President Ma Ying-jeou says that events marking the victory over the Japanese in WWII are not affecting relations between Taiwan and Japan. He was speaking on Tuesday at the opening of a symposium on the Second Sino-Japanese War. This year marks the 70th anniversary of the end of the war.
Ma said the victory carries historic significance, since Japan returned it’s colony of Taiwan, including the offshore Penghu Islands, to Chinese rule at the end of the war.
Ma said the Japanese invasion can be forgiven but not forgotten. He said he is not anti-Japanese, nor does he curry favor with Japan.
"I am Japan-friendly. I think we should focus on the issues at hand. [We should] have empathy and a clear concept of what is right and wrong, said Ma.
"That’s the basis of making friends, and a basis for enabling the Chinese-speaking community and the Japanese people to build a long-standing friendship.”
Ma said Taiwan’s ties with Japan are at their best point since the two sides cut off official diplomat ties in 1972.