Office of the President Republic of China(Taiwan)

On the afternoon of September 8, President Lai Ching-te met with a parliamentary delegation from the Japan Innovation Party (JIP)’s Taiwan friendship discussion group. In remarks, President Lai thanked the group for long supporting Taiwan through concrete action, and for attaching importance to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and the Indo-Pacific region. He also noted that Taiwan and Japan have lent each other mutual support for many years and share common values. The president expressed hope that the two sides can continue to deepen strategic industry cooperation as well as regional economic and trade cooperation, and together enhance the resilience of global democratic supply chains.

A translation of President Lai’s remarks follows:

The JIP has always been an important friend of Taiwan in Japan. I welcome this visit from Representative Baba Nobuyuki, chair of the Taiwan friendship discussion group; Representative Fujita Fumitake, co-leader of the JIP; and other friends from the JIP, both old and new. I also thank each of our distinguished guests for taking concrete action to demonstrate support for Taiwan.

After the 2024 Hualien earthquake, Chair Baba personally mobilized the JIP to donate 30 million yen to assist with our recovery effort. This act of friendship impressed upon the people of Taiwan the sincere warmth of the JIP’s support, and we have been extremely grateful. Similarly, after a major earthquake struck Kumamoto Prefecture this year, besides my joining Vice President Bi-khim Hsiao and Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) in making individual charitable contributions, the Taiwan government also called on all sectors of society to lend a helping hand in hopes that recovery work could be carried out smoothly. When faced with typhoons or earthquakes, Taiwan and Japan are there to help each other, truly demonstrating that a friend in need is a friend indeed.

Taiwan and Japan have lent each other mutual support for many years. Beyond natural disaster response, we have also joined hands in facing many other kinds of global challenges. The JIP calls for Japan to strengthen its defense capabilities and jointly maintain Indo-Pacific peace and stability, and in addition, its Eight-point Innovation Plan lists Taiwan as a partner sharing common values, and emphasizes the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. We are very touched and gratified by this. I am confident that under the coalition government formed by the JIP and the Liberal Democratic Party, Japan and Taiwan will go on to make even greater contributions to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and Indo-Pacific region.

Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae recently designated 17 sectors including AI, semiconductors, quantum technologies, and aerospace as important strategic investment areas. In July, the Japanese government further adopted a strategic industry cluster plan in hopes of attracting large-scale investment. In addition to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), Taiwan has many other high tech firms that will respond to Prime Minister Takaichi’s plan.

I hope that, with the JIP’s support, Taiwan and Japan will join forces and continue deepening exchanges and cooperation to jointly build non-red supply chains, enhance the resilience of global democratic supply chains, and strengthen regional economic and trade cooperation. Finally, I would like to once again thank our guests for taking time at this key juncture to visit Taiwan. This visit is of tremendous significance to Taiwan-Japan relations as well as to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. I wish you all a smooth and successful stay here in Taiwan.

Chair Baba then delivered remarks, first thanking President Lai for taking time out of his busy schedule to meet with them. He also noted that after the earthquake in Kumamoto in late July, President Lai was one of many who personally donated money to support the relief effort, which once again showed the people of Japan the warmth and sincerity of the support that has been given by people from all walks of life in Taiwan. He added that Taiwan and Japan both experience frequent and severe natural disasters, but are always there for each other and provide mutual support, truly demonstrating that a friend in need is a friend indeed.

Chair Baba stated that Taiwan and Japan have a shared commitment to the fundamental values of the rule of law, freedom, and democracy. He noted that economic, trade, and people-to-people ties are close, and that Taiwan is an extremely important partner and valuable friend of Japan. Roughly 6.76 million Taiwanese tourists visited Japan last year, he said, hitting an all-time high for the second straight year, and Taiwan and Japan also engage in very active parliamentary exchanges. He added that sustained, long-term people-to-people exchanges have been an important foundation of today’s Taiwan-Japan relations, and expressed hope that on this foundation, the two sides can further enhance cooperation and exchanges.

Turning to economic matters, Chair Baba noted that cooperation in the semiconductor industry, most notably involving TSMC, is an important symbol of Taiwan-Japan industrial cooperation, which shows that bilateral cooperation is making steady progress. Taiwanese investments in Japan in 2024 topped US$5 billion, he noted, marking an all-time high, demonstrating that industrial cooperation continues to bear fruit. Chair Baba said that he hopes to see cooperation in a wider range of fields in the future, and that it will generate win-win benefits by enhancing supply chain resilience and talent cultivation.

Chair Baba mentioned that United States President Donald Trump visited China this past May and met with President Xi Jinping, and that later this month, the latter will visit the US. With respect to the issue of Taiwan, he said, China continues to take a hardline position, while the US emphasizes that its policy regarding Taiwan has not changed. President Lai has indicated that he is highly focused on this situation, Chair Baba added. The chair then expressed his view that peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait are extremely important to the international community. He stated that Japan has always hoped for Taiwan-related issues to be resolved peacefully through dialogue, and said that this position will not change.

Chair Baba stated that when Japanese people visit Taiwan, they always feel as if they have returned to a familiar, nostalgic place. He said that though this trip will be short, he would like to engage in exchanges with and learn from a wide range of people and jointly promote the continued development of Taiwan-Japan relations.

The delegation also included Japanese House of Councillors Members Takagi Kaori, Shibata Takumi, Ishii Mitsuko, Katayama Daisuke, Aoshima Kenta, Okazaki Futoshi, and Ishii Megumi, as well as House of Representatives Members Ichimura Koichiro and Azuma Toru. The group was accompanied to the Presidential Office by Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association Taipei Office Deputy Representative Mizobuchi Masashi.