President Lai expresses hope for closer Taiwan-Japan ties

Taipei, Oct. 10 (CNA) President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) on Thursday told a visiting delegation of Japanese senators that he would like to see a deepening of the links between their country and Taiwan.

Taiwan and Japan share a solid bond of friendship, Lai said at a luncheon hosted by the Presidential Office to welcome the delegation, led by Senator Akiko Santo, which is in Taiwan to attend the National Day celebrations.

The president said he was especially moved by the fact that the senators made the time to attend the Taiwan celebrations even as the Japanese parliament is busy preparing for an upcoming snap election.

Santo, who served as the Senate's president 2019-2022, is being accompanied by senators Junzo Yamamoto, Hirofumi Takinami, Masamune Wada and Mizuho Umemura.

The visiting senators are all members of the Japan-ROC Diet Members' Consultative Council, a cross-party group in the Japanese Diet dedicated to promoting ties between Taipei and Tokyo.

At Thursday's luncheon, Lai asked the delegation to convey his gratitude to former Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and his team for their staunch support of Taiwan.

Peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait are vital elements of world peace and prosperity, Lai said.

He expressed the hope that under the new Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, the relationship between Taiwan and Japan will become even stronger and there will be more frequent people-to-people exchanges.

In response, Santo said she will convey Lai's sentiments to Kishida and that the friendship between Japan and Taiwan will remain unwavering.

The Japanese government will continue to maintain and deepen the friendship with Taiwan, and the two sides will work together to promote the shared values of democracy, freedom and peace, she said.

After the luncheon, the Japan-Taiwan parliamentary friendship council held a press conference, at which the members praised Lai's National Day speech, saying it was focused on Taiwan and its people.

According to Santo, Lai will remain impervious to outside influence and will work to protect Taiwan.

Although the political situation in Japan has changed significantly, the bond of trust between Japan and Taiwan will not change, she added.

Her views were echoed by Takinami and Wada, who both promised to continue their efforts to promote the friendship between the two sides.

Ishiba was elected as the new leader of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Sept. 27 and assumed office as prime minister on Oct. 1.