President Ma Ying-jeou met with Yoshinori Ono, a member of Japan's House of Representatives, at the Presidential Office on the afternoon of January 4. The president, on behalf of the government and people of the ROC (Taiwan), extended a cordial welcome to Mr. Ono, a member of the Liberal Democratic Party.
The president stated that Mr. Ono is not only a longstanding friend to Taiwan, but also is virtually half a Taiwanese. Mr. Ono was born in Taiwan, the president pointed out, adding that his father at one point worked in Hsinchu during the Japanese colonial era. While he served as Minister of State for Defense, Mr. Ono engaged in the "two plus two" talks with the United States. With regards to the Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security between the United States and Japan, Mr. Ono made suggestions related to assisting in Taiwan's defense and security. The president said he would especially like to thank Mr. Ono on behalf of the people of the ROC (Taiwan) for his efforts in this regard.
President Ma remarked that he has worked aggressively to promote cross-strait reconciliation since assuming office. This work has led to a significant reduction in tension between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait, not only improving stability in East Asia, but also benefitting Japan's security, he said. The president said that he has repeatedly expressed the hope that mainland China will squarely address the issue of missiles that it has deployed against Taiwan, but the mainland has yet to respond positively. President Ma said that the Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security between the United States and Japan is widely viewed as contributing to the security of East Asia. He said he also hopes that in the future Taiwan, the United States, and Japan can work closely together in this regard.
President Ma specially stressed that last year was one in which enormous progress was seen in Taiwan-Japan relations. On December 1, 2009, the ROC (Taiwan) opened its sixth representative office in Japan in Sapporo, Hokkaido, which will provide better services to the 280,000 Taiwan tourists to that region each year and will also strengthen contacts between Taiwan and areas in northern Japan, he said. Meanwhile, on December 11, Taiwan and Japan inked an accord that paves the way for charter flights between Tokyo's Haneda Airport and Taipei's Songshan Airport. Four charter flights a day are expected to start in October of this year. This will be the beginning of an important new phase in the aviation history of the two countries, the president said. President Ma also pointed out that earlier in 2009, the two nations signed a working holiday agreement and that the Japanese government amended laws to enable the residence documents for Taiwanese living in Japan to reflect their nationality as Taiwan. Both of these are important breakthroughs, he said. President Ma also expressed his hopes that Mr. Ono in the future will be able to provide assistance in enabling artworks from Taiwan's National Palace Museum to be exhibited in Japan, which will spur development of cultural exchanges between the two countries.
Mr. Ono expressed his appreciation to President Ma for taking time out of his busy schedule to meet with him. He expressed his admiration for President Ma for the achievements resulting from policies he has instituted since taking office. Mr. Ono also said that he will do his utmost to promote interaction and cooperation between Taiwan and Japan, with the hope of promoting peace and prosperity in East Asia.
Mr. Ono was accompanied to the Presidential Office in the afternoon by Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs David Y. L. Lin to meet President Ma. Also sitting in on the meeting was National Security Council Advisor Lee Chia-chin.