Taipei, April 30 (CNA) President Chen Shui-bian urged Japan Friday to continue its support for Taiwan's bid to join the World Health Organization (WHO).
Chen made the pitch while meeting with a Japanese delegation, headed by Kouki Kobayashi, a member of the lower house of the Japanese Diet.
Noting that Taiwan hopes to join the WHO as an observer, Chen said he hopes Japan can support Taiwan's bid when the WHO's governing body -- the World Health Assembly (WHA) -- holds its annual conference in Geneva in mid-May.
Chen said the United States has formally announced that it will cast a "yes" vote if Taiwan's WHO bid is put up for a vote at the upcoming WHA conference. "We earnestly hope that Japan can follow suit just as it did in addressing many major international events in the past," Chen said.
Chen said he hopes Taiwan can realize its goal of joining the WHO in the near future. Chen told his Japanese guests that Taiwan will apply for the WHO observership in the name of a "health entity."
Chen also thanked Kobayashi for his long-term support for Taiwan's cause. Kobayashi heads a pro-Taiwan parliamentary group in Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party.
The president further said the Japanese delegation's current visit will contribute to the growth of substantive Taiwan-Japanese relations. "The visit also symbolizes progress in bilateral parliamentary and party diplomacy," he added.