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Gov’t Rebuts Japanese Chief Representative’s “Taiwan’s Status Undetermined” Remarks
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 2009/05/04
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Gov’t Rebuts Japanese Chief Representative’s “Taiwan’s Status Undetermined” Remarks
Source: All Taipei Newspapers
May 4, 2009
On May 1, Masaki Saito, Chief Representative of the Japan Interchange Association Taipei Office, also known as the Japanese representative to Taipei, said “Taiwan’s status is undetermined” during his remarks at an annual meeting of the Republic of China International Relations Association on the campus of National Chung Cheng University in Chiayi County in southern Taiwan. His remarks immediately caused quite a stir. After the Foreign Ministry lodged a protest and demanded an explanation of the remarks, Saito retracted his statement and apologized for his improper remarks. John Chi-tai Feng, R.O.C. representative to Japan, said that Saito’s remarks were a personal gaffe and not a conspiracy as the media had speculated. It was widely reported that the Japanese government was attempting to explore our government’s bottom line on cross-Strait relations. Citizens who believe that the Diaoyutai Islands belong to the R.O.C. should maintain their composure and avoid causing a diplomatic conflict.
When Saito said that “Taiwan’s status is undetermined” was the Japanese government’s permanent position, Lin Man-houng, Director of the Academia Historica, began a heated argument with Saito. Moreover, Philip Yang, advisory member of the National Security Council (NSC), immediately expressed his disagreement upon hearing Saito’s remarks, and asked for President Ma Ying-jeou’s instructions, following which the Foreign Ministry proceeded to deal with the incident.
Deputy Foreign Minister Andrew Li-yan Hsia summoned Saito in the afternoon of May 1 and lodged a solemn protest against Saito’s remarks. John Feng also contacted Hatakenaka Atsushi, Chairman of the Interchange Association Japan (IAJ), and was told that Saito’s remarks did not represent the Japanese government’s position. Atsushi told Feng that the Japanese government had never changed its foreign policy on Taiwan and Mainland China, adding that Japanese officials had never commented on Taiwan’s status. On the other hand, Saito apologized over his “Taiwan’s status is undetermined” remarks and retracted his statement.
According to a high-echelon official in the government, the Japanese government’s quick response to retract and apologize for Saito’s statement was unusual, showing that communication between Taipei and Tokyo’s was smooth. In addition, according to media reports, our government declared that Saito’s improper remarks were his personal fault. The government dealt with the incident based on the rule of separation between the person and diplomacy, so as to avoid damaging the Taipei-Tokyo relations, the reports stated.
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