May 1, 2024
No.155
Minister of Foreign Affairs Jaushieh Joseph Wu hosted a dinner on April 30 to welcome a delegation from Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Youth Division led by Director Takako Suzuki, member of the House of Representatives. The delegation included Kazuhiro Fujii and Rio Tomonoh, members of the House of Councillors; Shunpei Kaneko and Sakon Yamamoto, members of the House of Representatives; and Masahiro Aso, head of the Taiwan-Japan friendship group of Junior Chamber International Japan.
Speaking at the dinner, Minister Wu said the LDP Youth Division was an incubator for the development of Japanese political leaders. He welcomed the fact that the LDP Youth Division organized regular delegations to Taiwan each year to strengthen friendly ties between the two countries. Minister Wu added that following the April 3 earthquake in Hualien, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida had immediately expressed his concern and Minister for Foreign Affairs Yoko Kamikawa had announced a donation of US$1 million for relief efforts. The Taiwanese people were deeply touched by these actions, Minister Wu said.
Minister Wu noted that Japan had continued to stress the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait at international events in recent years and had underlined that cross-strait security was inseparable from global stability and prosperity. He said that Taiwan welcomed and appreciated this stance. In response to the military expansion of authoritarian regimes, Minister Wu said it was paramount for the democratic community to work together in unity. He expressed the hope that Taiwan and Japan would further cooperate to realize the vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific.
In her remarks, Director Suzuki said that when Taiwan and Japan faced challenges, they were able to support each other through concrete actions. She stated that current bilateral relations were an embodiment of the saying that close neighbors were better than distant relatives. Director Suzuki stressed that as a partner of Taiwan, the LDP Youth Division would continue to deepen collaboration with Taiwan to jointly contribute to peace, development, and stability in the region.
Other guests at the dinner included Chief Representative Kazuyuki Katayama of the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association, Taipei Office, and Deputy Secretary-General Hsu Szu-chien of the National Security Council. The two sides exchanged views on an extensive range of issues, including Taiwan-Japan cybersecurity cooperation, the Russia-Ukraine war, North Korea, and regional security. The discussion helped deepen the robust partnership and strengthen substantive collaboration between Taiwan and Japan. (E)