President Ma Ying-jeou on the afternoon of September 23 at the Presidential Office met with the new Chairman of the Interchange Association Japan Mr. Atsushi Hatakenaka. President Ma, on behalf of the government and people of the ROC, extended a warm welcome to Chairman Hatakenaka on his arrival in Taiwan to take up his new post.
President Ma mentioned that Chairman Hatakenaka studied Chinese in Taiwan from 1965 to 1967. In addition to being quite familiar with Taiwan, the president said Chairman Hatakenaka also has an impressive background in the area of diplomacy. The president said that the appointment of Mr. Hatakenaka as the chairman of the Interchange Association Japan demonstrates the importance that Japan places on the relationship between Taiwan and Japan. President Ma said he expects that Chairman Hatakenaka will play an important role in helping to further strengthen relations between the two countries based on the existing foundation.
President Ma said that Taiwan and Japan ended formal diplomatic relations 36 years ago in 1972. While the two sides presently do not maintain formal ties, the relationship between the two is characterized by frequent and close contact and interaction. For instance, he said, bilateral trade last year reached a new high of US$61.8 billion. In addition, 2.54 million visits were made by people from either one of the countries to the other last year due in large part to an agreement reached between the two to provide visa-free courtesies to tourists. The president also pointed out that there are some 300 flights between Taiwan and Japan each week. All of these point to the close ties between the two sides, which the president described as a “special partnership.” President Ma also said he deeply hopes that this “special partnership” can be of benefit to the governments and peoples of both sides.
Chairman Hatakenaka expressed his appreciation to President Ma for taking time out of his busy schedule to meet with him. He also said that in his new job, he will fully devote himself to strengthening cooperation between Taiwan and Japan in the hope of further expanding this “special partnership.”