Japan, Taiwan cooperation needed to face Trump challenges: Envoy

Taipei, March 27 (CNA) Japan's top representative to Taiwan on Thursday said that both sides need to work closely on responsive measures to security and economic challenges brought on by U.S. President Donald Trump's new administration.

At an event in Taipei to mark the 15th anniversary of establishing the Taiwan Society of Japan Studies (TSJS), Kazuyuki Katayama, head of the Taipei office of the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association, said deepening Japan-Taiwan economic and technological cooperation has attracted increasing global attention.

Japanese companies and their Taiwanese counterparts have "inseparable connections" spanning mutual investments, research and development and talent exchanges, said Katayama, whose office represents Tokyo interests in Taipei in the absence of official diplomatic ties.

Japan and Taiwan face mutual security and economic challenges due to an increasingly complex global situation and East Asia policies "that deserve careful evaluation" from the Trump White House.

This means Japan and Taiwan need more "sophisticated responsive measures," he said.

The envoy added that Japan and Taiwan are discussing how to cooperate and jointly build an era of stability and prosperity, without elaborating.

At the same event, Lin Yu-hui (林郁慧), deputy head of the Taiwan-Japan Relations Association under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), said Taiwan and Japan had supported each other through natural disasters and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Facing the challenges of the future, Taiwan and Japan, together with like-minded countries have plenty of room for cooperation in key fields, including semiconductors, energy, AI, and drones.

The TSJS was inaugurated in 2009 by Taiwanese political scientist Lin Bih-jaw (林碧炤), who served as secretary-general to former President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) from May to October 2016.

According to the TSJS's website, the organization aims to promote research on issues such as Japan's politics, diplomacy, economics, society, and culture, and nurture young researchers in Taiwan specializing in Japan studies.