Taiwan foreign minister made visit to Japan: ruling LDP lawmaker
Taiwan's Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung recently made a rare visit to Japan, a lawmaker from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party said Friday, in a move likely to provoke China, which sees the self-ruled island as part of its territory.
Keiji Furuya, who heads a cross-party group promoting relations with Taiwan, posted a photo of himself and Lin, apparently taken in Japan, on social media, without providing a detailed itinerary.
Japan switched diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China in 1972, and the latter regards Taiwan as a renegade province to be reunified, by force if necessary.
Sanae Takaichi, a former economic security minister, and former Defense Minister Minoru Kihara were also in the photo, which included a caption saying that the LDP lawmakers exchanged views with Lin before his visit to the World Exposition in Osaka.
Taiwan's Foreign Ministry declined to comment on Lin's trip schedule, saying it was a "private" visit.
Lin also visited the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Tokyo, the democratic island's de facto embassy in Japan, becoming the first sitting foreign minister to do so, Taiwan's Central News Agency reported.
Even though they no longer have diplomatic ties, Japan and Taiwan have maintained economic cooperation and people-to-people exchanges, with Japanese conservative lawmakers tending to support Taiwan.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Friday expressed his government's commitment to securing the safety of Japanese nationals conducting business in China, amid recent detentions of its citizens there on alleged espionage charges.
"We will do our utmost as a government so that people can be engaged in business in China with peace of mind," Ishiba said during a speech to corporate executives.
© KYODO
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Nikkei Asia
37 minutes ago
- Nikkei Asia
Japan tries to track US tariff deal progress without written agreement
Japan aims to have the new, lower U.S. tariff rate take effect Aug. 1. © Reuters TASUKU IKEDA TOKYO -- Japan is working on a framework to monitor progress on implementing its tariff agreement with the U.S., as the Trump administration says it may raise tariffs again if it deems Tokyo has not made enough headway on purchasing and investment commitments. The two sides agreed last week to lower "reciprocal" U.S. tariffs on Japanese goods to 15% from the planned 25%, and total import duties on autos from 27.5% to 15%.
5 hours ago
Astellas Employee Makes No Appeal against Conviction
News from Japan Jul 28, 2025 21:17 (JST) Beijing, July 28 (Jiji Press)--A Japanese employee of Astellas Pharma Inc. of Japan, who has been sentenced to three years and six months in prison for espionage in China, did not appeal the ruling by a deadline of Monday, officials at the Japanese Embassy in Beijing said. The employee in his 60s will serve the sentence. He was detained by Chinese authorities in March 2023 just before returning to Japan after his term in China, and was indicted in August 2024. On July 16 this year, a Chinese regional court recognized his espionage activities, saying that he had been paid to provide information on China's politics and economy to intelligence agencies. The pre-trial detention is included in his sentence. The detention of Japanese nationals in China remains a contentious issue between Tokyo and Beijing, with the Japanese government calling for their early release. [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.] Jiji Press
Nikkei Asia
5 hours ago
- Nikkei Asia
Japan PM Ishiba vows to stay on, seeks support at ruling party meeting
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Embattled Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Monday reiterated his intention to stay on as he sought support from party lawmakers, many of whom have been urging him to resign after a recent crushing election loss. At the Liberal Democratic Party's first meeting of lawmakers for both houses since the July 20 House of Councilors election, Ishiba apologized for the dismal outcome but warned of potential political paralysis in his latest attempt to justify his decision to remain in the job. "It's my intention to fulfill my responsibility for the people and the country by never creating a political vacuum," said Ishiba, who is LDP chief. He added that he will make "maximum efforts" to make sure that voters can feel that the LDP has changed following the election loss, in which the ruling coalition missed its target of retaining at least an overall majority in the upper house. LDP Secretary-General Hiroshi Moriyama, the party's No. 2, said he will finalize his decision on whether to stay on or not after completing by the end of August an internal review of why the LDP suffered its worst election showing in years. Despite Ishiba's renewed push for support from fellow LDP members, his resignation is seen as increasingly inevitable sooner or later. The LDP and its coalition partner, Komeito, have already lost their majority in the more powerful House of Representatives after last year's election, meaning that opposition support is required to pass bills and budgets. Ishiba, who became LDP chief and prime minister last year, has said it is important that he remains in office to navigate the country through what he has described as a "national crisis," citing rapidly changing political situations such as U.S. tariffs. But pressure from within the LDP to step down has shown little sign of easing, with some party lawmakers distancing themselves from Ishiba while there is also discontent in some local chapters. Monday's meeting was held on the last day of the six-year terms of half of the upper house's 248 members. Depending on how Ishiba handles the meeting, calls for his resignation could grow. Some party members have signed documents to demand the LDP hold a decision-making plenary meeting of lawmakers from both houses to demand a leadership election at an early date. Signatures from a third of party lawmakers are required to demand such a gathering. Those joining the move are LDP members who stood behind the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Japan's longest-serving prime minister, who was gunned down during a campaign speech in 2022. Lawmakers with close ties with heavyweights such as former Prime Minister Taro Aso and former Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, who competed against Ishiba in the LDP presidential race last year, are also among the group. Potential candidates to replace him have been on the move in recent days. Former Economic Security Minister Sanae Takaichi, Ishiba's archrival, who ran unsuccessfully against him for the top party post, has held talks with people close to her as well as her supporter Aso. In the latest upper house election, emerging forces including the right-wing populist party Sanseito are believed to have siphoned conservative support from the LDP. With the rising cost of living and lackluster wage growth in real terms continuing to hurt households, the ruling coalition sought to woo voters with a promise of cash handouts while opposition parties called for reducing or abolishing the consumption tax. With the LDP's internal confusion and wrangling out in the open, the public appears split over whether Ishiba should resign. Hundreds of people took to the streets outside the prime minister's office Friday to ask him not to step down, with the hashtag "Don't quit Ishiba" trending on social media. A recent Kyodo News poll found 51.6% in favor of Ishiba's resignation, compared with 45.8% who saw no need for it.
