Vice President Vincent C. Siew met with Japan House of Representatives Member Mr. Yasutoshi Nishimura in the afternoon of July 11 at the Presidential Building. The vice president thanked Mr. Nishimura for his long support for Taiwan and for his efforts and contributions to promoting the development of relations between the two countries.
Sitting in on the meeting was Japan Interchange Association Taipei Office Director Koichi Ito, who is completing his tenure in his post and will soon leave Taiwan. Vice President Siew specially shook Mr. Ito's hand and bid him farewell, thanking him for his work in promoting Taiwan-Japan relations during his stay on Taiwan.
Vice President Siew noted that this is the third visit to Taiwan by Mr. Nishimura this year. His first trip was during the presidential election, at which time he acted as an observer to the events. Mr. Nishimura's second visit to Taiwan was to take part in the inauguration activities for President Ma and himself, which the vice president said demonstrated his concern and friendship for Taiwan. Vice President Siew expressed his gratitude to Mr. Nishimura on behalf of the government and people of the Republic of China.
He furthermore said that on the afternoon of May 20, inauguration day, President Ma and himself treated the delegation from Japan to an obento lunch at the Presidential Building. President Ma at that time reiterated the importance of the relationship between Taiwan and Japan, adding that he wants to see the close and friendly relationship not only maintained, but rather a further strengthening of interaction in the future. The vice president noted that while recently there was a small incident involving the Diayutai islands, the situation was resolved in a satisfactory manner. Nonetheless, this demonstrates that the relationship between the two countries needs to be even closer. Vice President Siew said that he is pleased to see Mr. Nishimura's interest in Taiwan, adding that he hopes that Mr. Nishimura will frequently visit Taiwan. This will help build an even closer bond between the two countries, which he said he believes is important in reconciling various misunderstandings.
House Member Nishimura thanked Vice President Siew for taking time out of his busy schedule to meet with him. He also expressed his appreciation for the warm reception he has received from the government and people of the ROC during his three visits here this year. He said he is presently a member of the Liberal Democratic Party's Special Committee on Ocean Matters. He said that he was extremely pleased to see that the incident involving the Lianhe sports fishing vessel was handled by the governments of the two countries in a calm and rational manner, enabling a satisfactory resolution. Mr. Nishimura said he hopes that efforts can be made by both countries in order to pave the way for flights to be operated between Taipei's Songshan Airport and Tokyo's Haneda Airport. This would facilitate travel between travelers from both nations, he said. In addition, House Member Nishimura stressed the importance of interaction among legislators from the two countries. He said he will continue to work in the future to promote greater wellbeing for the people of the two nations.
Vice President Siew said he agreed with House Member Nishimura's various intentions and prospects for cooperation. He said that in the wake of charter flights having been started between Taiwan and Mainland China from Taipei's Songshan Airport on July 4, the airport has been transformed from a local one into an international one. The vice president said travelers from the two nations would have more convenient travel options if flights between Songshan Airport and Tokyo's Haneda Airport could be initiated. Vice President Siew also expressed his congratulations on the agreement by leaders of G8 member countries on setting targets for carbon emissions. The vice president suggested that the Japanese government strengthen cooperation with Taiwan in this area. He expressed his confidence that in addition to generating more business opportunities between the two nations, the cooperation would help contribute to ensuring sustainable development of the globe.