President Ma Ying-jeou met with Shinji Inoue, Director of the Liberal Democratic Party's Youth Division and member of Japan's House of Representatives, at the Presidential Office on the afternoon of December 17. The president, on behalf of the government and people of the ROC (Taiwan), extended a cordial welcome and appreciation to Mr. Inoue on his visit here.
The president commented that Mr. Inoue's first visit to Taiwan came last year when he attended the inauguration of himself and Vice President Vincent C. Siew. President Ma expressed his regrets that both had extremely busy itineraries at the time for which reason they were only able to meet briefly at a reception and had no opportunity to speak in depth. He said that on Mr. Inoue's visit to Taiwan this time, he has been pleased to hear that the LDP's Youth Division is promoting interaction and friendship between lawmakers in the parliaments of each nation, and has succeeded in forging avenues of communication for the younger generation of lawmakers from Taiwan and Japan.
President Ma remarked that southern Taiwan in early August unfortunately suffered disastrous flooding and landslides caused by Typhoon Morakot. The government and people of Japan, however, were quick to extend a helping hand, generously donating over 250 million yen in assistance and providing technical support. The president said that the people of Taiwan will always remember these gestures and that he would again like to express his deepest gratitude on behalf of the government and people of the ROC (Taiwan).
President Ma noted that in the one year and seven months since assuming the presidency, he has met with 54 delegations from Japan, which is greater than the number of meetings he has had with delegations from any other nation. This demonstrates the close relations between Taiwan and Japan, he said. He added that he hopes interaction between the two sides will continue to expand in the future. President Ma specially pointed out that this year was designated "The Year to Foster the Special Partnership between Taiwan and Japan." Even though the two nations do not maintain formal diplomatic relations, the two have frequent and close dealings in the areas of trade, economy, and culture. The government, he said, is step by step promoting bilateral interaction and activities, such as the completion of fishing negotiations and the implementation of a working holiday agreement that will enable young people from each side to more freely interact with each other. In addition, the president said that the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office formally established a new branch in Sapporo on December 1. He said he specially asked Legislative Yuan President Wang Jin-pyng to attend the opening ceremonies for the new branch, which is Taiwan's sixth in Japan. In the future, the office will provide services to the 280,000 tourists from Taiwan that visit northern Japan each year and will help strengthen contact between Taiwan and northern areas of Japan.
President Ma furthermore said that on December 11, representatives from Taiwan's East Asia Relations Commission and Japan's Interchange Association formally signed an aviation accord that paves the way for four daily charter flights between Tokyo's Haneda Airport and Taipei's Songshan Airport starting in October of next year. This will also mark the first time in more than 30 years since the two inner city airports were designated domestic airports that they will be used for international flights. The change marks an important new development in the aviation history of the two countries, he said.
President Ma stated that Taiwan will in the future open a cultural center in Tokyo to promote cultural interaction between the two sides. He said he hopes that both sides will make efforts to allow pieces from the collection of Taiwan's National Palace Museum to be displayed in Japan soon. The president also said that the Japanese government has passed amendments to laws to allow residents from Taiwan to indicate "Taiwan" as their nationality, thereby alleviating confusion associated with their identity. This will make things much more convenient for Taiwan residents in Japan, and attests to the close ties between the two sides, he said.
The guests expressed their appreciation to President Ma for taking time out of his busy schedule to meet with them. They also explained that the LDP's Youth Division has promoted interaction between political parties from Taiwan and Japan for over half a century. Many influential Japanese political figures, including Noboru Takeshita, Shinzo Abe, and Taro Aso, have all previously served as director of the division, setting a tradition of excellence. Mr. Inoue said that he looks forward to continuing to promote interaction between Taiwan and Japan and further strengthening friendly ties between the two countries.