A 27-strong delegation of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) led by caucus whip Fu Kun-chi (傅崐萁) this morning met with 20 members of the Japan-ROC Diet Members' Consultative Council, including chairman Keiji Furuya and secretary-general Koichi Hagiuda at the First Members’ Office Building of the House of Representatives of Japan in Tokyo.
This was the largest delegation in Taiwan-Japan parliamentary history, and was arranged in complete secrecy within just one week, Fu said.
Ahead of the Legislative Yuan’s fourth session of its 11th term, the opposition party delegation arrived in Japan on Tuesday.
Photo courtesy of KMT caucus whip Fu Kun-chi's office
The two nations need to maintain close cooperation and enhance competitiveness in light of US President Donald Trump’s reciprocal tariffs, the US trade war and adjustments to semiconductor policies, Fu said.
Caucus secretary-general Lo Chih-chiang (羅智強), deputy secretary-general Lin Pei-hsiang (林沛祥) and representative to Japan Lee Yi-yang (李逸洋) were also in attendance.
The delegation was invited by the Japan-ROC Diet Members' Consultative Council to discuss Taiwan’s ascension to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), a Free Trade Agreement (TFA), which Japan plays a key role in following the US’ withdrawal under Trump in 2017, Fu’s office said in a news release.
The meetings would also discuss disaster prevention and mutual aid, while establishing deeper economic and trade relations, it added.
Fu thanked the council for its longstanding support for Taiwan, as Japan and Taiwan work closely in fields such as economics, culture, academia, tourism and industrial technology, he said, with frequent official and private bilateral communication.
Last year, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) opened its first chip manufacturing fab in Kumamoto, Japan, contributing significantly to talent cultivation and local development in Japan, he added.
Taiwan and Japan are also natural leaders in shaping Asia’s new AI landscape, he said.
KMT Legislator Lee Yen-hsiu (李彥秀), who is part of the trip, wrote in a Facebook post that the visit to Japan's Diet reflects the party's long-term goal of fostering friendly exchanges with Japan.
The KMT hopes such exchanges between the two legislatures can become routine to help strengthen cooperation on security, supply chain resilience and people-to-people ties, Lee said.
Furuya, a veteran member of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), was quoted in Fu’s statement as saying that he hopes that Taiwan and Japan would deepen bilateral relations, develop their democracies and ensure peace in the Taiwan Strait, as regional safety and stability are crucial to the Taiwanese people and Japanese residents in Taiwan.
Furuya said he looked forward to welcoming Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), a senior KMT member, during Han's upcoming trip to Japan later this month.
A source told CNA that Han is scheduled to lead a cross-party legislative delegation to Japan from Sept. 25-29 to promote parliamentary diplomacy. The group is also expected to visit Expo 2025 in Osaka, the source said.
Additional reporting by Liu Wan-ling
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.
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
The New Taipei Metro's Sanyin Line and the eastern extension of the Taipei Metro's Tamsui-Xinyi Line (Red Line) are scheduled to begin operations in June, the National Development Council said today. The Red Line, which terminates at Xiangshan Station, would be connected by the 1.4km extension to a new eastern terminal, Guangci/Fengtian Temple Station, while the Sanyin Line would link New Taipei City's Tucheng and Yingge stations via Sanxia District (三峽). The council gave the updates at a council meeting reviewing progress on public construction projects for this year. Taiwan's annual public infrastructure budget would remain at NT$800 billion (US$25.08 billion), with NT$97.3
Taiwanese officials were shown the first of 66 F-16V fighter jets purchased by Taiwan from the United States, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday, adding the aircraft has completed an initial flight test and is expected to be delivered later this year. A delegation led by Deputy Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) visited Lockheed Martin’s F-16 C/D Block 70 (also known as F-16V) assembly line in South Carolina on March 16 to view the aircraft. The jet will undergo a final acceptance flight in the US before being delivered to Taiwan, the
RSS