Taiwan and Japan held the sixth edition of their Maritime Affairs Cooperation Dialogue in Taipei yesterday.
The meeting, held at the Grand Hotel Taipei, focused on cooperation on maritime security, conservation of the marine environment, “marine power development,” fisheries and marine science, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said in a statement.
At the start of the meeting, Taiwan-Japan Relations Association Chairperson Su Jia-chyuan (蘇嘉全) said that in addition to those issues, ensuring the safety of nuclear energy was also on the agenda.
Photo: CNA
Su said the two countries had inked MOUs in the past on rescue work in maritime emergencies and disasters, tackling marine debris, marine science, and maritime smuggling and illegal border exit and entry, and he hoped the two sides could gradually make progress in these fields.
The meeting comes at a time when one of the main irritants in Taiwan-Japan relations has been Japan’s crackdown on Taiwan’s fishing boats illegally operating in waters that are off limits to them.
It intercepted two vessels in July, the Fu Yang No. 266 near Amami-Oshima Island in early July and the Fu Shen near Yonaguni Island on July 28. Both ships were released after paying fines of around 6 million Japanese yen (US $37,203).
Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association Chairman Mitsuo Ohashi said that since its launch in 2016, the Maritime Affairs Cooperation Dialogue has served as an avenue for constructive discussions to push forward mutually advantageous maritime cooperation.
Also referencing the four MOUs, Ohashi said the documents have enabled Taiwan and Japan to make concrete progress on maritime cooperation.
This has allowed their friendship and mutual trust to flourish, providing a solid foundation for peace and stability in the region, Ohashi said.
The association has been active in holding events to share Japan’s maritime knowledge, he said.
Agencies involved in the meeting included the Ocean Affairs Council, the Coast Guard Administration, Ocean Conservation Administration, National Academy of Marine Research, Nuclear Safety Commission, National Science and Technology Council, the Fisheries Agency and MOFA, according to the MOFA statement.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
A wild live dugong was found in Taiwan for the first time in 88 years, after it was accidentally caught by a fisher’s net on Tuesday in Yilan County’s Fenniaolin (粉鳥林). This is the first sighting of the species in Taiwan since 1937, having already been considered “extinct” in the country and considered as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A fisher surnamed Chen (陳) went to Fenniaolin to collect the fish in his netting, but instead caught a 3m long, 500kg dugong. The fisher released the animal back into the wild, not realizing it was an endangered species at
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and