The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday confirmed that Taiwan and Japan had signed an agreement to promote information exchanges and cooperation on border management, although it did not disclose more details on the pact.
Ministry spokesman Hsiao Kuang-wei (蕭光偉) said the ministry is happy to see that the two nations continue to enhance cooperation on immigration control, in particular because Taiwan and Japan “share a deep friendship and frequent people-to-people exchanges.”
“Last year, more than 7.32 million visits were made between the two countries, making it even more crucial for both sides to work closer on immigration and border control,” he said.
Photo: AFP
Hsiao did not provide any details about the agreement and instead referred journalists to the National Immigration Agency (NIA), the authority responsible for immigration, border security, and entry and exit services.
According to a list on the NIA Web site, Taiwan has signed memorandums of understanding (MOUs) on immigration and border control affairs with 23 nations. Japan appears at the bottom of the list after an MOU on information exchanges, and cooperation on border security and management was signed on Dec. 18 last year.
The NIA did not release a statement after the MOU was signed last year, nor did it disclose any details about the agreement.
Hsiao’s comments were made after the Yomiuri Shimbun reported earlier yesterday that a pact was signed in December last year.
The Japanese-language report quoted unnamed Japanese sources as revealing that Taiwan and Japan signed the MOU regarding the sharing of information on foreign nationals entering Japan from Taiwan in the event of an emergency in Taiwan.
By sharing information on foreign nationals evacuating in the event of an emergency, including a Chinese invasion, the aim is to prevent Chinese spies from taking advantage of such a chaotic situation to enter Japan, the report said.
Under the MOU, Japan would receive information on foreign nationals wishing to enter the nation from Taiwan. This would enable Tokyo to effectively screen those who might harm domestic security in the event of an emergency, the newspaper said.
The Japanese Immigration Services Agency has signed similar pacts with nations such as Australia and New Zealand, but it is unusual for Tokyo to have such a pact with a non-diplomatic ally.
Due to the sensitivity of the issue, the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association asked that the content of the MOU be listed as confidential, the report said.
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