President Ma Ying-jeou met on the morning of May 6 with a delegation from the Liberal Democratic Party's Young Diet Members' Group to Promote Japan-Taiwan Economic and Cultural Ties , led by Nobuo Kishi of the Japanese House of Representatives. In addition to praising the Group for its many years of strong support for parliamentary exchanges between Taiwan and Japan, the president also commented on Japan's illegal seizure of the Tung Sheng Ji No. 16 fishing boat, and reiterated the ROC government's firm position on the matter. At the same time, he also expressed hope that this incident would not affect friendly bilateral relations.
In remarks, President Ma noted that the Group has strongly supported parliamentary exchanges between Taiwan and Japan for many years. It always helps with the arrangements when senior political figures from Taiwan visit Japan, and many other Diet members, regardless of party affiliation, have also lent support and assistance to Taiwan. The president further noted that Mr. Kishi's last visit to Taiwan as the head of a delegation was about a year ago, and his quick return with yet another delegation shows the depth of the bilateral friendship. Taiwan's Legislative Yuan used to have two Taiwan-Japan parliamentary friendship groups, but these have now merged into a single group, the existence of which clearly demonstrates the importance that Taiwan attaches to its relations and parliamentary exchanges with Japan. Hopefully, said the president, today's friendly bilateral relations will continue.
President Ma noted that a magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck Japan's Kumamoto Prefecture last month on the evening of April 14, followed by an even stronger 7.3 earthquake in the early morning hours of April 16. The quakes caused severe loss of life and property in Kumamoto Prefecture, and the government and people of Taiwan have all been very concerned about the situation. Our government sent prompt condolences and provided needed assistance. The recovery effort is now in progress, and hopefully the people affected by the disaster will get quickly back to their normal daily routines.
In Taiwan, as well, a magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck the southern city of Kaohsiung earlier this year in the early morning hours of February 6, causing severe losses. Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe as well as Minister for Foreign Affairs Fumio Kishida immediately conveyed condolences, while various government and non-government entities in Japan organized a five-person survey team to help respond. At the same time, Japan's Cabinet on February 23 announced that it would donate US$1.2 million via the Red Cross Society to assist with the rescue and recovery effort in Tainan, where the worst damage occurred. The president expressed sincere gratitude for the generosity shown by the government and people of Japan, which he said clearly shows the depth of the bilateral friendship.
President Ma mentioned that shortly after taking office in 2008 he designated the relationship between Taiwan and Japan as a special partnership. The government has spared no effort in promoting economic, trade, cultural, and tourism cooperation, and achievements in this regard have been quite impressive, he said. The president also noted that Taiwan and Japan over the past 40 years have concluded 61 bilateral agreements, 28 of which have been signed during his presidency. Included among them are an open skies agreement, a youth working holidays agreement, and a bilateral investment agreement. A bilateral agreement on the avoidance of double taxation was also signed last year on November 26 in Tokyo.
The president remarked that the signing of the Taiwan-Japan Bilateral Investment Arrangement (BIA) in September of 2011 marked a new milestone in bilateral relations, ushering in closer economic and trade ties as well as two-way investment. There were 35 cases of Taiwanese foreign direct investment (FDI) in Japan in 2015 worth a combined US$300 million, while the 471 cases of Japanese FDI in Taiwan totaled US$453 million. In addition, Taiwan's Hon Hai Technology Group this past April 2 formally took a controlling equity stake in Sharp Corporation of Japan, taking corporate relations between Taiwan and Japan to a whole new level. Japan in 2015 was Taiwan's third-largest trading partner and an important source of investments and technology. Taiwan, for its part, was Japan's fourth-largest trading partner, and two-way trade came to US$57.9 billion. The Taiwan government has also launched the Taiwan-Japan Industrial Collaboration Bridging Project to further promote trade liberalization while expanding and deepening the economic, trade, and investment relationship between the two countries, he said.
President Ma also commented that the ROC is actively seeking to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). In March and June of 2014 the US and Japanese governments, respectively, said they would welcome Taiwan's membership in the TPP, and Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary, Yoshihide Suga , reiterated this stance during a press conference this past January 18, further stating that Taiwan's TPP membership would contribute to regional stability and prosperity. President Ma expressed hope that Mr. Kishi and the other distinguished guests will use their influence and take concrete steps to support Taiwan's earliest possible entry into the TPP and the RCEP, and push for an economic partnership agreement and other forms of economic cooperation between Taiwan and Japan.
As for Japan's illegal seizure of the Tung Sheng Ji No. 16 fishing boat, the president stated that relations between the ROC and Japan have been better over the past eight years than at any other time since the severing of formal diplomatic relations in 1972. During interpellations at the Japanese Diet on July 30 of last year, Prime Minister Abe affirmed that Taiwan and Japan share a common set of values, and that Taiwan is an important partner that Japan should cherish . However, the Tung Sheng Ji No. 16 fishing boat incident, he said, could have an adverse impact on bilateral relations.
President Ma pointed out that on April 25 the Tung Sheng Ji No. 16 was seized by a Japanese government vessel while fishing on the high seas near Japan's Okinotori reefs. The Japanese demanded a JPY 6 million security deposit, and the fishing boat captain was strip searched before being handcuffed, which the people of Taiwan found both shocking and infuriating. Members of Taiwan's Legislative Yuan from both the ruling and opposition camps passed a resolution strongly condemning Japan's action as a violation of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). The land mass of the Okinotori reefs covers an area of only nine square meters, or less than one-eighth of the 80-square-meter Taiwan Heritage Room at the Presidential Office Building. Sitting at an average height of just 16 centimeters above sea level [at low tide], the reefs have no fresh water, and cannot sustain human habitation or economic life . In light of Article 121, paragraph 3 of the UNCLOS, such a maritime feature cannot be used to claim a 200 nautical mile exclusive economic zone or a continental shelf. At the request of both the Legislative Yuan and Taiwan fishermen, and based on the right to freedom of fishing as set out in Article 87 of the UNCLOS, the ROC's Coast Guard Administration and Council of Agriculture dispatched vessels to protect Taiwan's fishermen in the high seas near the Okinotori reefs, and defend freedom of fishing on the high seas. The president stressed the determination of the ROC to protect its fishing operations, stating as follows: "Wherever our fishermen go, our Coast Guard will also go. Our attitude toward the protection of our fishing operations is 'no avoidance, no conflict, and no provocation .'" He added that because Taiwan is a peace-loving nation, it settles disputes through peaceful means in accordance with international law.
President Ma further remarked that the signing of the Taiwan-Japan Fisheries Agreement in April of 2013 put an end to a 40-year fisheries dispute over the waters surrounding the Diaoyutai Islands. That agreement allows fishing boats from both Taiwan and Japan to operate in over 70,000 square kilometers of fishing grounds near the Diaoyutais. Fishermen from the two countries can now operate unhindered in an area twice the size of Taiwan. Taiwan thus managed to make significant progress on fishing rights while yielding nothing in terms of sovereignty, and the handling of the matter has been publicly praised by the United States, the European Union, and Australia. Ships from both nations have now arrived in the high seas near the Okinotori reefs, said the president, who expressed hope that cool heads will prevail so that there won't be any conflict that would affect friendly bilateral relations. ROC diplomats will continue communicating with Japan in hopes of working out an appropriate resolution, he remarked.
The president stated that the people of Taiwan and Japan have deep bonds of friendship that date back many years, and that they help each other out when the need arises. Hopefully, he said, this strong foundation will enable the two sides to solve the current problem and deal successfully with any future challenges. "If we cannot reach solutions by talking with each other, then the ROC government hopes that the two sides can refer disputes for international mediation or arbitration in order to preserve regional security and peace." The president further expressed hope that Mr. Kishi can forward Taiwan's views to Prime Minister Abe, and that this incident will not affect bilateral relations.