《TAIPEI TIMES 焦點》 Ma describes himself as ‘Japan-friendly’

STANDING ON PRINCIPLES: The president said that true friendship is based on dealing with issues based on their merits and showing empathy, among other things

/ Staff writer, with CNA

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President Ma Ying-jeou （馬英九） yesterday rejected “pro-Japan” and “anti-Japan” labels political pundits have tried to attach to him, saying that he is “Japan-friendly.”

“My stance is that we should deal with [historical] issues based on their merits, show empathy to others and distinguish kindness from hatred,” Ma said in a speech at an international conference in Taipei held to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1945, one of the World War II theaters.

Some people think Ma is pro-Japan because of a park commemorating a Japanese engineer that he had built shortly after taking office in 2008, Ma said.

The park is dedicated to Yoichi Hatta, who designed the Chianan Canal and the Wusanto Reservoir when Taiwan was under Japanese colonial rule, projects that helped increase the nation’s rice production.

Others have labeled him as “anti-Japan” for attending events commemorating the 1945 victory over Japan and paying attention to the issue of “comfort women,” who were forced into sexual slavery by the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II.

Ma said he believes that true friendship is based on principles that would help the Republic of China （ROC） and Japan establish a lasting friendship.

A peace treaty signed in 1952 between the ROC and Japan, known as the Treaty of Taipei, covers the importance of bilateral cooperation, and Ma’s administration has followed the spirit of the treaty, making efforts to advance ties with Tokyo, he said.

Ma said that since he became president, the two nations have signed 25 agreements, bringing the total number of such accords to 58.

The East China Sea peace initiative that he proposed in August 2012, which called for peaceful solutions and joint development of resources to address disputes in the East China Sea region, led to the signing of a fisheries agreement with Japan to address disputes in their overlapping waters, he said.

The two nations signed an open skies agreement in 2011, allowing for more direct flights, he said, adding that 2.97 million Taiwanese visited Japan last year, while 1.63 million Japanese visited Taiwan.

“Relations between our country and Japan are at their best in more than 40 years,” and the relationship would not be affected by events held in Taiwan to commemorate the end of World War II, he said.

“The mistake of [Japan’s] invasion [of China] may be forgiven, but the historical truth cannot be forgotten,” he said.

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES