President Ma Ying-jeou met on the afternoon of May 6 with Japanese House of Representatives Member Yuriko Koike. Ms. Koike is making a special visit to Taiwan on behalf of Liberal Democratic Party President Sadakazu Tanigaki to thank Taiwan for its concern and donations in the wake of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami that devastated parts of northeastern Honshu. She also presented a crystal plaque engraved with Chinese characters to President Ma in an expression of gratitude.
The paragraph engraved on the plaque states as follows: "I thank President Ma Ying-jeou for your help following the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami. You immediately dispatched rescue and assistance teams and a medical delegation, and have continued to provide aid, goods, and donations since then. This was a tremendous help. I offer my deepest appreciation for the deep concern expressed by the people of the ROC. / by Sadakazu Tanigaki, President of Liberal Democratic Party and Chief of Great East Japan Earthquake & Tsunami Emergency Disaster Department."
President Ma stated that following the earthquake he immediately instructed John C.T. Feng, Chief of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Japan, to express his condolences to Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan. At the same time, Taiwan announced that it would donate NT$100 million. The Red Cross Society of the ROC, World Vision Taiwan, and Tzu Chi then initiated fund drives, he said, noting that to date over NT$5.7 billion in donations has been raised, setting a new record in the ROC for donations provided for foreign assistance. While the earthquake and tsunami took place nearly two months ago, donations continue to come in, remarked President Ma, adding that Legislative Yuan President Wang Jin-pyng recently led a delegation to Tokyo to express the condolences and concern of the government and people of the ROC in the wake of the multiple disasters. At the same time, it was announced that the ROC travel advisory for Hokkaido had been downgraded to "grey." The president said he hopes that this action will encourage Taiwanese to resume their trips to Hokkaido and help the tourism industry there recover.
The president remarked how people were deeply saddened upon hearing the news of the disaster, and noted that Evergreen Group Founder and Chairman Chang Yung-fa was brought to tears. Taiwan experienced a devastating earthquake on September 21, 1999, and terrible mudslides and flooding in August 2009, but Japan's recent quake was 10 times more serious than the tremor here, so people here are able to empathize with what the Japanese are going through. This enormous disaster, he said, has made for a closer bilateral relationship, and highlights the deep concern that the people of Taiwan have for Japan. President Ma expressed his hope that the government and people of Japan will together complete the reconstruction work at hand so that the survivors can resume normal lives as soon as possible.
President Ma stated that after the disaster the Japanese government expressed its gratitude to various countries for providing assistance. It first mentioned the United States, followed by Taiwan, he said. In addition, Japan's Representative to Taiwan Tadashi Imai and the Japanese Association in Taiwan also held a joint press conference in April to thank the ROC for its assistance. This demonstrates the profound friendship referred to by Prime Minister Kan in an open letter to thank Taiwan for its assistance.
Meanwhile, the president said that Japanese engineer Yoichi Hatta over 80 years ago made an enormous contribution in the design of the Jianan irrigation waterways and the Wushantou Reservoir in Tainan City, helping to improve farming in the area. To this day, farmers still recall with gratitude what this has meant for them over the years. President Ma added that this is a great achievement in the history of bilateral ties, which is why, upon taking office in May 2008, he called for restoration of Hatta's residence in the area. Period furniture from the 1930s has been collected from Kanazawa City in Ishikawa Prefecture to recreate the history of the place.
Parliamentarian Koike was accompanied to the Presidential Office in the afternoon by Peng Run-tsu, Chairman of the ROC Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Association of East Asian Relations, and Tadashi Imai, Chairman of Japan's Interchange Association, to meet with President Ma. Also attending the meeting was National Security Council Advisor Lee Chia-chin.