May 20, 2024
No.176
Chief Cabinet Secretary of Japan Yoshimasa Hayashi congratulated President Lai Ching-te and Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim on their inauguration during a press conference on May 20. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China (Taiwan) sincerely welcomes and appreciates the Japanese government’s prompt congratulations.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Hayashi stated that Taiwan and Japan are important partners that share close economic and trade and people-to-people ties. He expressed hope that bilateral friendship would further deepen under President Lai’s leadership. He also paid tribute to former President Tsai Ing-wen. Conveying Japan’s hope that cross-strait issues would be peacefully resolved through dialogue, he reaffirmed that peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait are of great importance to international stability. He also said that Japan, the United States, and other allies would cooperate closely to communicate this message directly to China.
Japan’s prompt congratulations following Taiwan’s presidential election of January 13 and the inauguration of the president and vice president today (May 20) encapsulate Japan’s high regard for bilateral ties and its deep friendship with Taiwan. Our government will continue to promote Taiwan-Japan relations and strengthen cooperation with like-minded nations to jointly safeguard peace, stability, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific. (E)