CHALLENGE: The foreign ministry said it was in ‘earnest communication’ with Tokyo, which expressed regret over a public vote to retain a ban on certain Japanese imports
Taipei Times
Date: Dec 08, 2018
By: Stacy Hsu / Staff reporter
The government yesterday said it would continue to seek Tokyo’s support and
Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Taro Kono delivers a speech during the Mediterranean Dialogue in Rome on Nov. 23. Photo: EPA-EFE
understanding after a top Japanese official said that Taiwan is unlikely to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) because of the result of its referendum banning certain Japanese food imports.
“Japan’s reaction is understandable and this is going to be a strenuous challenge for Taiwan,” Executive Yuan spokeswoman Kolas Yotaka said, adding that the Cabinet has instructed government agencies to communicate with Tokyo.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a press release said it would continue to engage in “earnest communication” with Japan and handle with discretion any possible actions Tokyo could take in response to the passage of a referendum on Nov. 24 that called for a continued ban on imports of Japanese agricultural and food products from Fukushima and four other prefectures after the 2011 Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant disaster.
A total of 7,791,856 people, or 78 percent of the votes cast, favored retaining the ban, further tying the hands of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) administration, which has sought to relax the major impediment to bilateral trade relations. [FULL STORY]
