TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan and Japan signed an MOU on customs cooperation between Keelung Port and Yokohama Port on Tuesday (Dec. 12) to enhance customs clearance, tariff imposition, and cultural exchanges.
Su Jia-chyuan (蘇嘉全), head of the Taiwan-Japan Relations Association, and Ohashi Mitsuo, director of the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association, finalized the agreement at the 47th Taiwan-Japan Economic and Trade Conference in Taipei, per CNA.
In a speech, Su highlighted the complementary nature of Taiwanese and Japanese industries like the semiconductor supply chain. Japan specializes in upstream equipment and materials while Taiwan excels in advanced processes, he said.
Su pointed to the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company factory in Kumamoto and Taiwan's procurement of 12 sets of the latest train cars from Hitachi-Toshiba Supreme Consortium as prime examples of deepening economic, trade, and investment cooperation between the two countries.
Su said he hoped Japan’s support for Taiwan would continue, particularly concerning Taiwan's inclusion in the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). Membership would strengthen global and regional supply chain resilience, contributing to sustained economic development, he said.
Ohashi lauded the increasingly close Taiwan-Japan relationship and said bilateral trade between Taiwan and Japan reached a historic high of US$88.21 billion (NT$2.78 trillion) in 2022. The smooth progress of TSMC's Kumamoto factory has led to ongoing discussions for the establishment of its second phase, he said. Additionally, Japan intends to continue supporting Taiwan's high-speed rail development, he added.
Regarding tourism, Ohashi said the number of Taiwanese visitors to Japan has approached pre-pandemic levels, while Japanese visits to Taiwan, affected by the depreciation of the yen, are gradually recovering. He expressed hope that these visits would surpass pre-pandemic levels eventually.
After the meeting, Keelung Customs Director-General Chen Shih-feng (陳世鋒), said that Keelung Port and Yokohama Port agreed to promote digitalization to reduce clearance times, cooperate in combating smuggling, precise tariff imposition, and engage in cultural exchanges due to the historical significance of both ports.
Chen said he anticipated the bilateral trade volume to surpass US$100 billion this year. Simplifying clearance procedures and reducing clearance times between the two ports will benefit businesses, he said.
