President Ma Ying-jeou met on the afternoon of May 1 with a delegation from the Young Diet Members' Group to Promote Japan-Taiwan Economic and Cultural Ties, led by Nobuo Kishi of the Japanese House of Representatives. In addition to recognizing the importance of the recently signed fisheries agreement between Taiwan and Japan to bilateral relations, the president also called for continued effort and cooperation to jointly transform the East China Sea into a "sea of peace and cooperation."
In remarks, President Ma noted that the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan won elections in late December last year and Shinzo Abe became prime minister for the second time. Prime Minister Abe, he said, has introduced a slate of fiscal, economic, and financial policies aimed at injecting vitality into Japan's long moribund economy. This has helped to restore confidence among the Japanese people, the president noted. He added that Taiwan is pleased to see a rapid recovery in the economy there, and expressed sincere best wishes for Japan's prosperity.
President Ma commented that Taiwan's Legislative Yuan has two Taiwan-Japan parliamentary friendship groups, headed by Legislator Lee Hung-Chun (李鴻鈞) and Legislator Huang Wen-Ling (黃文玲), respectively. Both groups have made considerable contributions to the development of relations between the two countries, he said.
The president mentioned that after efforts that spanned 17 years, Taiwan and Japan on April 10 this year finally signed a fisheries agreement. This pact sets out clearly delineated fishing grounds under mutual management where fishermen from both countries can operate without interference, he said. In addition, this agreement does not prejudice either side's claims to sovereignty over the Diaoyutai Islets, but instead focuses on resolving longstanding fishing issues in the seas around the islets, he remarked. President Ma stated that while each side has its own stance on sovereignty issues, each decided to shelve the dispute and instead adopt a peaceful and rational attitude, work in a spirit of equality and mutual benefit, and aim to jointly develop and share the resources of the area. This is precisely a realization of the East China Sea Peace Initiative that he unveiled last year, the president said. Countries in the Asia-Pacific region, as well as in Europe and the Americas, have responded favorably to the peace initiative, which proves that the framework of the initiative corresponds to the expectations of the international community, he noted. President Ma expressed his deepest appreciation to Japan for its sincerity and goodwill during the course of the negotiations. He also called for continued cooperation to jointly turn the East China Sea into a "sea of peace and cooperation."
President Ma pointed out that both Taiwan and Japan have to deal with earthquakes and other natural disasters, both suffer from a lack of energy resources, and both are island nations that must maintain independent energy grids. Consequently, Japan's handling of nuclear accidents is closely watched by Taiwan, he said. The president added that Taiwan is more than willing to strengthen the exchange of information and engage in cooperation with Japan on nuclear power safety issues.
With respect to industrial cooperation between Taiwan and Japan, President Ma stated, the two sides in September 2011 signed the Taiwan-Japan Bilateral Investment Arrangement, and at the end of last year the Taiwan government began promoting the Taiwan-Japan Industrial Collaboration Bridging Project. These two initiatives are intended to further expand and deepen the economic, trade, and investment relationship between the two countries, he said.
Turning the topic to cultural ties, President Ma mentioned, Japan's Takarazuka Revue musical theater troupe last month held a very successful first performance in Taiwan, thus turning a new page in cultural ties between Taiwan and Japan, he said. The president also praised the efforts of the Japan-ROC Diet Members' Consultative Council and the Japan Interchange Association, adding that works of art from Taiwan's National Palace Museum are slated to be put on display in Japan next year, while the Tokyo National Museum in 2017 will hold an exhibition of selected treasures from the Japanese imperial court at the National Palace Museum Southern Branch [scheduled to open in 2015]. The president expressed confidence that these activities will elevate bilateral cultural ties to a new level.
President Ma also mentioned that early this year Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida issued congratulations on the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the Japan Interchange Association, stating that friendship and trust between Taiwan and Japan rests on the basis of our shared commitment to democracy, freedom, and peace, and that Taiwan is an important partner of Japan's. The president stated that this message dovetails with the concept of the "Special Partnership between Taiwan and Japan" that he introduced after taking office.
President Ma reiterated that after taking office he actively promoted direct flights between Tokyo's Haneda Airport and Taipei's Songshan Airport, and today there are direct flights between Japan and airports in Taichung City, Chiayi County, and Tainan City, which makes it easier to arrange visits by Japanese to Taiwan. The president expressed hopes that substantive relations can be further upgraded.
The delegation also included House of Representatives members Nobuhide Minorikawa, Tsukasa Akimoto, Yohei Matsumoto, Toshitaka Ooka, and House of Councillors members Junzo Yamamoto and Toshiei Mizuochi. The group was escorted to the Presidential Office by Japan's Interchange Association Taipei Office Chief Representative Sumio Tarui to meet President Ma. Also attending the meeting were Secretary-General to the President Timothy Chin-Tien Yang (楊進添), National Security Council Secretary-General Jason C. Yuan (袁健生), and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Ting Joseph Shih (石定).