Japan-Taiwan relations warmest ever: Taiwan official
2011/10/20 18:31:49
Tokyo, Oct. 20 (CNA) Legislative Vice Speaker Tseng Yung-chuan, who is at the head of a visiting delegation of Kuomingtang (KMT) officials, said Thursday in Japan that relations between Taiwan and Japan are now the warmest ever.
Since President Ma Ying-jeou took office in 2008, there has been a major breakthrough in bilateral ties, Tseng said.
This is evidenced by Taiwan's establishment of a representative office in Hokkaido and Japan's passage of new laws to facilitate exhibitions of artworks borrowed from abroad, which pave the way for exhibits from Taiwan's National Palace Museum (NPM) to be displayed in Japan, he said.
Furthermore, the Taiwan government hopes to ink an open skies agreement with Japan by the end of the year to liberalize commercial aviation services, he said.
The KMT delegation, composed of King Pu-tsung, executive director of Ma's campaign office, legislator Lee Hung-chun and other party officials, is visiting Japan as part of Ma's election campaign efforts.
On Thursday, the delegation attended a luncheon hosted by 50 members of the Japan-ROC Diet Members' Consultative Council -- a multi-partisan group of Japanese councilors that includes Yoshiro Mori, Japan's former Prime Minister.
Takeo Hiranuma, chairman of the consultative council who led a delegation to Taiwan for the centennial celebrations, said he will continue to help enhance relations between the two nations.
According to the KMT delegation, Hiranuma also expressed the hope that Ma and the KMT will win the January 14, 2012 presidential and legislative elections.
Lee said the Taiwan delegation discussed with Keiji Furuya, a member of the House of Representatives, and other councilors the issue of exhibiting NPM artworks in Japan.
The Japanese politicians promised to create a formal organization soon to handle that issue, Lee said.
Referring to Taiwan's aid to Japan in the wake of a massive earthquake and tsunami in March, the Japanese councilors said "a friend in need is a friend indeed." (By Yang Ming-chu and Jamie Wang) ENDITEM /pc
Source: Focus Taiwan
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