Four delegations that include 18 Japanese lawmakers are scheduled to visit Taiwan this week, Taiwan-Japan Relations Association Secretary-General Fan Chen-kuo (范振國) said yesterday.
Four Japanese lawmakers representing Kumamoto Prefecture — Tetsushi Sakamoto, Yasushi Kaneko, Yoshifumi Matsumura and Seishi Baba — and 11 Kumamoto officials arrived in Taiwan yesterday for a four-day visit.
During a meeting with Legislative Speaker You Si-kun (游錫?), Sakamoto said the visit demonstrated the delegation’s hopes that the prefecture could take the lead in promoting people-to-people, economic and cultural exchanges between Japan and Taiwan.
Photo: CNA
Taiwan has generated a lot of discussion in Kumamoto after Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co announced a plan to establish fabs in the prefecture, which also brought investment from more than 80 related businesses, he said.
“Japan and Taiwan are communities of common destiny,” he quoted Representative to Japan Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) as saying, adding that he would keep it in mind and continue to promote closer ties with Taiwan.
He vowed to support Taiwan’s bid to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership as he serves as chairman of the Committee on Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
As today marks the 76th anniversary of the promulgation of the Japanese constitution, he said that the Liberal Democratic Party has proposed amending the constitution as it is unclear how Japan could help in a Taiwan contingency, which would also affect Japan and Kumamoto.
In addition to the delegation from Kumamoto, three other delegations are scheduled to arrive in Taiwan today, taking advantage of the Golden Week holiday in Japan, Fan said.
Six Japanese lawmakers from the Liberal Democratic Party Youth Division, including division Director Norikazu Suzuki, and 12 officials from Junior Chamber International Japan are to stay until Sunday, he said.
Former president of the Japanese House of Councilors, Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker Akiko Santo, is leading a delegation with three other female lawmakers — Yasue Funayama, Aiko Shimajiri and Eriko Imai — on a visit until Monday next week, including meeting with Taiwanese female lawmakers, he said.
Four members of the Japanese House of Representatives — Shinsuke Okuno, Kosaburo Nishime, Hayato Suzuki and Masahiro Koumura — plan to visit Kinmen County during their stay until Saturday, he added.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs extended warm welcomes to the delegations, adding that close interactions and frequent exchanges would help bolster cooperation and partnerships between the two sides, Fan said.
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