EXCHANGES:
The meeting came ahead of a planned visit to Japan by Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu later this month, who would also visit the Osaka Expo on the trip

By Hollie Younger / Staff writer, with CNA

A 27-member delegation of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) led by caucus whip Fu Kun-chi (傅?萁) yesterday met with 20 members of the Japan-ROC Diet Members’ Consultative Council in Tokyo.

The group met with Japanese representatives including council chairman Keiji Furuya and secretary-general Koichi Hagiuda at the First Members’ Office Building of the House of Representatives of Japan.

The visit would be the largest delegation in Taiwan-Japan parliamentary history, and was arranged in complete secrecy within just one week, Fu said.

Photo: Lin Tsuei-yi, Taipei Times

The opposition party delegation arrived in Japan on Tuesday, ahead of the new Legislative Yuan session.

The two nations need to maintain close cooperation and enhance competitiveness in light of US President Donald Trump’s tariffs, US trade policies and adjustments to semiconductor policies, Fu said.

Caucus secretary-general Lo Chih-chiang (羅智強), caucus deputy secretary-general Lin Pei-hsiang (林沛祥) and Representative to Japan Lee Yi-yang (李逸洋) also attended.

The delegation was invited by the council to discuss Taiwan’s ascension to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, in which Japan plays a key role following the US’ withdrawal from its predecessor, the Trans-Pacific Partnership, under Trump in 2017, Fu’s office said in a statement.

The meetings would also discuss disaster prevention and mutual aid, while establishing deeper economic and trade relations, it added.

Fu thanked the council for its long-standing support for Taiwan’s political parties, as Japan and Taiwan work closely in fields from economics and culture, to academia, tourism and industrial technology, he said, with frequent official and private bilateral communication.

Last year, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co opened its first chip manufacturing fab in Japan’s Kumamoto Prefecture, contributing significantly to talent cultivation and local development in the country, he added.

Taiwan and Japan are also natural leaders in shaping Asia’s new artificial intelligence landscape, he said.

KMT Legislator Lee Yen-hsiu (李彥秀), who joined the trip, wrote on Facebook that the visit to Japan’s Diet reflects the party’s long-term goal of fostering friendly exchanges with Japan.

The KMT hopes such exchanges between the two legislatures can become routine to help strengthen cooperation on security, supply chain resilience and people-to-people ties, Lee said.

Furuya, a veteran member of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party, was quoted in Fu’s statement as saying that he hopes that Taiwan and Japan would deepen bilateral relations, develop their democracies and ensure peace in the Taiwan Strait, as regional safety and stability are crucial to Taiwanese and Japanese residents in Taiwan.

Furuya said he looked forward to welcoming Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), a senior KMT member, during Han’s upcoming trip to Japan later this month.

A source said that Han is scheduled to lead a cross-party legislative delegation to Japan from Sept. 25 to Sept. 29 to promote parliamentary diplomacy.

The group is also expected to visit the Osaka Expo, the source said.

Additional reporting by Liu Wan-ling