Japanese Lawmakers Plan to Visit Taiwan Next Week

According to a report on August 17th, citing people familiar with the matter, Keiji Furuya, a member of the Japanese House of Representatives who is committed to promoting relations with Taiwan, plans to visit the island nation next week.

The three-day visit is expected to start next Monday and will include meetings with Taiwanese leader Tsai Ing-wen and Taiwan’s defense officials, the report said. Fearing that Abe’s death would weaken relations between Japan and Taiwan, Keiji Furuya said the visit would underscore Tokyo’s intention to continue engaging with Taipei. In this regard, Taiwan’s foreign affairs department said that it welcomes delegations from all walks of life in Japan to visit Taiwan. As for the relevant itinerary and other matters, the department is making arrangements.

It is known that Keiji Furuya is also the chairman of the Japan-Taiwan Symposium. The group consists of nearly 300 members of the two parties. The late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe served as an advisor to the symposium during his lifetime. At the meeting in Tokyo in March, Abe and Tsai Ing-wen held an online dialogue, expressing that they will not tolerate Communist China’s attempts to unilaterally change the status quo across the strait by force.