President Ma Ying-jeou met on the morning of February 7 with a delegation led by Japanese glass artist Kuniaki Kuroki. In addition to praising the artistic achievements of Mr. Kuroki, the president also spoke about a number of bright spots in relations between Taiwan and Japan.
In remarks, President Ma stated that Mr. Kuroki is a world-class glass artist whose work has won many major awards in Japan and overseas. In addition, his pieces have been collected by many fine arts museums and general museums, he said. This year marks the 50th year that Mr. Kuroki has worked in the field of glass arts, and it also constitutes the 25th anniversary of the founding of his glass workshop, the president commented. President Ma said he is confident that Mr. Kuroki's "Half Century" of Glass Art: A Taiwan-Japan Exchange Exhibition, which was just getting underway in Taiwan, would bolster mutual understanding and enhance friendship and cooperation.
President Ma pointed out that he has always embraced a philosophy of "reviving the country by promoting culture." He said he also feels that infrastructure makes for a powerful nation, but only culture can make for a great nation. President Ma quoted the famous Irish writer and poet Oscar Wilde, who said: "The function of the artist is to invent, not to chronicle." The president praised Mr. Kuroki's achievements in combining the "overlay glass" technique from the Qianlong period (1736-1796) of China's Qing Dynasty with traditional glass techniques of the West, thereby creating his own unique "Kuroki glass arts" style.
The president also recalled that in 2001 he made a visit to Fukuoka, where he enjoyed a performance of Japan's renowned Takarazuka Revue. He pointed out that not an empty seat could be found in the theater, which made a deep impression on him. President Ma expressed confidence that the public here will similarly enjoy performances by the theatre troupe, which will perform for the first time in Taiwan in April this year. In addition, the president stated, Taiwan's National Palace Museum is home to countless relics of China's imperial court, and many items in its collection constitute the best of the best. The president noted that the Japanese parliament (the Diet) two years ago passed the Law Concerning Promotion of Exhibitions of Art Objects from Overseas, which eliminates obstacles to the National Palace Museum holding an exhibition of selected items from its collection in Japan. Consequently, the museum intends to hold exhibitions next year in Tokyo and Kyushu, he said.
President Ma also mentioned that he immediately took a variety of measures five years ago when he first took office to promote relations between Taiwan and Japan. These efforts, he said, have yielded considerable substantive results. For instance, the two sides have signed a youth working holiday agreement, and Taiwan has established a representative office in Sapporo, Hokkaido, making it the sixth representative office of Taiwan in Japan. The president added that direct flights have commenced between Taipei's Songshan Airport and Tokyo's Haneda Airport, and the two sides have signed an open skies agreement that ends restrictions on the number of flights and types of aircraft that can be used for travel between Taiwan and airports outside of Tokyo. In addition, the two countries signed the Taiwan-Japan Bilateral Investment Arrangement in 2011. These developments show that bilateral ties between Taiwan and Japan cover a wide range of areas, and progress has been seen on many fronts, he said.
President Ma emphasized that upon taking office he specially designated the relationship between Taiwan and Japan as a "special partnership." In particular, Japan is Taiwan's second largest trading partner, while Taiwan is Japan's fourth largest, and in addition to our close economic and trade ties, the president said, tourism is also booming. Describing the relationship as "special" reflects how close bilateral ties are, which is quite remarkable given the fact that the two sides do not have formal diplomatic relations. This, he said, is unique in the world.
In addition to Mr. Kuroki, the delegation included Glass Art Kuroki Overseas Department Manager Yayoi Onitsuka, President Isao Sato of Miyazaki Convention and Visitors Bureau, Mayor Minoru Maeda of the town of Aya in Miyazaki Prefecture, and Aya Town Assembly Speaker Hiroshi Okuma. The delegation was accompanied to the Presidential Office by Ministry of Foreign Affairs Secretary General Gary Song-Huann Lin (林松煥) to meet President Ma. Also attending the meeting was National Security Council Advisor Lee Chia-chin (李嘉進).