President Lai meets Japanese National Diet delegation
On the morning of August 13, President Lai Ching-te met with a delegation of parliamentarians from Japan’s National Diet focused on security issues. In remarks, President Lai stated that Taiwan will implement the Four Pillars of Peace action plan, which entails strengthening national defense and economic resilience, supporting the democratic umbrella with our democratic partners, defending the values of freedom and democracy, and maintaining regional peace and stability. The president said he looks forward to continued bilateral cooperation between Taiwan and Japan for further advancement across many areas.
A translation of President Lai’s remarks follows:
Welcome to the Presidential Office. Taiwan and Japan are mutually supportive partners who have a deep and abiding friendship. Thus, last Thursday, upon hearing the news that a 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck Japan, Taiwan society showed its deep concern. I would like to take this opportunity to once again express sincere condolences on behalf of the people of Taiwan. We hope that the people affected by the disaster can return to life as normal as soon as possible. For many years, Taiwan and Japan have together overcome such challenges as earthquakes and pandemics, demonstrating the feelings of fraternity between us and proving how “a friend in need is a friend indeed.” Today, there are even more global issues that require our bilateral cooperation, and we can address them together.
Facing a rising China and threats to peace in the Indo-Pacific region, Taiwan is determined to defend itself; and Taiwan is resolved to work together with fellow democracies to uphold peace and stability in the region. To this end, Taiwan will implement the Four Pillars of Peace action plan. The first pillar of our plan is strengthened national defense. We will create an elite force, through enhancing our self-defense capabilities and facilitating military procurement, which will defend the nation and uphold peace and stability in the region.
The second pillar is improving Taiwan’s economic resilience. Aside from continuing to develop our economy, we also hope to increase our trade with Japan and other fellow democracies. We completed the signing of the first agreement under the Taiwan-US Initiative on 21st-Century Trade with the United States, and we are now engaged in the second round of negotiations. We have also signed an Enhanced Trade Partnership arrangement with the United Kingdom. With Japan, we hope to leverage the complimentary nature of our industries to further advance our economies and make them more resilient. We also hope that Japan will continue to support Taiwan’s ascension to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership.
The third pillar is about standing side-by-side with other democratic countries to demonstrate the strength of deterrence, ensuring that authoritarian China does not come to the point where it makes an incorrect decision. And the fourth pillar is that Taiwan is willing, on the condition of parity and dignity, to conduct exchanges and cooperate with China so that we can spur more development for both sides. Moving forward, we look forward to supporting the democratic umbrella with Japan and our other democratic partners, defending the values of freedom and democracy, and maintaining regional peace and stability.
Japanese House of Representatives Member and former Minister of Defense Ishiba Shigeru then delivered remarks, saying that the delegation is made up primarily of parliamentarians from Japan’s National Diet who are focused on security issues and who have long taken a keen interest in security and diplomacy. Several of the delegation members, he added, have served in important official roles, such as minister or state minister of defense, minister of foreign affairs, or special advisor to the prime minister.
Former Minister Ishiba said he believes that developments in the global landscape over the past several years have been unsettling. This is especially the case, he said, in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which continues with no end in sight. Noting that in Japan they have a saying, “Today’s Ukraine might become tomorrow’s East Asia,” he said the most pressing need at present is to prevent that saying from coming true. He said that only by the democratic community standing shoulder to shoulder to demonstrate the strength of deterrence can we uphold peace and stability in the region.
Former Minister Ishiba thanked President Lai for his condolences to Japan following the recent earthquake. He noted that a problem faced by both Taiwan and Japan is frequent natural disasters, adding that Taiwan has also experienced many earthquakes in recent years. Whenever a disaster occurs, he said, the Taiwan government responds promptly, those affected by the disaster can follow the directions of the government, and container trucks deliver supplies to affected areas within a very short time, followed by the setting up of makeshift facilities such as tents and toilets. When the Japanese people saw these scenes on the television, he said, they were very surprised but also full of admiration.
The delegation also included Japanese House of Representatives Members Maehara Seiji, Nakatani Gen, Nagashima Akihisa, Watanabe Shu, and Kitagami Keiro. The delegation was accompanied to the Presidential Office by Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association Taipei Office Chief Representative Katayama Kazuyuki.