The Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Japan (; ) is the representative office of Taiwan in Japan, functioning as a de facto embassy in the absence of diplomatic relations. It is operated by the Taiwan–Japan Relations Association (), a parastatal agency of the government.
Its Japanese counterpart is the Japan–Taiwan Exchange Association in Taipei.
History The Association of East Asian Relations (AEAR) was established in 1972 after the government of Japan severed its diplomatic relations with Taiwan, replacing the Republic of China's embassy in Tokyo, and its consulates-general in Yokohama, Osaka and Fukuoka.The International Law of Recognition and the Status of the Republic of China, Hungdah Chiu in The United States and the Republic of China: Democratic Friends, Strategic Allies, and Economic Partners, Steven W. Mosher, Transaction Publishers, 1992, page 24 In 1992, the offices in Japan adopted the current name. In 2017, AEAR was renamed Taiwan–Japan Relations Association.
However, the situation in Okinawa was different. Okinawa had been occupied by the United States since the end of World War II until 1972, and its name under the occupation was Ryukyu. In 1958, the ROC established Sino-Ryukyuan Cultural and Economic Association. After Okinawa's return to Japan in May 1972 and the severance of diplomatic relations in September, the Office in Okinawa remained with the same name. This office, under a different title, had existed simultaneously with the offices in Japan until 2006, when the office in Okinawa was merged into the representative office in Tokyo.Taiwan to set up its first Okinawa TECRO office, Taipei Times, May 31, 2006
This curiosity may have arisen because the Ryūkyū Kingdom was a tributary state of China (the Ming and Qing Dynasties) before the 19th century, and consequently the ROC, as the successor government of the Qing, may for historical reasons have distinguished Okinawa from Japan. However, in 2006, Taiwan officially acknowledged that Okinawa is now part of Japan. It now has liaison offices in Tokyo, Osaka and Fukuoka and branches of the Tokyo Office in Yokohama, Naha and Sapporo.Taiwan opens new office in Sapporo, Taiwan Today, December 1, 2009
Missions and consular districts
MisionConsular district Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in JapanTokyo, Aomori, Iwate, Miyagi, Akita, Fukushima, Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma, Saitama, Chiba, Nigata, Yamagata, Yamanashi, Nagano Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in OsakaOsaka, Gifu, Aichi, Shiga, Kyoto, Hyōgo Prefecture, Toyama, Ishikawa, Fukui, Mie, Nara, Wakayama, Okayama, Hiroshima, Tottori, Shimane, Ehime, Tokushima, Kōchi Prefecture, Kagawa Yokohama Branch, Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in JapanKanagawa, Shizuoka Naha Branch, Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in JapanOkinawa Sapporo Branch, Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in JapanHokkaido Fukuoka Branch, Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in OsakaFukuoka, Kumamoto, Ōita Prefecture, Miyazaki, Kagoshima, Nagasaki, Saga, Yamaguchi
Representatives
Representatives (AEAR) Ma Shu-li, 1973–1985 Mou Shung-nian, 1985 Ma Chi-chuang, 1985–1990 Chiang Hsiao-wu, 1990–1991 Hsu Shui-teh, 1991–1993
Representatives Lin Chin-ching, 1993–1996 Chuang Ming-yao, 1996–2000 Lo Fu-chen, 2000–2004 Koh Se-kai, 2004–2008 John Feng, 2008–2012 Shen Ssu-tsun, 2012–2016 Frank Hsieh, 2016–2024 Lee I-yang, 2024-
See also List of diplomatic missions of Taiwan List of diplomatic missions in Japan Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office Japan–Taiwan relations
References
External links
Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Japan Taiwan–Japan Relations Association