Taiwan’s President Ma Ying-jeou of the ruling Nationalist Party (Kuomintang or KMT), has shown signs of distancing Taiwan from Japan, a sign that should alert Tokyo to the fact that more dialogue with Taipei is necessary.

Taiwan is basically well disposed to Japan. Since Tokyo waived tourist visas for Taiwanese visitors in 2005, more than 2.4 million Japanese and Taiwanese have visited each other’s soil annually. Public opinion polls in recent years showed Japan topping the United States as the most favored country among Taiwanese.

According to sources involved in bilateral affairs, under the pro-Japan administration of Ma’s predecessor, Chen Shui-bian, bilateral ties were at their warmest since Japan severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan in 1972. Ma–who assumed office in May–repeatedly stressed his intent to maintain this solid relationship.

However, Taiwan’s criticism of Japan has intensified since a Taiwan fishing boat sank in waters near the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea on June 10.

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Taiwan and Japan pledged Tuesday to calmly resolve a diplomatic row over the sinking of a Taiwanese fishing boat after it collided with a Japanese vessel near disputed islets in the East China Sea.

“The foreign ministry will try to peacefully resolve (the issue) through diplomatic channels,” Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Francisco Ou told reporters.

Ou made the remarks after a Taiwanese protest boat, escorted by nine patrol ships, entered Japan’s territorial waters near the disputed islands early Monday.

Japanese media said it was the first time foreign patrol boats had entered Japanese waters to accompany a protest ship.

Read also Taiwan’s Ma reasserts claim to disputed Pacific islands, seeks peaceful resolution by
AP, Japan says will handle territorial row with Taiwan ‘calmly’ by AFP, and China “concerned” over Japan coastguard vessel colliding with Taiwan boat by Xinhua.

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Japanese patrol boat on exercises off Tokyo A Taiwanese warship visited disputed fishing grounds on Tuesday, after Taiwanese fishermen complained of harassment by Japanese patrol boats.

Defence Minister Lee Jye and a group of MPs including speaker Wang Jin-pyng were aboard the frigate, which visited the area around the Diaoyu Islands.

The islands, known in Japan as the Senkaku, are claimed by Taiwan, China and Japan.

The frigate returned to Taiwan without incident.

Mr Wang said Taiwan had the right to defend its sovereignty.

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Chinese State Councillor Tang Jiaxuan severely criticized Japan on Monday over its textbook review and its stance on China-Taiwan relations, saying, “Japan seems to have changed its attitude recently.”

“It seems to have changed its policy from the time China and Japan normalized diplomatic relations to competing with China,” Tang said during a meeting with Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing.

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Read the rest of Hidetoshi Ikebe: Tang criticizes Japan for ‘policy change on China’ (60 words)

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China is strongly dissatisfied with “some negative tendencies” in Japan’s recent policies concerning the Taiwan issue, and is especially concerned with deepening the Japan-Taiwan ties in security, Chinese State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan said in Tuesday’s meeting with Japan’s Kyodo News Service president Toyohiko Yamanouchi.

Tang said the Taiwan issue concerns China’s sovereignty, reunification and core interests of the country, adding: “We have taken notice of the Japanese government which has repeatedly stated that it will observe the principles in the China-Japan joint statement and not support “Taiwan independence”.

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