President You receives a 12-member delegation from the Okinawa Prefectural Assembly led by Hanashiro Taisuke

You Si-kun: Taiswan is a close neighbor of the Ryukyu islands, including Yonaguni

Accompanied by Secretary General Lin Jih-jia, Consultant Chou Ya-shu, and Secretary Director Kung Ping-chieh, President You received a 12-member delegation from the Okinawa Prefectural Assembly delegation led by Hanashiro Taisuke at 10 a.m. today, November 9. The main purpose of the visit was to exchange views on promoting economic, tourism, and cultural cooperation between the Ryukyu islands and Taiwan.

In speaking to the delegation, President You began by extending a sincere welcome on behalf of the Legislative Yuan. He followed by stating that his hometown of Yilan is only 110 kilometers away from Yonaguni. In 1986, he visited the Yaeyama Junior Chamber International in the company of the Su’ao Junior Chamber International and was impressed by the exchange. While serving as Yilan County Magistrate, President You promoted cultural exchanges with the Ryukyu islands. Deputy Governor Yoshimoto Masanori also visited Yilan to promote cordial relations. President You recalled his three trips to Ryukyu, the latest of which was in 2004 when he was Premier. On returning to Taiwan from the United States, there was a typhoon that necessitated a detour to Ryukyu. He thus became Taiwan’s first sitting premier ever to stand on Japanese soil.

President You also mentioned that Taiwan is often affected by typhoons. Before they hit Taiwan, most pass over Ishigaki. Therefore, Ishigaki is often mentioned by Taiwan’s media. He has, President You shared, felt familiar with Ryukyu and Ishigaki since he was young. He recalled that when Deputy Governor of Okinawa Yoshimoto Masanori visited Taiwan, he stated that in the past if he wanted to return to Yonaguni, he had to first fly from Tokyo to Taipei, then take a train to Yilan’s Nanfang’ao, and then catch a boat home. He also shared that Ryukyu often takes in large swordfish catches that are often shipped to Nanfang’ao for sale. Such happenings underscore the fact that Taiwan and Ryukyu are close neighbors.

President You continued by saying that Taiwanese and Japanese often think that Taiwan is closer to China than Japan because of the geographic location of Kinmen and Matsu. Yet as a matter of fact, Japan is the closest country to Taiwan. On sunny days, Yonaguni can be seen with the use of binoculars from higher ground around Su’ao. President You said that as both Taiwan’s legislative speaker and an Yilan County resident, he is pleased to see Taiwan and Ryukyu enjoy cordial relations.

The two sides then exchanged views on matters of common concern to Taiwan and Ryukyu. President You suggested that the two sides could further mutual understanding, particularly between Yilan County and Ryukyu. For example, an observation deck could be constructed on higher ground around Su’ao so that the people of Taiwan could look upon Yonaguni and feel for themselves how close the two are, thereby increasing their desire to visit. In addition, when Taiwan was under martial law, exchanges between Yilan and Ryukyu were not permitted. Therefore, it remains a pity that the people of Taiwan have little understanding of the historical connections Taiwan has with Ryukyu. In the future, this aspect of cultural history should be further promoted.

President You left the venue at 11 a.m. after exchanging gifts and posing for group photos.