The normally reserved Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) in Taipei recently called on Taiwan and Japan to establish a channel for direct talks between officials at the ministerial level. In its first-ever annual white paper released Oct. 23, the JCCI said government- level dialogue was necessary to deal with trade disputes and marketing problems challenging Japanese businesses operating in Taiwan. Such dialogue is difficult at present, however, because of the lack of diplomatic ties between Taiwan and Japan. Over the past 33 years, Taiwan's Association of East Asia Relations has been commissioned to handle trade and economic issues with its Japanese counterpart, the Interchange Association, through an annual working-level meeting. A new opportunity may have arisen, however, since President Ma Ying-jeou took office on May 20, 2008. Cross-Taiwan Strait exchanges have been greatly boosted and expanded, which consequently have also led to more exchanges between Taiwan and East Asian and Southeast Asian countries. Those trends could have a positive influence on relatively cold Taiwan-Japan exchanges, the paper said, and for businesses to adjust to the anticipated change, the JCCI urged the two countries to pursue higher-level dialogue. Meanwhile, the Japanese business group also expressed the hope that Taiwan's government and people will send more information on Taiwan to Japan through a wide range of different channels. The white paper pointed out that there is little information transmitted to Japan on daily life and economic activity in Taiwan, leading to a general lack of understanding of Taiwan's leading businesses and the generally pro-Japanese attitudes of its people. The more Japanese businesses know about Taiwanese companies, such as Hon Hai Precision Industry, Quanta Computer and ASUSTek Computer, which were among China's top 10 exporters in 2008, the better the chance they will seek cooperation with them, including in the mainland market, the JCCI said. Unlike the American Chamber of Commerce in Taipei or the European Chamber of Commerce Taipei, the JCCI in Taipei, founded in 1971, has been relatively inactive, rarely delivering opinions and making suggestions to the government agencies here. The low-profile approach changed, however, as cross-strait relations have improved under Ma's administration. Prior to issuing the white paper, the JCCI, which now represents 420 Japanese businesses in Taiwan, presented a proposal containing 42 recommendations to Taiwan's government last September. The 2009 white paper further expanded the number of recommendations to 59 on topics ranging from regional peace to medical treatment systems that the group said fully conveys its members' opinions. 