President Ma Ying-jeou met with a delegation from the Japan-ROC Diet Members' Consultative Council and the Youth Division of the Liberal Democratic Party at the Presidential Office on the morning of November 1. The group was in Taiwan to attend ceremonies marking the commencement of flights between Taipei's Songshan Airport and Tokyo's Haneda Airport. The president extended a warm welcome to the visitors and thanked them for coming.
Commenting on the economic and touristic significance of direct flights between the two downtown airports, President Ma noted that eight daily flights will transport 1,000 passengers back and forth, which means roughly 360,000 people a year. The new flight route could push the number of travelers between the two nations to 3 million next year, he said, adding that passengers will enjoy greater convenience as both of these airports are located downtown in the two capital cities. The result will be even closer ties. The president further stated that passengers arriving at Haneda can connect to flights to 48 domestic airports, while passengers connecting at Songshan will be able to catch flights to five or six airports in Taiwan. Opening up these airports to international travel affords passengers greater convenience in their travels, he said.
President Ma again urged the Japanese Diet to quickly pass legislation that will prevent third countries from impounding items on display in Japan. The promulgation of this legislation will make it possible for Taiwan's National Palace Museum to exhibit its treasures in Japan, thereby fostering important cultural interaction, he said.
During the meeting, the president said that the cross-strait Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement that Taiwan and mainland China entered into last June provides new opportunities for cooperation between companies in Taiwan and Japan. He pointed to research by a Japanese think tank showing that Japanese companies have a success rate of 68% when investing in mainland China on their own, but 78% if they partner with Taiwan counterparts. The president said he is confident that strategic alliances among companies from the two nations will help Japan develop markets in mainland China.
President Ma said that the 2010 Taipei International Flora Exposition is about to get underway, and some 286 special guests in 65 delegations from 44 nations, including Japan, will be on hand for the opening. The president added that the Yoichi Hatta Memorial Park being established at the Wushantou Reservoir in Tainan, southern Taiwan, is nearing completion and will open on May 8 next year. Inviting the guests to attend the ceremonies to mark the inauguration of the park, the president stated that Mr. Hatta (1886-1942, Japanese engineer) made an enormous contribution to the design of the Chianan Canal, and the government has specially created this park to memorialize him. The president expressed his appreciation to the residents of Kanazawa City in Ishikawa Prefecture for providing period furniture from the 1920s and 1930s to decorate Mr. Hatta's former residence. The park will enable more people to understand the contributions that Mr. Hatta made to Taiwan during his life, he said.
The delegation, led by Yasuhiro Oe, a member of the House of Councillors, was accompanied to the Presidential Office in the morning by Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Ssu-Tsun Shen to meet President Ma. Also attending the meeting was National Security Council Advisor Lee Chia-chin.