Office of the President Republic of China(Taiwan)

During a meeting with Keiji Furuya, Chairman of Japan-ROC Diet Members' Consultative Council, on the morning of January 17, President Tsai Ing-wen stated that over the past three-plus years, Taiwan-Japan relations have grown increasingly close. She also said that we hope to continue working via the platform of the Global Cooperation and Training Framework to strengthen the comprehensive cooperative partnership between Taiwan, the United States, and Japan.

A translation of the president's remarks follows:

I want to welcome our good friend, Mr. Furuya, Chairman of the Japan-ROC Diet Members' Consultative Council, who is once again leading a delegation to Taiwan. Over the past three-plus years, I have often hosted Mr. Furuya at the Presidential Office. For example, we met three times in 2018. We would like to thank Mr. Furuya for his concern for Taiwan and his frequent visits to promote exchanges. His decision to come here immediately after our elections is a great show of support for Taiwan.

The smooth conclusion of the recent elections shows how mature and valuable Taiwan's democratic system is. We will continue to work to ensure Taiwan's democracy, freedom, and sovereignty. We will strive to maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and make even greater contributions to regional and global prosperity, and we look forward to continued assistance and support from Japan.

Over the past three-plus years, relations between Taiwan and Japan have grown increasingly close. Last year, Japan joined the Global Cooperation and Training Framework founded by Taiwan and the United States, and the three parties now organize activities collectively. We hope to continue working via this platform to strengthen the comprehensive cooperative partnership between Taiwan, the United States, and Japan.

This is the second year of the Reiwa era in Japan. In this year, so full of opportunity, we hope to strengthen consultations and promote cooperation with Japan on a wide range of issues, including economic and trade ties, to create win-win situations for both countries. I am confident that Mr. Furuya and the Japan-ROC Diet Members' Consultative Council will provide Taiwan with strong support and assistance in many different ways.

This year Japan will host the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympic Games. So I want to take this opportunity to express best wishes for the success of these events and look forward to even more exchanges and cooperation in the future.

Also present at the meeting were Yasushi Kaneko, Deputy Secretary-General of the Japan-ROC Diet Members' Consultative Council, and Hiroyasu Izumi, Chief Representative of the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association Taipei Office.