Lai urges collaboration with Japan in face of authoritarian threats

Taipei, Aug. 20 (CNA) President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) said Tuesday that Taiwan hopes to work with Japan and other democratic partners to address the threat of authoritarian expansion, as he met with a Japanese delegation in Taipei.

Describing the "fate" of Taiwan and Japan as being "closely related" in the face of shared challenges posed by authoritarian expansion, Lai said Taiwan looked forward to collaborating with Japan and other partners to strengthen democracy.

At the same time, Taiwan is committed to boosting its defense capabilities and economic resilience, as well as contributing to regional peace and stability, Lai added.

The president's comments were made during a meeting at the Presidential Office with the ruling Japanese Liberal Democratic Party's (LDP) youth division, which he lauded as having played an important role in promoting ties between Taiwan and Japan.

Meanwhile, Takako Suzuki, head of the LDP youth division, said given the difficult situation Taiwan faced, her group would continue to "show support" for Taiwan, without going into detail.

Suzuki's delegation of more than 70 members from the LDP's youth division arrived in Taiwan on Monday for a five-day visit.

Suzuki, a member of the Japanese House of Representatives, added that she believed the future Japanese prime minister would continue to attach great importance to relations between Taiwan and Japan.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said last week that he would not run for reelection as the LDP leader in his party's election in September, meaning that he will step down as prime minister, a role the 67-year-old has held for nearly three years.

According to Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), Lai will also meet with another Japanese delegation led by former Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda later this week to discuss Taiwan-Japan relations and other regional issues.

Noda, currently also a member of Japan's House of Representatives, touched down in Taiwan earlier Tuesday for a three-day visit and is scheduled to deliver a keynote speech at the Ketagalan Forum in Taipei on Wednesday, a security dialogue co-hosted annually by MOFA.

Noda, who served as Japan's prime minister from 2011 to 2012, was joined on his current trip by Yoshio Tezuka and Shunsuke Ito, both members of the House of Representatives, and Retsu Suzuki, a member of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly.