President Lai Ching-te said Dec. 23 that Taiwan looks forward to enhancing the partnership with Japan through multifaceted cooperation to advance mutual progress and prosperity.
The president made the remarks at the Presidential Office in Taipei City while receiving delegations from the National Diet of Japan led by Keisuke Suzuki and Hirofumi Takinami, respectively.
Lai thanked Suzuki and his fellow members from the House of Representatives for visiting Taiwan to demonstrate their support, which is sincerely appreciated. Thanks to work done by the former minister of justice, Taiwanese can now declare Taiwan as their nationality on Japanese residence cards beginning May 26, Lai said.
The president said he hoped that the two sides would leverage their respective advantages to create a more secure and resilient industrial partnership and contribute to regional economic growth and global supply chain security.
Suzuki said in response that Japan and Taiwan share the same universal values and hopes to see the region remain peaceful and stable. He said that they both face coercion from China, adding that a Taiwan contingency is a Japan contingency.
During his meeting with Takinami from the House of Councilors, Lai thanked Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi for reaffirming the importance of cross-strait peace and stability during her meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in October. He anticipates deeper cooperation between Taiwan and Japan to address global trade challenges and the risks of a red supply chain.
Takinami said Japan and Taiwan need to enhance cooperation to tackle challenges where the two sides are closely connected, especially in issues such as energy, food and economic security. He added that the delegates will continue to promote bilateral cooperation going forward. (SFC-E)
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