President Ma Ying-jeou met on the afternoon of August 22 with the Japan Interchange Association Taipei Office's new Chief Representative Mikio Numata. On behalf of the government and people of the ROC, the president welcomed Chief Representative Numata to Taiwan to assume his new position, and called for a continued strengthening of interaction and cooperation between Taiwan and Japan.
In remarks, President Ma first noted that Chief Representative Numata previously served as consul at Japan's consulate-generals in Hong Kong and New York, counsellor in the Foreign Minister's Secretariat, director-general of the Consular Affairs Bureau, and ambassador to Myanmar. He studied Chinese in Taiwan and is well-versed in the Chinese language and culture, the president stated. He expressed confidence that, with his wealth of experience, Chief Representative Numata will help relations between the two countries to move forward.
As for Taiwan-Japan relations, the president said, after he was inaugurated six years ago he designated the relationship between Taiwan and Japan as a special partnership. Although the two sides do not maintain formal relations, they do have close economic ties. Japan is Taiwan's second largest trading partner, Taiwan is Japan's fourth largest, and bilateral trade last year reached US$60 billion, he said. The president also noted that the two countries in 2011 signed the Taiwan–Japan Bilateral Investment Arrangement, and in November of last year signed the Taiwan-Japan Arrangement for Mutual Cooperation on Electronic Commerce and the Taiwan-Japan Memorandum of Understanding for the Mutual Co-operation in the Field of Financial Supervision. These fruits if cooperation surpass anything seen in the past several decades.
President Ma furthermore explained that in late 2011 the ROC government initiated the Taiwan-Japan Industrial Collaboration Bridging Project, and through July of this year this initiative has helped to pave the way for 150 investments and joint ventures involving industrial and technology cooperation between Taiwan and Japan, with the value of Japan's cooperation and investment in Taiwan standing at some NT$22 billion. Looking ahead, the president expressed hope that the two countries can sign an avoidance of double taxation agreement as well as a free trade agreement or an economic partnership agreement, so that bilateral economic and trade ties can reach an even higher level.
President Ma told Chief Representative Numata that he has actively promoted interaction between the two sides since taking office. In addition to the opening of a representative office in Sapporo and the signing of a youth working holiday agreement, the two sides have also signed an open skies agreement. In addition, the initiation of direct flights between Taipei's Songshan Airport and Tokyo's Haneda Airport has helped to open new horizons for the aviation industries of both nations, he said, pointing out that this route has become the most popular route for Taiwanese visiting Japan.
President Ma mentioned that Taiwan and Japan last year signed a fisheries agreement, which marked an important breakthrough in bilateral relations. As the number of fishing disputes in the one year prior to the signing of the agreement stood at 17, but that number has dropped to just one since the signing of the agreement, he said, noting that coast guard vessels of the two nations no longer come into confrontation. The president commented that the agreement is an example of his East China Sea Peace Initiative being put into practice. The initiative has won wide applause throughout the international community, and has also bolstered the international images of the two countries, he remarked.
As for the topic of regional integration, the president stated, last year was a particularly fruitful year for Taiwan in the area of trade liberalization. Taiwan and New Zealand signed the ANZTEC economic cooperation agreement, while Taiwan and Singapore inked the ASTEP economic partnership agreement. President Ma said that while Taiwan's participation in regional economic integration has lagged behind that of Japan and other nations, it has nevertheless taken an important step forward. The president noted that Japan's Foreign Affairs Ministry Press Secretary Kuni Sato in June of this year at an international press conference said that Japan welcomes Taiwan's participation in the Trans-Pacific Partnership. He stressed that the ROC government is pleased to see the positive response by Japan, and he hopes the two sides will discuss and sign bilateral or multilateral economic agreements so that both sides can be actively involved in regional economic integration.
The president then made remarks in response to the torrential rains that recently hit Hiroshima, causing 39 deaths and leaving 51 missing. On behalf of the government and people of Taiwan, President Ma extended his deepest condolences to the families of the victims. He mentioned the effects of extreme weather and climate change throughout the world and that Taiwan and Japan suffer from many of the same types of natural disasters. For instance, five years ago Typhoon Morakot brought heavy rains to parts of Taiwan, leading to over NT$100 billion of property losses and impacting the lives of over 500,000 people, he said. Both sides can strengthen cooperation in this regard to protect lives and property in both nations, the president stated.
Lastly, President Ma said that since taking office six years ago he has met with 144 delegations from Japan, which highlights the close bilateral relationship. He acknowledged the long-term support and assistance of the Japan-ROC Diet Members' Consultative Council, the Liberal Democratic Party's Young Diet Members' Association to Promote Japan-Taiwan Economic and Cultural Exchanges, and other friendly parliamentary groups, adding his hope that Chief Representative Numata will continue to promote bilateral interaction and cooperation to further enhance the friendship between the two countries.