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.
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