The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday expressed support for the planned renaming of the Interchange Association, Japan to the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association from Sunday.
The association represents Japan’s interests in Taiwan in the absence of bilateral diplomatic ties, which ended in 1972. Taiwan also set up a de facto embassy with an ambiguous title in Tokyo, called the Association of East Asian Relations, which was renamed the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Japan in 1992.
The ministry said that the new name reflects the business activities carried out by the association and is a positive development in Taiwan-Japan relations.
Photo: CNA
Saying that the two nations have become closer in recent years, the ministry added that Japan is Taiwan’s third-largest trade partner, while Taiwan is Japan’s fourth-largest. Bilateral trade totaled US$57.9 billion last year.
In addition, there were 5.3 million travelers between Taiwan and Japan last year and that number could surpass 6 million this year, the ministry said.
Taiwan and Japan share the universal values of democratic governance, freedom and the rule of law, with various public opinion polls showing the close and friendly relations between Taiwanese and Japanese, the ministry said, while expressing the hope that the two will continue to expand and deepen mutually beneficial cooperation.
Photo: CNA
The move could represent the greatest breakthrough since the foundation was established in 1972 after official diplomatic ties between the two nations were severed, and is expected to further Taiwan-Japan relations.
Former leader Chiang Kai-shek’s (蔣介石) administration proposed that the Japan-based association be named the Japan-China Interchange Foundation, which Tokyo rejected, anonymous sources said.
Like its Taiwanese counterpart, the then-Association of East Asian Relations, their vague appellations caused bafflement as to what their purposes were.
The sources said that the timing of the name change was because “times have changed,” which has manifested itself in several ways.
“In the 1980s and 1990s, there were not many substantial exchanges between Japan and Taiwan, but the total number of tourists visiting both nations has surpassed 6 million in recent years, and exchanges have been plentiful on a wide range of issues,” the sources said.
A recent survey by the Japanese government found that only 10 percent of Taiwanese respondents said they knew what “the functions of the Interchange Association, Japan, were, while 80 percent said the opposite, the sources said.
Association officials did not confirm if the name change signals a deepening of Taipei-Tokyo relations, but dismissed speculation that the move was inspired by US president-elect Donald Trump’s perceived stance on Taiwan, saying that it was planned, a source said.
A Japanese official said that it was “Taiwan’s business” if it changes the name of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Japan to the Taiwan Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Japan, but added that the potential political implications should be assessed before a change is made, the source said.
Japanese officials said that Taiwan submitted a request to change the representative office title during former representative to Japan Koh Se-kai’s (許世楷) term between 2004 and 2008, adding that the ministry has never made such a request.
“China remains firm and consistent on issues regarding Taiwan affairs. We strongly oppose any attempts at creating the frameworks of ‘one China, one Taiwan’ or ‘two China’s.’ We express our strong protest against Japan’s passive stance over Taiwan affairs,” Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Hua Chunying (華春瑩) said at a news conference in Beijing in response to the proposed name change.
“China urges Japan to adhere to the principles set forth in the Japan-China Joint Communique and honor the promises it has made to China, uphold the ‘one China’ principle and refrain from sending false signals to Taiwan and the international community, thereby causing new problems to China-Japan relations,” she said.
China has initiated negotiations with Japan over the issue, she said.
LONG FLIGHT: The jets would be flown by US pilots, with Taiwanese copilots in the two-seat F-16D variant to help familiarize them with the aircraft, the source said The US is expected to fly 10 Lockheed Martin F-16C/D Block 70/72 jets to Taiwan over the coming months to fulfill a long-awaited order of 66 aircraft, a defense official said yesterday. Word that the first batch of the jets would be delivered soon was welcome news to Taiwan, which has become concerned about delays in the delivery of US arms amid rising military tensions with China. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said the initial tranche of the nation’s F-16s are rolling off assembly lines in the US and would be flown under their own power to Taiwan by way
‘OF COURSE A COUNTRY’: The president outlined that Taiwan has all the necessary features of a nation, including citizens, land, government and sovereignty President William Lai (賴清德) discussed the meaning of “nation” during a speech in New Taipei City last night, emphasizing that Taiwan is a country as he condemned China’s misinterpretation of UN Resolution 2758. The speech was the first in a series of 10 that Lai is scheduled to give across Taiwan. It is the responsibility of Taiwanese citizens to stand united to defend their national sovereignty, democracy, liberty, way of life and the future of the next generation, Lai said. This is the most important legacy the people of this era could pass on to future generations, he said. Lai went on to discuss
OBJECTS AT SEA: Satellites with synthetic-aperture radar could aid in the detection of small Chinese boats attempting to illegally enter Taiwan, the space agency head said Taiwan aims to send the nation’s first low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite into space in 2027, while the first Formosat-8 and Formosat-9 spacecraft are to be launched in October and 2028 respectively, the National Science and Technology Council said yesterday. The council laid out its space development plan in a report reviewed by members of the legislature’s Education and Culture Committee. Six LEO satellites would be produced in the initial phase, with the first one, the B5G-1A, scheduled to be launched in 2027, the council said in the report. Regarding the second satellite, the B5G-1B, the government plans to work with private contractors
MISSION: The Indo-Pacific region is ‘the priority theater,’ where the task of deterrence extends across the entire region, including Taiwan, the US Pacific Fleet commander said The US Navy’s “mission of deterrence” in the Indo-Pacific theater applies to Taiwan, Pacific Fleet Commander Admiral Stephen Koehler told the South China Sea Conference on Tuesday. The conference, organized by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), is an international platform for senior officials and experts from countries with security interests in the region. “The Pacific Fleet’s mission is to deter aggression across the Western Pacific, together with our allies and partners, and to prevail in combat if necessary, Koehler said in the event’s keynote speech. “That mission of deterrence applies regionwide — including the South China Sea and Taiwan,” he