President Ma Ying-jeou at noontime on May 20 met with Takeo Hiranuma, the chairman of the Japan-ROC Diet Members' Consultative Council, who is Japan's envoy to the presidential inauguration celebration here and who is leading a delegation from Japan, including members of Japan's Parliament. Vice President Vincent C. Siew also attended the meeting, which was held at the Presidential Building. On behalf of the government and people of the ROC (Taiwan), President Ma expressed a warm welcome to the visitors and thanked them for making the trip to Taiwan to participate in the inauguration ceremonies.
President Ma said that he served as deputy secretary general of the Kuomintang Party over 20 years ago and in that capacity was responsible for promoting ties with political parties in friendly nations. He said that it was at that time that he met and fostered deep friendships with many of the participants in the visiting Japanese delegation. Moreover, the president said that during his tenure as Taipei mayor, he had frequent exchanges with Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara and Yokohama Mayor Hiroshi Nakada. Two years ago when he visited Japan, he was awarded an honorary doctorate at Yokohama City University. President Ma said this represents the emphasis he places on the friendly relationship between Taiwan and Japan, as well as his long-term efforts at promoting bilateral cooperation.
President Ma said that interaction between Taiwan and Japan has increased significantly in the past few years. He pointed out that the Japanese government now extends visa-free courtesies to Taiwan tourists and that both nations mutually recognize the drivers licenses issued by the other. Last year, the people of Taiwan made over 1.16 million visits to Japan, while the Japanese made over 1.3 million visits to Taiwan. Both numbers set new records, indicating that the signing of friendly initiatives by the two countries has a positive and far-reaching impact on bilateral exchanges and interaction. President Ma said he hopes there will be even more opportunities for student exchanges in the future in order to boost interaction among the youth of both nations and to lay the foundation for cooperative and friendly ties between the two countries to continue into the distant future.
Chairman Hiranuma first expressed his congratulations to President Ma on taking office. He said he is very pleased to see the improvements in friendly and substantive relations between Taiwan and Japan. He noted the increasing contacts between the two nations, most apparent in the over 2.5 million tourist visits made between the two last year. He added he is confident that further advancement of friendly relations will be achieved if a Taiwan-Japan working holiday agreement can be signed.
The Japanese envoy and Parliamentary delegation was accompanied to the Presidential Office by Foreign Affairs Minister Francisco H. L. Ou. Also in attendance was National Security Council Secretary-General Su Chi.