Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Japan (TECO; Chinese: 臺北駐日經濟文化代表處; pinyin: Táiběi Zhùrì Jīngjì Wénhuà Dàibiǎo Chù, Japanese 台北駐日経済文化代表処 Taihoku Zainichi Keizai Bunka Daihyou 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 Taiwan–Japan Relations Association (Chinese: 臺灣日本關係協會; pinyin: Táiwān Rìběn Guānxì Xiéhuì), a parastatal agency of the government.

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.

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.

[3] 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.