President Ma Ying-jeou met with Japan's Sankei Shimbun President and CEO Nagayoshi Sumida on the afternoon of May 11 at the Presidential Office. The president, on behalf of the government and people of the ROC, extended a cordial welcome to Mr. Sumida and others in his delegation.
The president remarked that the Sankei Shimbun has paid close attention to Taiwan for a long time. He noted that the newspaper previously worked with the ROC's Government Information Office in holding cultural exchange activities between the two countries, as well as a youth lecture program. In addition, he said, over 30 years ago the newspaper published the memoirs of late President Chiang Kai-shek in installments. This made a deep impression on many people and helped to make the Sankei Shimbun one of the best known Japanese media organizations in Taiwan, he said.
President Ma recalled that Mr. Sumida visited Taiwan about this time two years ago when he was about to be inaugurated as the President of the ROC, and the two met at that time to discuss relations between Taiwan and Japan. The president noted that he expressed his hopes that direct flights could be inaugurated between Taipei's Songshan Airport and Tokyo's Haneda Airport, and said he is delighted that an agreement was signed in December of last year that will enable flights to ply the route starting in October of this year. This is an extremely important step forward in relations between the two countries, the president said.
The president also commented that while the two nations do not maintain formal diplomatic relations, they do have frequent and close contacts. Each week, some 250 flights operate between various airports in Taiwan and Japan. The frequency of flights between the two countries is rarely seen between other countries, he said. Consequently, he further pointed out, after taking office he decided to designate relations between Taiwan and Japan as a special partnership, and he further named last year "The Year to Foster the Special Partnership between Taiwan and Japan," which yielded many concrete results, including the signing of a youth working holiday agreement in June of last year, the opening of the Taipei Cultural Center in Tokyo, and the establishment of a representative office in Sapporo, Hokkaido last December. The president also stated that while pieces from the National Palace Museum in Taipei have been exhibited in the United States, France and Germany, art from the museum has not been displayed in Asia. If the Japanese Diet is able to complete related legislation, the government here will be very pleased to see artworks from the National Palace Museum exhibited in Japan, he said. President Ma also pointed to the fact that Japan is among Taiwan's top three trading partners and expressed his hope that the two nations in the future will have the opportunity to discuss the signing of a free trade agreement. With these issues in mind, he said, there is still significant room for bilateral relations to move forward.
President Ma furthermore stated that he has worked actively to improve relations with mainland China since taking office. At the same time, Taiwan’s relations with Japan, the United States, and the European Union have also strengthened. The primary reason for this, he said, is that reconciliation between Taiwan and mainland China has reduced tensions in the Taiwan Strait. This has been a positive development for Japan and East Asia, and in light of this Taiwan is very willing to continue this policy, he said. President Ma stressed that while Taiwan and mainland China are strengthening relations, Taiwan will absolutely not forget its old friends. Taiwan's relations with Japan and other nations will without a doubt continue to move forward, he said. Cooperation between Taiwan and the United States in the area of military security will also move ahead even more smoothly due to the improvement in cross-strait ties, he said.
Mr. Sumida thanked President Ma for taking time out of busy schedule to meet with him, and expressed his deep admiration for the president's efforts to improve relations between Taiwan and mainland China, and the trilateral relationship between Taiwan, Japan, and the United States. Mr. Sumida said that situations around the world change rapidly, and economic and military relationships are becoming increasingly complex. He said he hopes the president will continue to lead Taiwan on the correct path forward, since the stability of Taiwan is an important issue for Japan.
Mr. Sumida stressed that the Sankei Shimbun began some 30 years ago to advocate the exhibition of articles from the National Palace Museum in Japan. He said that the people of Japan strongly hope that their wishes in this regard will be realized. Mr. Sumida added that legislation related to protecting the articles when they are overseas is moving forward through the legislative process. The Fujisankei Communications Group, he said, is very much interested in helping to make the exhibition of artwork from the museum take place in order to give the Japanese public an opportunity to see the brilliance of Chinese culture.
Mr. Sumida, along with Sankei Shimbun Standing Director Shuji Toyama and Taipei Bureau Chief Isao Yamamoto were accompanied to the Presidential Office in the afternoon by Government Information Office Minister Johnny Chi-chen Chiang, Taiwan's representative to Japan John Feng, and National Palace Museum Deputy Director Ming-Chu Fung. Also in attendance was National Security Council Advisor Lee Chia-chin.