Ex-Japan minister, LDP leadership hopeful calls for closer Taiwan ties

Taipei, June 26 (CNA) A former Japanese economic security minister and one of the contenders of the country's long-term ruling Liberal Democratic Party's (LDP) 2024 presidential election said Thursday that his ongoing Taiwan trip is meant to enhance closer Tokyo-Taipei ties "to make sure Taiwan is never alone."

Takayuki Kobayashi, a four-term member of Japan's Diet who served in the Kishida Cabinet as Minister for Economic Security from 2021 to 2022, told media in Taipei that his ongoing three-day trip from Wednesday through Friday is meant to enhance three bonds between the two sides.

Both share close "history, economy and heart-to-heart bonds," he told media at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' (MOFA) Taipei headquarters.

Kobayashi said he hoped the three links and bonds between Tokyo and Taipei would continue to grow stronger in the future, and the main goal of his trip was to make sure "Taiwan is never alone at all times."

Kobayashi also said this is his first visit to Taiwan in seven years.

He met with President Lai Ching-te (賴清德), former President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), Defense Minister Wellington Koo (顧立雄) and Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍).

Kobayashi told Taipei reporters that during the 90-minute meeting with Lai, both discussed ways to enhance bilateral relations and economic security issues.

He left with a strong impression of Lai when the Taiwan leader told him that he is expecting Japan to "play a leading role" in promoting peace and stability across the Indo-Pacific region, the Japanese lawmaker said.

The 50-year-old is one of the nine candidates running for LDP leadership in September 2024 to replace Fumio Kishida. Ultimately, Shigeru Ishiba beat both Sanae Takaichi and Shinjiro Koizumi in the second round runoff to become the new LDP leader and later prime minister.