Japan Innovation Party delegation in Taiwan to promote bilateral ties: MOFA

Taipei, Sept. 7 (CNA) A visiting delegation of Japan Innovation Party (JIP) members is scheduled to meet with President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) and other senior government officials to promote relations between the two countries, Taiwan's foreign ministry said Monday.

During the meetings, the discussions will focus on the latest developments in bilateral relations and the broader situation in the Indo-Pacific region, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said in a press release.

The 13-member delegation, led by former JIP leader Nobuyuki Baba, is scheduled to meet with Lai, Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍), lawmakers, officials from the National Security Council, and members of the Taiwan-Japan Relations Association, according to MOFA.

The JIP, a coalition partner of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), has long maintained a Taiwan-friendly stance, MOFA said.

Following the 2024 Hualien earthquake that devastated parts of eastern Taiwan, the JIP donated 30 million Japanese yen (US$192,369) to Taiwan for post-disaster reconstruction.

The three-day visit to Taiwan is the first by JIP members since the party's leader Hirofumi Yoshimura and Sanae Takaichi of the LDP signed a coalition agreement in October 2025, after which the latter was inaugurated as Japan's first female prime minister.

The visiting delegation includes JIP co-leader Fumitake Fujita and JIP Diet members Kaori Takagi, Takumi Shibata, Koichiro Ichimura, Toru Azuma, Mitsuko Ishii, Daisuke Katayama, Kenta Aoshima, Futoshi Okazaki, and Megumi Ishii, according to MOFA.