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Formed 1972 (as Association of East Asian Relations)1992 (as Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office) Website | ||
The Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Japan (Chinese: 臺北駐日經濟文化代表處; pinyin: Táiběi Zhùrì Jīngjì Wénhuà Dàibiǎo Chǔ; Japanese: 台北駐日経済文化代表処; rōmaji: Taipei Chūnichi Keizai bunka Daihyō Sho) represents the interests of Taiwan in Japan, functioning as a de facto embassy in the absence of diplomatic relations. It is operated by the Association of Taiwan-Japan Relations (Chinese: 台灣日本關係協會; pinyin: Táiwān Rìběn Guānxì Xiéhuì).
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Previously known as the AEAR (Association of East Asian Relations) liaison office in Tokyo, it was renamed the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in 1992.
Its Japanese counterpart is the Japan–Taiwan Exchange Association in Taipei.
History
The 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.
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 TECRO offices in Japan until 2006, when the office in Okinawa was merged into the Office in Tokyo.
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.