The Japanese word nemawashi signifies a workstyle in which, before doing anything, people lay the groundwork through consultation and communication, and only then do they make a formal decision.
In March, Japanese journalist Tsuyoshi Nojima wrote an article titled “A 30-year journey of name changes from Ma Chi-chuang [馬紀壯] to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Japan,” in which he revealed a major news story about a successful mission to safeguard Taiwan’s property in Tokyo.
When Japan established diplomatic relations with China in 1972, Beijing took ownership of property registered under the name of the Republic of China. The embassy of the Republic of China (Taiwan) in Japan, which occupied 7,242m2 in Tokyo’s upscale Roppongi district, was thus delivered into China’s hands.
In 1986, Taiwan purchased a 6,000m2 plot of land in the Shirokanedai district of Tokyo’s Minato City, on which a new building was constructed to house its representative office. Learning a lesson from its experience, Taiwan registered the ownership under the name of Ma Chi-chuang, who was at that time Taiwan’s representative to Japan.
However, Ma died in 1998. Many years later, the surrounding area has become highly prized and the value of that land has risen to several tens of billions of yen.
If Taipei did not promptly change the registered name of the property owner, it would eventually end up as somebody’s private property, as has happened with so much of the overseas assets of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), and Taiwan could do nothing about it.
Eight successive representatives to Japan over the following 33 years found their hands tied and could not find a solution to this issue.
However, this year, Nojima visited the district’s legal affairs bureau to examine documents covering the land. He found to his surprise that, under the good offices of Representative to Japan Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) the registered owner of the building had quietly changed on Jan. 24 from Ma to the “Property Management Committee of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Japan.”
Nojima photographed the documents to prove that this had happened. Because this case involves a huge sum of money and many vested interests, many counterclaims have since been raised.
Since there are no diplomatic relations between Taiwan and Japan, interactions between the two governments can generally not be conducted openly. However, given the brotherly relations that exist between the two sides, their behind-the-scenes nemawashi has actually achieved the aim of an increased understanding.
This kind of nemawashi diplomacy, which could only be possible through negotiation, has notched up many achievements.
As a Taiwanese who has lived in Japan for many years, I deeply admire those involved for safeguarding Taiwanese expatriates’ spiritual stronghold, which they achieved by leaving no stone unturned and with no concern for praise or criticism.
Furthermore, I feel compelled to tell people about this achievement. Our compatriots should applaud all those involved for their hard work and valuable service.
Wang Hui-sheng is chief director of the Kisai Ladies’ and Children’s Hospital in Japan.
Translated by Julian Clegg
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