President Ma Ying-jeou met on the morning of April 7 with a delegation led by Japan Interchange Association Chairman Mitsuo Ohashi. In addition to acknowledging the close and friendly relations between the two countries, along with frequent official and private sector interaction, the president also expressed hope for greater bilateral interaction and cooperation in the future.
In remarks, President Ma stated that on November 19 of last year he had met with Chairman Ohashi who was in Taiwan to sign four agreements, including a memorandum of understanding on tourism cooperation between Taiwan and Japan. The talks between the two were extremely cordial, he said. The president added that Chairman Ohashi and his wife came to Taiwan during the Western New Year holiday for a vacation, and visited the Eluanbi Lighthouse in southern Taiwan, which is also called "The Light of East Asia." Following his trip, Chairman Ohashi wrote an article about tourism and cultural landscape here that expressed his affection for Taiwan, the president stated.
The president remarked that Taiwan and Japan have a deep and friendly relationship, and that since he took office in 2008, the two countries have signed 25 agreements. Bilateral relations are the closest they have been since the severing of diplomatic ties in 1972, he commented.
President Ma mentioned that the ROC and Japan in recent years have seen increasingly frequent contacts in the political arena. Last year, for instance, a total of 99 Japanese parliamentarians visited Taiwan. In addition, of Japan's 47 municipal and prefectural governments, 30 important local leaders have visited the ROC to publicize their local products and tourist attractions. This demonstrates the active relationship and frequent interaction between the central and local governments of both nations, the president said.
The president stated that last year there were a total of about 4.6 million discrete visits by nationals between the two countries. Of this number, ROC nationals made over 2.97 million visits to Japan, making Taiwan the largest source of tourists to Japan. Meanwhile, Japanese made 1.63 million visits to Taiwan. Both of these numbers were new highs, the president said. In addition, according to Expedia, a renowned international travel website, Taipei last year was the third most popular destination in the world for Japanese traveling overseas. The president hopes even more Japanese will visit Taiwan in the future to sample the delicious food, enjoy the scenic beauty, and experience the beautiful character of our citizens.
President Ma stated that last year Taiwan's National Palace Museum sent items from its collection to be exhibited in both Tokyo and Fukuoka. The exhibitions were extremely popular and marked a new page in cultural interaction between the two countries. Meanwhile, in October 2016 the Tokyo and Kyushu National Museums will hold an exhibition of 160 Japanese works of art and important national cultural items at the National Palace Museum Southern Branch. The president added that many people are looking forward to this event.
Turning to the topic of interaction in the area of education, the president noted that Taiwan is the fourth most popular destination among Japanese youth seeking to study overseas, while Japan is the fifth most popular destination for students from Taiwan studying abroad. This indicates that there is extensive interaction among the younger generation, which is conducive to building strong bonds for bilateral friendship. The president hopes that the increasing interaction among youth from the two countries will help to foster friendship among the younger generation.
President Ma mentioned that Taiwan and Japan have enjoyed close ties on the economic and trade front in recent years. The two countries are currently engaged in negotiations on a double taxation avoidance agreement and customs cooperation. The president is confident that appropriate arrangements in this regard not only will pave the way for a fair corporate tax regime, but also create a good environment that encourages investment, which will deepen our substantive relations. The president also hopes that the two nations will sign an economic partnership agreement as soon as possible to further enhance the bilateral economic and trade relationship, and hold economic benefits for both sides.
The president stated that the second anniversary of the signing of a fisheries agreement between the two countries will take place in three days. In the two years since the agreement was implemented, the two countries have effectively resolved longstanding disputes regarding fishing rights, with the number of disputes in related waters having dropped from 17 in the year prior to the signing of the agreement, to just one now. The agreement not only has effectively minimized disputes, but at the same time has enabled fishermen from both nations to increase their catches significantly, he said. The agreement, the president stated, has been recognized internationally, with former US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel and Australian Minister for Defence David Johnston having publicly applauded the agreement for resolving a fishing dispute in a peaceful manner.
Chairman Ohashi was accompanied to the Presidential Office by Chief Representative of the Japan Interchange Association Taipei Office Mikio Numata and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrew Jen-Chuan Kao (高振群) to meet with President Ma.