Taiwan is a “cherished friend,” newly elected Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) President Sanae Takaichi said yesterday in a social media post, adding that she hopes to deepen cooperation between Japan and Taiwan.
Takaichi, a senior Japanese Diet member who served as minister of state for economic security from 2022 to last year, defeated Japanese Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Shinjiro Koizumi in an LDP leadership election on Oct. 4.
President William Lai (賴清德) congratulated her on social media on the day of her victory, adding that Takaichi is a staunch, unwavering friend to Taiwan and that he hoped that relations between the two nations would reach a “new level,” becoming a force for peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.
Photo: AP
Takaichi thanked Lai and the Taiwanese people on social media, and said that Taiwan and Japan share fundamental values, economic ties and history.
Many Japanese also commented on Takaichi’s post, saying Taiwanese have always been warm and friendly to Japan, with many sharing the hope that bilateral exchanges would continue to flourish under Takaichi.
During a visit to Taiwan in April, she met with Lai and the two agreed to maintain close communications, including sharing security-related information.
A handwritten letter from Takaichi was delivered to Lai on Friday last week by a delegation of Japanese parliamentarians. Hajime Sasaki, a senior official of the Japan-Republic of China Diet Members’ Consultative Council, said that he did not see the contents of the letter, but believed it was a thank-you note in response to Lai’s congratulatory message.
Taiwanese academics specializing in Japanese affairs have expressed optimism about future Taipei-Tokyo relations after Takaichi won the election to become LDP president, putting the 64-year-old on track to potentially become the nation’s first female prime minister, adding that Takaichi is considered “Taiwan-friendly” and often models policy direction after her political mentor, late Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe.
Japan’s parliament is to convene on Friday to elect a successor to outgoing Japanese prime minister Shigeru Ishiba, a seat Takaichi appears poised to fill. However, Japan’s largest opposition party said on Friday last week that it would seek to support a unified candidate with other groups in a bid to block Takaichi’s election as prime minister after the ruling coalition collapsed, local media reported.
CHAOS: Iranians took to the streets playing celebratory music after reports of Khamenei’s death on Saturday, while mourners also gathered in Tehran yesterday Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in a major attack on Iran launched by Israel and the US, throwing the future of the Islamic republic into doubt and raising the risk of regional instability. Iranian state television and the state-run IRNA news agency announced the 86-year-old’s death early yesterday. US President Donald Trump said it gave Iranians their “greatest chance” to “take back” their country. The announcements came after a joint US and Israeli aerial bombardment that targeted Iranian military and governmental sites. Trump said the “heavy and pinpoint bombing” would continue through the week or as long
An Emirates flight from Dubai arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport yesterday afternoon, the first service of the airline since the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran on Saturday. Flight EK366 took off from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) at 3:51am yesterday and landed at 4:02pm before taxiing to the airport’s D6 gate at Terminal 2 at 4:08pm, data from the airport and FlightAware, a global flight tracking site, showed. Of the 501 passengers on the flight, 275 were Taiwanese, including 96 group tour travelers, the data showed. Tourism Administration Deputy Director-General Huang He-ting (黃荷婷) greeted Taiwanese passengers at the airport and
TRUST: The KMT said it respected the US’ timing and considerations, and hoped it would continue to honor its commitments to helping Taiwan bolster its defenses and deterrence US President Donald Trump is delaying a multibillion-dollar arms sale to Taiwan to ensure his visit to Beijing is successful, a New York Times report said. The weapons sales package has stalled in the US Department of State, the report said, citing US officials it did not identify. The White House has told agencies not to push forward ahead of Trump’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), it said. The two last month held a phone call to discuss trade and geopolitical flashpoints ahead of the summit. Xi raised the Taiwan issue and urged the US to handle arms sales to
State-run CPC Corp, Taiwan (CPC, 台灣中油) yesterday said that it had confirmed on Saturday night with its liquefied natural gas (LNG) and crude oil suppliers that shipments are proceeding as scheduled and that domestic supplies remain unaffected. The CPC yesterday announced the gasoline and diesel prices will rise by NT$0.2 and NT$0.4 per liter, respectively, starting Monday, citing Middle East tensions and blizzards in the eastern United States. CPC also iterated it has been reducing the proportion of crude oil imports from the Middle East and diversifying its supply sources in the past few years in response to geopolitical risks, expanding
RSS