Japan LDP delegation to meet President Lai during ongoing Taiwan visit

Taipei, April 29 (CNA) A visiting delegation from the Youth Division of Japan's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) will meet with President Lai Ching-te (賴清德), Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) and Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) during their ongoing five-day visit to Taiwan starting Tuesday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said.

The visit by the 11-member delegation led by Youth Division Director Nakasone Yasutaka consists of House of Representatives members Hiranuma Shojiro, Taku Nemoto and Kaoru Fukuda as well as Masayuki Kamiya, a member of the House of Councillors, the ministry said in a statement issued Tuesday.

While in Taiwan, the delegation will also visit National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu (吳釗燮), Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍), and Su Jia-chyuan (蘇嘉全), chairman of the Taiwan-Japan Relations Association to exchange views on issues including bilateral relations and regional situation.

In addition, they will conduct exchanges with members of the Third Wednesday Club's Young Entrepreneurs Group, an association of young business leaders based in Taipei, and the China Youth Corps, according to the MOFA statement.

The LDP youth division serves as an important window for the Japanese political party's promotion of exchanges with Taiwan. It regularly organizes groups to visit the country and carries out exchanges with various sectors in Taiwan, demonstrating the great importance the Japanese government attaches to Taiwan-Japan relationship, MOFA said in the statement.

Lin Yu-hui (林郁慧), deputy head of the Taiwan-Japan Relations Association under MOFA, said at a news conference on Tuesday that several Japanese delegations will visit Taiwan around Japan's Golden Week, a holiday period that started on April 29 and lasts until May 6, including Sanae Takaichi, a member of the House of Representatives and a former minister of state for economic security, who arrived in Taiwan on Sunday for a three-day visit.

Following the visit by the LPD youth division delegation, Yasutoshi Nishimura, a member of the House of Representatives and former minister of economy, trade and industry, will also come to Taiwan in the near future, according to Lin.