President Ma Ying-jeou met on the afternoon of May 1 with a delegation led by former Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, currently a member of the House of Representatives. In addition to expressing his gratitude to Representative Noda for supporting, during his term as prime minister, the ROC-proposed East China Sea Peace Initiative, the president also updated the group on the status and prospects for interaction between the two countries in a wide range of areas.
In remarks, the president stated that after taking office in 2008 he immediately designated the ROC-Japan relationship as a "special partnership." Over the years the two sides have completed 25 agreements, including the Taiwan-Japan Bilateral Investment Arrangement and a youth working holiday agreement. These agreements have been conducive to strengthening cooperation between the two peoples, which has now reached unprecedented depth and breadth, the president said.
The president commented that during his term as prime minister in 2011 and 2012, Representative Noda responded favorably to the ROC's East China Sea Peace Initiative, proposed in August 2012. At that time, Representative Noda affirmed the ROC's call to resolve disputes in the East China Sea peacefully, and specially asked then-Chief Representative of the Japan Interchange Association Taipei Office Tadashi Imai to convey his support for the initiative.
The president stated that the East China Sea Peace Initiative emphasizes the concept that "although sovereignty over national territory cannot be compromised, natural resources can be shared." The initiative also encourages three parallel tracks of bilateral dialogue wherein Taiwan, mainland China, and Japan would hold talks in a spirit of pragmatism and cooperation. The parties would engage in bilateral dialogue in an effort to resolve disputes peacefully and thus gradually achieve the goal of sharing resources and reducing conflict, he said.
The president then remarked that interaction between Taiwan and Japan has been quite close in recent years. In November 2011, the two countries completed revisions to their bilateral aviation agreement, paving the way for a large increase in the number of cities and routes served between the two countries. The number of scheduled flights this year is poised to increase to 500 each week, and Taipei's Songshan Airport and airports in Chiayi County and Tainan City will have direct flights to Tokyo's Haneda Airport and airports in Shizuoka and Kanazawa, thus expanding tourism between the two countries, the president said.
The president stated that the number of tourists travelling between the two countries has risen substantially. Total visits reached 4.6 million in 2014, with ROC nationals making over 2.97 million visits to Japan and Japanese making 1.63 million visits to Taiwan, both new highs. In addition, the two countries signed a youth working holiday agreement in 2009. As demand for slots in the program has exceeded availability, the two sides last October expanded the number of openings to 5,000 from an initial 2,000, allowing more young people to participate. This type of frequent interaction is not only effectively enhancing mutual understanding, but also helping to strengthen bilateral friendship, the president said.
The president then remarked that the two sides have consistently maintained extremely close economic and trade relations. Japan, he said, is Taiwan's third-largest trading partner, while Taiwan is Japan's fourth-largest. Bilateral trade last year hit US$61.6 billion. Taiwan and Japan have continued to promote the signing of a range of economic and trade agreements in recent years, with the Taiwan-Japan Bilateral Investment Arrangement inked in September 2011 providing greater legal protection for investments. The president hopes the two sides will take advantage of this existing foundation to sign a free trade agreement or economic cooperation agreement as soon as possible, enabling trade and economic relations to reach new levels.
The president also mentioned that Taiwan is striving to promote economic and trade liberalization and is working to participate in regional economic integration, hoping to become a member of both the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership. The president hopes that Japan will continue to support Taiwan's bid for TPP and RCEP membership so that both countries can contribute to stability and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region.
The president stated that Taiwan and Japan share similar geographical conditions, making them both susceptible to many types of natural disasters. Taiwan was shaken by a major earthquake on September 21, 1999 and experienced devastating flooding and landslides caused by Typhoon Morakot in 2009. The government and people of Japan provided assistance to Taiwan following those disasters, and the public remembers those gestures to this day. Meanwhile, following the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11, 2011, the government and people here rushed to make donations to aid in the rescue and relief effort. This shows the deep friendship between the two countries, the president said. In addition, the Memorandum of Understanding between Taiwan and Japan for the Mutual Cooperation in the Field of Nuclear and Radiation Safety Regulation in the Peaceful Use of Nuclear Energy was signed last year to help create a bridge between the two countries to share related technology. The president hopes the signing of that MOU will contribute to strengthening of bilateral cooperation and interaction in disaster prevention and mitigation.
After President Ma completed his remarks, Representative Noda expressed his gratitude to the ROC for its donations and assistance following the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake. This demonstrated the bond between the two nations in the face of adversity, he said. He also applauded the revisions to the aviation agreement between the two countries and the Taiwan-Japan Bilateral Investment Arrangement, while further expressing hope for continued strengthening of friendship and relations between Taiwan and Japan.
Representative Noda then addressed the topic of Taiwan's imports of food from Japan, noting that Taiwan on May 15 intends to tighten its relevant regulations. Representative Noda mentioned that the Japanese public is currently quite concerned about this issue and hopes that Taiwan will respond calmly and base its decision on scientific evidence. Japan, he said, will investigate the situation and clarify related lines of responsibility with the hope that this issue will be handled proactively and move in a positive direction.
In response, President Ma stated that valid solutions require full investigation and clarification of the recent false labelling incidents, followed by an evaluation of control measures to prevent a recurrence. Anything less will fall short of the government's responsibility to the public and the legislature, he said.
The delegation included House of Representatives member Soichiro Okuno, House of Councillors members Hiroyuki Nagahama and Yuji Fujimoto, and former House of Representatives members Yoshio Teduka and Koichiro Ichimura. The delegation was led by Representative Noda and was accompanied to the Presidential Office by Chief Representative of the Japan Interchange Association Taipei Office Mikio Numata to meet President Ma.