Ten days after a Taiwanese boat sank following a collision with a Japanese patrol vessel near the disputed Diaoyutai (釣魚台) islands, a representative from Japan’s de facto embassy in Taiwan visited the home of the fishing boat captain and offered an apology yesterday.
Deputy chief representative of the Interchange Association Hitoshi Funamachi visited Taiwanese boat captain Ho Hung-yi (何鴻義) at his home in Ruifang Township (瑞芳), Taipei County, to personally deliver a letter of apology written by Hideo Nasu, head of the 11th Operational Region of the Japan Coast Guard.
“I bow and once again offer my sincere apologies to you over the sinking of your boat and the injuries you sustained during the collision,” Funamachi said to Ho, reading from Nasu’s letter. “I hope we will begin negotiations soon on compensation, in accordance with the law.”
PHOTO: SAM YEH, AFP
Nasu had also bowed at a televised press conference in Japan several days ago in apology over the accident.
Ho accepted Nasu’s apology, saying he was “very pleased” with the way that the Japan Coast Guard official was handling the aftermath of the accident, in which Ho lost his boat and sustained several injuries.
Meanwhile, after a 30-minute closed door meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with Minister of Foreign Affairs Francisco Ou (歐鴻鍊) yesterday afternoon, Tadashi Ikeda, the chief representative of the Interchange Association, said he hoped the peaceful end to the ordeal would strengthen Taiwan-Japan relations.
Standing next to Ou, Ikeda said he was pleased to see that Taiwan and Japan could “overcome the difficult situation together.”
“The Japanese have a saying that after the rain, the ground will be more solid and firm. I hope that Japan-Taiwan relations will continue to improve after this ordeal,” Ikeda said.
Ou welcomed the gesture by Japan, calling it a “perfect ending,” but said the next step in resuming negotiations with Tokyo on fishing rights and sovereignty claims would be the “beginning of the real, difficult task.”
The incident took place early in the morning on June 10 when a Japan Coast Guard patrol boat rammed into a Taiwanese fishing boat 11km off the Diaoyutai islands, an island chain claimed by Taiwan, Japan and China.
While the Japanese claim the crash was caused by the Taiwanese boat zigzagging abruptly, Ho insists his boat was stationary.
The Japanese agreed to release the crew and pay reparations, but held off on issuing a formal apology.
In related news, Ou yesterday confirmed that President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) had officially accepted the resignation of Taiwan’s representative to Japan, Koh Se-kai (許世楷), who asked to be relieved of his duties on Monday.
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