President Ma Ying-jeou on October 10 hosted a luncheon at the Presidential Office Building for a delegation of Japanese parliamentarians visiting the ROC to participate in Double Tenth National Day celebrations. In addition to extending a cordial welcome to the group on behalf of the government and people of the ROC, the president also expressed hope for enhanced trade and economic relations between Taiwan and Japan.
In remarks, the president stated that membership in the Japan-ROC Diet Members' Consultative Council, under the leadership of Chairman Takeo Hiranuma and Chief Secretary Keiji Furuya, has increased to 284 as of this past July, about 40% of the members in the Japanese parliament (Diet). The council never fails to organize a delegation to visit Taiwan each year to congratulate the ROC on its national day. The ROC places great importance on the visit, he said, noting that this year's delegation consists of 31 members, including 26 members of Japan's House of Representatives and House of Councillors, which also highlights the importance that the council gives to ROC-Japan relations.
President Ma remarked that upon taking office in 2008 he designated the relationship between Taiwan and Japan as a "special partnership." Though lacking formal diplomatic relations, the two sides maintain close interaction in a wide range of fields. Over the past 40 years, for instance, the two countries signed a total of 58 agreements including an open skies agreement, a youth working holiday agreement, the Taiwan-Japan Bilateral Investment Arrangement, and a fisheries agreement, with 25 of those agreements, or 43%, signed in the past seven years alone. The president said that these endeavors, previously unattainable, have been consummated by his administration.
Commenting on economic and trade ties between the ROC and Japan, President Ma noted that bilateral trade last year hit US$61.6 billion and that Japan is the ROC's third largest trading partner. In addition, the first round of negotiations associated with the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) was recently completed. Given that 35% of Taiwan's exports are absorbed by TPP members, Taiwan has high hopes to become a TPP signatory. Former Japanese Foreign Minister Press Secretary Kuni Sato indicated on June 18 of last year that the Japanese government welcomed Taiwan's willingness to participate in the TPP, said the president. He then expressed hope that the visitors will continue to help Taiwan join the TPP, thereby promoting regional economic integration.
The president also stated that Japanese from all walks of life expressed their condolences following the powder explosion that occurred at the Formosa Fun Coast waterpark in northern Taiwan on June 27 of this year. The Japanese Red Cross Society provided medical resources and support, while the Japanese branch of the Association of Medical Doctors of Asia and the Japan Medical Association also jointly recommended six professors and physicians specializing in critical care and burn treatment to visit Taiwan. From July 12 through 15 they provided intensive care and advice to local hospitals involved in the treatment of the victims.
The president mentioned that the Japanese government and public generously provided assistance to Taiwan following the September 21, 1999 earthquake, and Typhoon Morakot in 2009 which caused devastating landslides and flooding. On March 11, 2011, following the Great East Japan Earthquake, the ROC enthusiastically made donations to help Japan in the relief effort. This shows the mutual concern and true bond of friendship between the two sides, the president said. President Ma expressed his deepest gratitude to the many sectors in Japan that have exhibited their kindness to Taiwan when it encounters disasters.
Mentioning tourism and cultural ties, the president stated that last year Taiwan's National Palace Museum held an exhibit in Tokyo and Fukuoka of works from its collection, attracting a total of 660,000 visits. In October of next year the Tokyo National Museum and the Kyushu National Museum will hold an exhibition of 160 works of art from the Japanese imperial court at the Southern Branch of the National Palace Museum, an exhibit that many people, the president said, are looking forward to. In addition, the Takarazuka Revue performed here again this past August and was extremely popular.
President Ma mentioned that the ROC-Japan youth working holiday agreement has been especially popular among young people, with youth from the ROC enthusiastically participating since the program was introduced in 2009, and with the number of applicants exceeding the number of slots available. As a result, bilateral negotiations were held to address the situation, and on October 27 of last year the number of slots in the program was increased to 5,000 each year, 2.5 times the original 2,000. In addition, last year bilateral tourism between Taiwan and Japan accounted for 4.6 million discrete visits, which was a new high. In the first eight months of this year, the number of visits already reached 3.55 million, so this year the total may exceed five million, which would be a record high. These frequent interactions show the close and friendly relations between the two countries.
The delegation led by Japan-ROC Diet Members' Consultative Council Chief Secretary Furuya included House of Representative Members Shigeyuki Tomita, Hiroshi Imazu, and Katsumasa Suzuki, as well as House of Councillors Member Toranosuke Katayama.