The president of the legislature, Su Jia-chyuan, has sought to affirm Taiwan’s friendship with Japan amid an ongoing maritime dispute. Su was speaking in his capacity as head of a non-governmental Taiwan-Japan friendship association at a meeting in Taipei. The event was also attended by Nobuo Kishi, a member of the Japanese Diet and the brother of Japan’s prime minister, Shinzo Abe.
“We hope our relations will not only continue to see increased friendly interaction, but also that we can use wisdom to resolve controversies and conflicts and avoid exacerbating them," said Su.
"We hope our Japanese friends will take this message back to Japan, while Taiwan should also consider how we can promote a win-win relationship.”
In response, Kishi acknowledged that problems exist in Taiwan-Japan ties but said the two sides should pool their wisdom to strengthen the relationship and deepen parliamentary exchanges.
Ties between Taiwan and Japan have become strained after Japanese authorities seized a Taiwanese fishing boat around the Okinotori atoll late last month. Taiwan rejects the Japanese claim to an exclusive economic zone around the atoll and has sent coast guard vessels to protect Taiwanese fishing boats operating in the area.