LDP Exec. Hagiuda, Pres. Lai Agree to Boost Japan-Taiwan Ties

Taipei, Dec. 22 (Jiji Press)–Koichi Hagiuda, executive acting secretary-general of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party, and Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te on Monday agreed to strengthen Japan-Taiwan relations, according to the Taiwanese presidential office. In a meeting at the Taiwanese presidential office in Taipei, Hagiuda told Lai that he hopes to continue deepening what he described as the best-ever relations between the two sides. The Japanese lawmaker expressed gratitude for Taipei lifting in November import restrictions on Japanese food products, introduced following the 2011 meltdown at Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc.’s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant in northeastern Japan. Hagiuda, who serves as secretary-general of a suprapartisan league of Japanese lawmakers with a focus on Taiwan, also called for expanding Japan-Taiwan cooperation, which is progressing in semiconductor manufacturing, to a wider range of fields. Lai urged unity between the two sides, saying that he believes Japan will make a greater contribution to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and the Indo-Pacific region. If all democracies unite and cooperate, they will not be defeated, he said, in an apparent countermeasure against China. According to the Taiwanese president, he and Hagiuda met for the first time since the inauguration of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in October, after they last met in Taipei in September. The Japanese lawmaker is on a three-day visit to the self-governing island through Tuesday, the Taiwanese foreign ministry said. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian told a press conference Monday that Beijing was firmly opposed to the Hagiuda-Lai meeting, adding that a protest has been lodged with Tokyo. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]