Technical difficulties created by the COVID-19 pandemic means this year’s Taiwan-Japan Economic and Trade Conference has been pushed back to next year, and would be held by end of March at the latest, Taiwan-Japan Relations Association (TJRA) Secretary-General Kuo Chung-shi (郭仲熙) said yesterday.

The TJRA and the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association have held the conference in October or November for the past 44 years.

Some virtual meetings have been scheduled, but due to the scale of the conference and the large number of participants, it is taking longer than usual to plan, Kuo told a routine meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Taipei.

Discussions are still underway on how to organize the conference, and they might decide to organize smaller groups that meet at separate times, Kuo said

The closing ceremony is another sticking point, as traditionally the heads of the two associations attend the ceremony, but a decision on whether to hold a physical event has not been made, Kuo said.

Asked whether the conference would be held this year, Kuo said it would happen before the end of Japan’s fiscal year, which runs from April 1 to March 31.

Meanwhile, regarding the potential import of foodstuffs from areas affected by the 2011 Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant disaster, Kuo said that the ministry would respect professional opinion and maintain close communication with Tokyo on the matter.

President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Wednesday said that the government had not discussed opening food and agricultural imports from Fukushima and four other prefectures following the lapse of a 2018 referendum that called for another two-year extension on the ban.

Tokyo cares deeply about this issue, Kuo said.

As always, public health is at the forefront of the government’s concerns, he said, adding that a decision would be made in line with international standards and scientific data, as well as practices in other advanced nations.

Lifting the ban is considered a key to whether Taiwan might be allowed to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, which is currently led by Japan.

Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) last month said that Beijing is considering joining the partnership.