President Tsai Ing-wen received a delegation of parliamentarians from Japan’s National Diet July 28 in Taipei City, underscoring the government’s commitment to strengthen bilateral relations while furthering cooperation on security issues.
Taiwan and Japan have always extended mutual assistance during challenges such as natural disasters and the COVID-19 pandemic, Tsai said, voicing appreciation for Japan’s donation of vaccines to Taiwan last year.
The Japanese government has expressed the importance it attaches to maintaining cross-strait peace and stability at several international events, for which the government and people were grateful, Tsai said. The occasions included this year’s Japan-EU Summit, Japan-U.S. Summit, the G-7 Summit and the NATO Summit, she added.
Taiwan is a critical line of defense in the first island chain, Tsai said, adding that the government is committed to deepening collaboration with democratic partners such as Japan to maintain peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.
According to Tsai, the two sides work together closely across a wide spectrum of areas, including trade. One example is the factory scheduled to be set up in Kumamoto Prefecture by Hsinchu City-headquartered Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. and Tokyo-based Sony Group Corporation, she said.
Tsai took the opportunity to express condolences for the passing of Japan’s former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. His support and work played a key role in establishing deep and abiding Taiwan-Japan friendship while stating concerns about regional security, she said, citing his quote that “if Taiwan has a problem, then Japan has a problem, and the Japan-U.S. alliance also has a problem”.
In response, Ishiba Shigeru, a member of Japan’s House of Representatives and former Minister of Defense, said that the visit aided discussions on bilateral cooperation and ways to resolve issues. Stakeholders should conduct consultations to reach consensus regarding concrete preventive measures to maintain Asia-Pacific peace and stability, he added. (YCH-E)
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