President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Sunday congratulated Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on the landslide victory of his Liberal Democratic party (LDP) in the nation’s general election.
In a message released by the Presidential Office, Tsai said that she hoped Taiwan and Japan would forge closer ties in the wake of the party’s victory.
The president’s congratulatory message was conveyed via Taiwan-Japan Relations Association (TJRA) head Chiou I-jen (邱義仁), the semi-official Taiwanese agency that handles relations with Japan.
The LDP won a strong mandate in the snap general election on Sunday, taking two-thirds of the 465 seats in the Japanese House of Representatives, which is expected to strengthen Abe’s hard line position against North Korea and create room for the cabinet to push for revision of the country’s pacifist constitution.
The election results also paved the way for Abe to become the longest serving leader in Japan’s modern history, as he is likely to remain in office for at least three more years.
In Tsai’s congratulatory message, she said Taiwan was grateful to Abe for the close attention he had been giving to cooperation between Taiwan and Japan, as well as for his support for the nation’s participation in international organizations and activities.
Under his continued leadership, Taiwan and Japan are expected to deepen bilateral ties, and work together to boost the welfare of their people and achieve prosperity and stability in the region, Tsai said.
It was perceived as a milestone in bilateral ties when Japan in January renamed its Interchange Association in Taipei, Japan’s de facto representation to Taiwan, to the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association.
A few months later, Taiwan officially renamed its 45-year-old Association of East Asian Relations in Taipei to the TJRA, at a ceremony that both sides called a “historical moment.”
Since switching official diplomatic recognition to China in 1972, Japan has maintained non-governmental, working-level relations with Taiwan.
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