President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday congratulated Sanae Takaichi on her election as the 29th president of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), expressing his hope to deepen Taiwan-Japan ties.
Describing Takaichi as “a staunch friend of Taiwan,” Lai wrote on X that he hoped to elevate Taiwan-Japan relations to a new level, and bolster security and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.
Lai also expressed his gratitude to outgoing LDP President and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who “deepened Taiwan-Japan ties and contributed to regional stability” during his tenure.
Photo: Screen grab from the Presidential Office’s Flickr page
Takaichi, a former Japanese economic security minister, won the presidency on her third attempt after losses in 2021 and last year.
Takaichi is expected to become the country’s first female prime minister.
Lai’s Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) thanked all five candidates for their support of Taiwan.
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) also congratulated Takaichi, saying it hopes the decades-long friendship between the two parties would deepen.
The Taiwan People’s Party said that Japan is a longtime friend of Taiwan, and it looks forward to opportunities for exchanges with the Japanese government.
Takaichi in April visited Taiwan and told Lai that Taiwan and Japan should deepen unofficial bilateral ties — including more visits and information sharing — to prepare for contingencies that could impact both nations.
She also voiced support for Lai’s proposal for signing an economic partnership agreement.
Takaichi during her visit called for Taiwan and Japan to work together to decouple national supply chains from China, a policy objective Takaichi shared with Lai.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) in July met with Takaichi during a visit to Japan.
Taiwan has established lines of communication with Takaichi since 2021 when she launched her first bid for the LDP leadership, through the mediation of late Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe.
Takaichi has on multiple occasions echoed Abe’s remark that “a Taiwan contingency is a Japan contingency.”
She supported Taiwan’s bid to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership.
Takaichi on Wednesday contributed written responses to a Hudson Institute questionnaire, in which she expressed hopes to engage with the Chinese leadership in a “candid dialogue” over Taiwan.
“Unilateral changes to the status quo through force or coercion must never occur,” she added. “Taiwan is an extremely important partner and a valued friend for Japan.”
DPP Legislator Chen Kuan-ting (陳冠廷) said that Takaichi’s rise to LDP leadership meant that Abe’s stance on Taiwan could become national policy in Japan.
Such a shift would make peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait a core Japanese national interest, Chen said.
Takaichi’s victory reflected worries among Japanese over regional security amid China’s increasingly militant pursuit of territorial expansion, he said.
Taiwan has a historic opportunity to transform the bilateral relationship into a strategic partnership, he said.
Taiwan and Japan could enhance security collaboration without infringing on Japan’s pacifist constitution, Chen said, citing maritime law enforcement and cybersecurity as examples.
The two sides face the threat emanating from China’s “gray zone” tactics, which is an urgent concern that can be addressed within Japan’s legal and constitutional framework, he added.
The interests of Taiwan’s semiconductor industry and Japan’s economic security are aligned, which suggests that bilateral trade ties should be reinforced into a strategic alliance, he said.
Economic cooperation between the two would be a boon to the supply chain resilience of democracies worldwide, he said.
Taiwan must also be pragmatic about the internal and external constraints on Takaichi’s ability to realize her foreign policy goals, Chen said.
The LDP is not united over what Japan’s policy should be on China, its rate of defense spending and Japan’s fiscal health, he said.
KMT Legislator Lin Pei-hsiang (林沛祥) said that Taiwan and Japan share a vital partnership that the two nations should leverage to deal with the US’ tariffs.
A joint strategy for Taiwan and Japan to support one another and minimize the impact of the tariffs would be a highly important aspect of bilateral relations, he said.
Additional reporting by Chen Cheng-yu, Shih Hsiao-Kung and Liu Wan-lin
A Ministry of Foreign Affairs official yesterday said that a delegation that visited China for an APEC meeting did not receive any kind of treatment that downgraded Taiwan’s sovereignty. Department of International Organizations Director-General Jonathan Sun (孫儉元) said that he and a group of ministry officials visited Shenzhen, China, to attend the APEC Informal Senior Officials’ Meeting last month. The trip went “smoothly and safely” for all Taiwanese delegates, as the Chinese side arranged the trip in accordance with long-standing practices, Sun said at the ministry’s weekly briefing. The Taiwanese group did not encounter any political suppression, he said. Sun made the remarks when
The Taiwanese passport ranked 33rd in a global listing of passports by convenience this month, rising three places from last month’s ranking, but matching its position in January last year. The Henley Passport Index, an international ranking of passports by the number of designations its holder can travel to without a visa, showed that the Taiwan passport enables holders to travel to 139 countries and territories without a visa. Singapore’s passport was ranked the most powerful with visa-free access to 192 destinations out of 227, according to the index published on Tuesday by UK-based migration investment consultancy firm Henley and Partners. Japan’s and
BROAD AGREEMENT: The two are nearing a trade deal to reduce Taiwan’s tariff to 15% and a commitment for TSMC to build five more fabs, a ‘New York Times’ report said Taiwan and the US have reached a broad consensus on a trade deal, the Executive Yuan’s Office of Trade Negotiations said yesterday, after a report said that Washington is set to reduce Taiwan’s tariff rate to 15 percent. The New York Times on Monday reported that the two nations are nearing a trade deal to reduce Taiwan’s tariff rate to 15 percent and commit Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) to building at least five more facilities in the US. “The agreement, which has been under negotiation for months, is being legally scrubbed and could be announced this month,” the paper said,
Japan and the Philippines yesterday signed a defense pact that would allow the tax-free provision of ammunition, fuel, food and other necessities when their forces stage joint training to boost deterrence against China’s growing aggression in the region and to bolster their preparation for natural disasters. Japan has faced increasing political, trade and security tensions with China, which was angered by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remark that a Chinese attack on Taiwan would be a survival-threatening situation for Japan, triggering a military response. Japan and the Philippines have also had separate territorial conflicts with Beijing in the East and South China
RSS