Office of the President Republic of China(Taiwan)

President Ma Ying-jeou met on the afternoon of January 11 with a delegation led by Wataru Aso, Governor of Japan's Fukuoka Prefecture, and thanked his guests for their enthusiasm in promoting ties between Taiwan and Japan.

The president noted that Governor Aso is the current President of Japan's National Governors' Association and is among the most well-known prefectural leaders in that country. The president commented that Mr. Aso has performed impressively as governor, adding that the scenery and urban planning in Fukuoka City left a deep impression on him 10 years ago when he visited in his capacity as Taipei City mayor. He recalled that he was given the great honor of throwing out the opening pitch at a game between the Seibu Lions and the Daiei Hawks at the 48,000-seat Fukuoka Dome.

President Ma remarked that shortly after assuming office he designated the relationship between Taiwan and Japan as a special partnership. While the two nations do not maintain formal diplomatic ties, investment and trade ties are close—Japan is Taiwan's second largest trading partner, while Taiwan is Japan's fourth largest. He also cited research by a Japanese think tank showing that the probability of success if Japanese and Taiwanese firms jointly invest in mainland China is 78%, which is 10 percentage points higher than if Japanese firms invest on their own. The president said that even more room for cooperation between the two countries exists in the wake of the signing of the cross-strait Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement last year.

President Ma told the guests that over 3 million visits have been made to the Taipei International Flora Exposition since it opened on November 6 of last year, and welcomed the guests to visit this major event during their stay.

The delegation was accompanied to the Presidential Office by Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Minister Thomas Ping-Fu Hou to meet President Ma. Also attending the meeting was National Security Council Advisor Lee Chia-chin.