The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday welcomed a delegation of Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Youth Division led by Japanese Representative Yasutaka Nakasone.
Taiwan-Japan Relations Association Deputy Secretary-General Lin Yu-hui (林郁慧) said Japan’s Golden Week holiday began last week, so several Japanese delegations are visiting Taiwan, including former Japanese minister of state for economic security Sanae Takaichi and other members of the House of Representatives.
A delegation led by Japanese Representative Yasutoshi Nishimura, a former minister of economy, trade and industry, is to arrive soon, Lin said.
Photo: CNA
Others in the Takaichi delegation, which departed yesterday, were Japanese representatives Hitoshi Kikawada and Masanao Ozaki, as well as Japanese House of Councilors member Kei Sato, Lin said.
The foreign ministry in a statement said that it welcomed Nakasone and the LDP Youth Division delegation, which includes Japanese representatives Shoujiro Hiranuma, Taku Nemoto and Kaoru Fukuda, as well as Japanese Councilor Masayuki Kamiya and members of the Junior Chamber International Japan.
The group is to meet with President William Lai (賴清德), Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴), Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu (吳釗燮), Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) and Taiwan-Japan Relations Association Chairman Su Jia-chyuan (蘇嘉全), the statement said.
The LDP Youth Division has long played an important role in its party by promoting exchanges with Taiwan, and it routinely sends delegations to Taiwan to exchange ideas with people and groups, the statement said.
Nakasone is a former parliamentary secretary for defense, and the delegation members are young members of the Japanese Diet with enormous potential, it said.
The LDP Youth Division’s routine visits to Taiwan highlight that the Japanese government highly values the Taiwan-Japan relationship, it said.
The visits are beneficial for both sides to understand each other’s latest policies and diplomatic directions, which bolsters diplomacy and substantial cooperative relationships across fields, it added.
Meanwhile, Japanese Representative Hideshi Futori has suggested that the Japanese government invite Taiwan to participate at the GreenxExpo 2027 in Yokohama, Lin said, adding that the popularity of the government-backed TechWorld pavilion at the Osaka Expo, which opened on Tuesday last week, backed the suggestion.
Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Takeshi Iwaya has said that Tokyo would handle invitations to Taiwan to attend the 2027 event it in the same way it did for the Osaka Expo, she said.
MOFA expresses gratitude to Futori for placing importance on Taiwan-Japan relationship and supporting Taiwan’s participation in international organizations, Lin said, adding that the exchange association has asked Taiwan’s representative office in Japan to assist in the case.
Eight Chinese naval vessels and 24 military aircraft were detected crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait between 6am yesterday and 6am today, the Ministry of National Defense said this morning. The aircraft entered Taiwan’s northern, central, southwestern and eastern air defense identification zones, the ministry said. The armed forces responded with mission aircraft, naval vessels and shore-based missile systems to closely monitor the situation, it added. Eight naval vessels, one official ship and 36 aircraft sorties were spotted in total, the ministry said.
INCREASED CAPACITY: The flights on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays would leave Singapore in the morning and Taipei in the afternoon Singapore Airlines is adding four supplementary flights to Taipei per week until May to meet increased tourist and business travel demand, the carrier said on Friday. The addition would raise the number of weekly flights it operates to Taipei to 18, Singapore Airlines Taiwan general manager Timothy Ouyang (歐陽漢源) said. The airline has recorded a steady rise in tourist and business travel to and from Taipei, and aims to provide more flexible travel arrangements for passengers, said Ouyang, who assumed the post in July last year. From now until Saturday next week, four additional flights would depart from Singapore on Monday, Wednesday, Friday
The Ministry of National Defense yesterday reported the return of large-scale Chinese air force activities after their unexplained absence for more than two weeks, which had prompted speculation regarding Beijing’s motives. China usually sends fighter jets, drones and other military aircraft around the nation on a daily basis. Interruptions to such routine are generally caused by bad weather. The Ministry of National Defense said it had detected 26 Chinese military aircraft in the Taiwan Strait over the previous 24 hours. It last reported that many aircraft on Feb. 25, when it spotted 30 aircraft, saying Beijing was carrying out another “joint combat
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) today said that if South Korea does not reply appropriately to its request to correct Taiwan’s name on its e-Arrival card system before March 31, it would take corresponding measures to alter how South Korea is labeled on the online Taiwan Arrival Card system. South Korea’s e-Arrival card system lists Taiwan as “China (Taiwan)” in the “point of departure” and “next destination” fields. The ministry said that it changed the nationality for South Koreans on Taiwan’s Alien Resident Certificates from “Korea” to “South Korea” on March 1, in a gesture of goodwill and based on the
RSS