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.
A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck off the coast of Yilan County at 8:39pm tonight, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, with no immediate reports of damage or injuries. The epicenter was 38.7km east-northeast of Yilan County Hall at a focal depth of 98.3km, the CWA’s Seismological Center said. The quake’s maximum intensity, which gauges the actual physical effect of a seismic event, was a level 4 on Taiwan’s 7-tier intensity scale, the center said. That intensity level was recorded in Yilan County’s Nanao Township (南澳), Hsinchu County’s Guansi Township (關西), Nantou County’s Hehuanshan (合歡山) and Hualien County’s Yanliao (鹽寮). An intensity of 3 was
Instead of focusing solely on the threat of a full-scale military invasion, the US and its allies must prepare for a potential Chinese “quarantine” of Taiwan enforced through customs inspections, Stanford University Hoover fellow Eyck Freymann said in a Foreign Affairs article published on Wednesday. China could use various “gray zone” tactics in “reconfiguring the regional and ultimately the global economic order without a war,” said Freymann, who is also a nonresident research fellow at the US Naval War College. China might seize control of Taiwan’s links to the outside world by requiring all flights and ships entering or leaving Taiwan
The next minimum wage hike is expected to exceed NT$30,000, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday during an award ceremony honoring “model workers,” including migrant workers, at the Presidential Office ahead of Workers’ Day today. Lai said he wished to thank the awardees on behalf of the nation and extend his most sincere respect for their hard work, on which Taiwan’s prosperity has been built. Lai specifically thanked 10 migrant workers selected for the award, saying that although they left their home countries to further their own goals, their efforts have benefited Taiwan as well. The nation’s industrial sector and small businesses lay
Taiwan's first indigenous defense submarine, the SS-711 Hai Kun (海鯤, or Narwhal), departed for its 13th sea trial at 7am today, marking its seventh submerged test, with delivery to the navy scheduled for July. The outing also marked its first sea deployment since President William Lai (賴清德) boarded the submarine for an inspection on March 19, drawing a crowd of military enthusiasts who gathered to show support. The submarine this morning departed port accompanied by CSBC Corp’s Endeavor Manta (奮進魔鬼魚號) uncrewed surface vessel and a navy M109 assault boat. Amid public interest in key milestones such as torpedo-launching operations and overnight submerged trials,