Presidential Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) has expressed the hope that Taiwan and Japan could cooperate more closely in a conversation with Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) lawmaker and former Japanese minister of internal affairs and communications Sanae Takaichi, who is vying to become her nation’s first female prime minister.
In a videoconference on Monday, Tsai said mutual assistance between Taiwan and Japan is critical to regional stability, and she hoped for closer bilateral cooperation in several areas, including regional security, economic development and global supply chains.
Takaichi has declared her candidacy in the ruling LDP’s election for party president on Wednesday next week that would likely determine the nation’s next prime minister.
Photo copied by Lin Tsui-yi, Taipei Times
Takaichi has been described by the Japan Times as “a favorite of conservatives, with hawkish views on defense and diplomacy.”
Tsai also thanked Takaichi for Japan’s donations of COVID-19 vaccines, a Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) statement about the 30-minute conversation said.
Takaichi wrote on Twitter that she had a virtual dialogue with “Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen” on Monday evening, which proceeded smoothly with the help of translators.
Tsai is the DPP chairperson.
The Japanese lawmaker said that she was eager to hold the meeting to discuss how to deepen security ties and expand pragmatic exchanges between Japan and Taiwan.
Takaichi on Twitter posted a picture of the Japanese and Taiwanese national flags hanging on the wall of the venue where she held the online meeting with Tsai.
She said she expected the entire conversation to be posted on YouTube.
Japan donated more than 3.4 million doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine to Taiwan between June 4 and Sept. 7, and pledged to donate an additional 500,000 doses on Tuesday last week.
It has donated more vaccine doses to Taiwan than any other nation.
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