Japanese cross-party members of Congress visit Taiwan, hoping to amend the law to deepen Taiwan-Japan relations

The "Members of Parliament Thinking About Peace and Stability in the Taiwan Strait" composed of Japanese cross-party parliamentarians visited Taiwan and paid a visit to the Legislative Yuan today (10th). Japanese Conservative Senator Haruo Kitamura, who is also the leader of the delegation, said that seven senators and representatives visited Taiwan this time, mainly hoping to deepen the connection between Taiwan and Japan, and also planned to propose proposals to amend Taiwan-related laws after returning home.

The members of the "Meeting of Members of Parliament Thinking about Peace and Stability in the Taiwan Strait" include Japanese Senators Kitamura Haruo, Ishihira, Yamada Yoshihiko, and Umemura Mizuho, ​​who are also the leaders of the delegation, and Japanese Representatives Kaoru Nishida, Mitsuhiro Yokota, and Keie Miki. The visiting delegation paid a visit to President Lai Ching-te yesterday and visited the Legislative Yuan this morning. They were received and held talks by Democratic Progressive Party legislators Wang Dingyu, Chen Peiyu, and Lin Shufen, focusing on how to implement Shinzo Abe's vision of a "free and open Indo-Pacific."

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Haruo Kitamura shared that he knew that former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe respected former Taiwanese President Lee Teng-hui very much, so he also learned about and fell in love with Taiwan through reading Lee's books. Lee Teng-hui has repeatedly reminded Japan to open its eyes and encouraged Japan to restore its faith, which made him constantly think about the meaning of this passage.

Kitamura Haruo mentioned that Lee Teng-hui also said that he was Japanese before he was 20 years old, so he believes that to inherit Lee Teng-hui's legacy, in addition to continuing to deepen Taiwan-Japan relations, he must also do more to maintain peace and stability between Taiwan and Japan, including amending the "Taiwan Travel Act" and proposing the "Taiwan Relations Act" after returning to Japan, and striving to introduce a proposal in Congress this fall.

Wang Dingyu pointed out that this is probably the first time in history that such a large group of Japanese parliamentarians has visited the National Defense and Foreign Affairs Committee of the Legislative Yuan. The National Defense and Foreign Affairs Committee of the Legislative Yuan is responsible for national defense, diplomacy, intelligence, overseas Chinese affairs, veterans and other projects. It has the same nature as Japan’s cross-party parliamentarians’ “Meeting of Members of Parliament to Reflect on Peace and Stability in the Taiwan Strait” and can jointly discuss Taiwan and Japan issues.

Wang Dingyu also said that not only do Taiwan and Japan share many historical and cultural backgrounds, but in order to meet their security needs, both sides have also increased their defense budgets significantly. Taiwan is expected to reach 3.4% of GDP next year, and Japan's defense budget has also nearly doubled. "Taiwan faces challenges and opportunities that are highly similar to Japan's."

Chen Peiyu, a legislator of the Democratic Progressive Party, said that people in Taiwan and Japan have many exchanges in culture, tourism, education and academics. This is the basis for promoting Taiwan and Japan. It is hoped that in the future, more practical exchanges can be carried out on top of this, including discussions on Taiwan and Japan's bills, common strategic positions and other issues.