President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday met with a visiting delegation from the Youth Division of Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) at the Presidential Office, with both sides calling for increased collaborations on security and semiconductors.
Peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait are critical to global security and prosperity, Lai told the delegation led by Director of the division Yasutaka Nakasone, who is also a member of the Japanese House of Representatives.
Lai said both sides should have more exchanges in areas that facilitate stability across the broader Indo-Pacific region, without elaborating.
Photo courtesy of the Presidential Office
The President also called for deeper collaboration in the semiconductor sector, following Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s (TSMC) venture in the Japanese prefecture of Kumamoto.
TSMC’s first factory in Kumamoto began mass production last December, and a second plant is under construction.
Taiwan’s strength in manufacturing and Japan’s advantages in materials, equipment and technology enables the two sides to complement each other, Lai added.
Meanwhile, Nakasone echoed Lai’s views, noting that semiconductor cooperation between Taiwan and Japan benefits both sides amid global economic turbulence brought about by US President Donald Trump.
In addition, Japan recognizes the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and will work to raise global awareness of the issue, he said.
Nakasone’s delegation arrived in Taiwan on Tuesday for a five-day visit, according to Taiwan’s foreign ministry, marking the second Japanese group to visit Taiwan in a week, following a delegation led by Japanese Diet member and former Economic Security Minister Sanae Takaichi.
Nakasone’s delegation also includes House of Representatives members Shojiro Hiranuma, Taku Nemoto and Kaoru Fukuda, and House of Councillors member Masayuki Kamiya.
The Ministry of Education (MOE) is to launch a new program to encourage international students to stay in Taiwan and explore job opportunities here after graduation, Deputy Minister of Education Yeh Ping-cheng (葉丙成) said on Friday. The government would provide full scholarships for international students to further their studies for two years in Taiwan, so those who want to pursue a master’s degree can consider applying for the program, he said. The fields included are science, technology, engineering, mathematics, semiconductors and finance, Yeh added. The program, called “Intense 2+2,” would also assist international students who completed the two years of further studies in
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) departed for Europe on Friday night, with planned stops in Lithuania and Denmark. Tsai arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Friday night, but did not speak to reporters before departing. Tsai wrote on social media later that the purpose of the trip was to reaffirm the commitment of Taiwanese to working with democratic allies to promote regional security and stability, upholding freedom and democracy, and defending their homeland. She also expressed hope that through joint efforts, Taiwan and Europe would continue to be partners building up economic resilience on the global stage. The former president was to first
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Monday called for greater cooperation between Taiwan, Lithuania and the EU to counter threats to information security, including attacks on undersea cables and other critical infrastructure. In a speech at Vilnius University in the Lithuanian capital, Tsai highlighted recent incidents in which vital undersea cables — essential for cross-border data transmission — were severed in the Taiwan Strait and the Baltic Sea over the past year. Taiwanese authorities suspect Chinese sabotage in the incidents near Taiwan’s waters, while EU leaders have said Russia is the likely culprit behind similar breaches in the Baltic. “Taiwan and our European
The Taipei District Court sentenced babysitters Liu Tsai-hsuan (劉彩萱) and Liu Jou-lin (劉若琳) to life and 18 years in prison respectively today for causing the death of a one-year-old boy in December 2023. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said that Liu Tsai-hsuan was entrusted with the care of a one-year-old boy, nicknamed Kai Kai (剴剴), in August 2023 by the Child Welfare League Foundation. From Sept. 1 to Dec. 23 that year, she and her sister Liu Jou-lin allegedly committed acts of abuse against the boy, who was rushed to the hospital with severe injuries on Dec. 24, 2023, but did not