President Ma Ying-jeou met on the morning of September 2 with members of a cross-strait relations research group led by a professor from the University of Tokyo. Apart from briefing his visitors on the current status of ties between Taiwan and Japan, the president also called for even closer bilateral relations and a joint effort to forge peace and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region.
In remarks, President Ma first thanked the guests for their longstanding research on Taiwan-related topics, and for offering their opinions on related issues to the Japanese media, thus demonstrating the scholarly spirit of sharing one's knowledge with others. In addition, the president said, he looks forward to exchanging opinions with the scholars on a wide range of topics, especially at this critical juncture in the East China Sea, South China Sea, and cross-strait relations.
As for relations between Taiwan and Japan, President Ma stated, economic and political ties over the past several years have been even closer than in the past. He pointed to the signing of the Taiwan- Japan Bilateral Investment Arrangement last year as an example, saying that this pact has sparked greater cooperation between companies in Taiwan and Japan. The president said that the signing of the arrangement takes bilateral relations to a higher level. In addition, he stated, an open skies agreement also marks a new milestone in the development of aviation relations, for it has boosted interaction between the two countries.
President Ma pointed out that Taiwan and Japan signed a fisheries agreement on April 10 of last year that has now been in force for one year and four months and has successfully ended a 40-year fishing dispute. The president noted that 17 disputes occurred in the waters around the Diaoyutai Islets in the year prior to the signing of the agreement, but the number has dropped to just one in the past year. At the same time, fishermen from the two countries can now operate in an area twice the size of Taiwan, which has considerably boosted their catches, he said, so this agreement has achieved the twin goals of peace and prosperity.
President Ma further explained that the signing of the fisheries agreement not only marked the beginning of a new phase in Taiwan-Japan relations, but was also widely applauded and supported by the international community.
On the topic of cross-strait relations, the president said, there have been considerable achievements, including the signing of 21 agreements. In addition. President Ma added, Minister Wang Yu-chi (王郁琦) of Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council and Minister Zhang Zhijun (張志軍) of mainland China's Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council made reciprocal visits in February and June of this year. They discussed the establishment of representative offices, humanitarian visits, transit in Taiwan by mainland tourists on their way to onward destinations, and Taiwan's participation in Asia-Pacific economic integration. This was the first time in the 65 years since the two sides came under separate rule that the heads of the respective agencies responsible for cross-strait affairs made reciprocal visits and addressed each other by their formal titles, the president mentioned, adding that their discussions of a number of substantive cross-strait topics were highly significant for the development of cross-strait relations.
President Ma also spoke highly of the current state of relations between Taiwan and Japan, which, he said, are at their most stable since the severing of formal diplomatic ties in 1972. He cited tourism and people-to-people ties as an example, stating that the number of visits to Japan by ROC nationals this year is expected to exceed four million, which would overtake Korea and make Taiwan the largest source of visitors to Japan. Also, nearly 480 scheduled flights operate between Taiwan and Japan each week, serving 19 airports in Japan, the president noted. He particularly mentioned the frequency of flights between Taipei's Songshan Airport and Tokyo's Haneda Airport, noting that flights are routinely full. This has truly become a golden route, said the president.
As for cultural ties, President Ma remarked, Japan's Takarazuka Revue held performances for the first time in Taiwan in April of last year and was well received here. Furthermore, in June of this year, Taiwan's National Palace Museum began holding an exhibition of works from its collection at the Tokyo National Museum. One of the items on display was the Jadeite Cabbage, which was exhibited overseas for this first time, to the delight of the Japanese public. Admission to the exhibit to date has exceeded 300,000, the president said, describing this as an epochal event for the two nations. He noted that the works will also be displayed at the Kyushu National Museum later this year. Meanwhile, the Tokyo and Kyushu National Museums are planning to hold an exhibit of treasures from their collections at the Southern Branch of the National Palace Museum in 2016, which will also mark a new page in bilateral cultural interaction, he commented.
In mentioning Taiwan's interest in participating in regional economic integration, the president stated that on June 18 this year Japan's Foreign Ministry Press Secretary Kuni Sato indicated at an international press conference that the Japanese government welcomes Taiwan's participation in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). President Ma expressed hope that Japan will help Taiwan join the TPP and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, thereby enabling the two counties to work together for stability and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region.
Among those in the delegation were University of Tokyo Professor Akio Takahara and Waseda University Professor Masahiro Wakabayashi. Leading the delegation was University of Tokyo Professor Yasuhiro Matsuda.