum in Japan, he said that Japan's parliament still needs more time to coordinate related laws. The Japan-ROC Diet Members' Consultative Council, he said, is willing to serve in an intermediary role to explain the issues at hand, with the hope that the treasures from the National Palace Museum can be displayed in Japan as soon as possible so that more people can appreciate them.