President Lai meets Japan’s former Chief Cabinet Secretary Kato Katsunobu

TAIWAN, January 16 - On the afternoon of January 15, President Lai Ching-te met with a delegation led by Member of the Japanese House of Representatives and former Chief Cabinet Secretary Kato Katsunobu. In remarks, President Lai thanked Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae for continuing to express support for the friendship between Taiwan and Japan at international venues and for underlining the importance of peace across the Taiwan Strait. The president noted that we signed a Taiwan-Japan Digital Trade Agreement and a memorandum of understanding on regional customs cooperation in December last year, and expressed hope of further deepening our friendship based on our outstanding achievements.

A translation of President Lai’s remarks follows:

I would like to extend a warm welcome to Representative Kato on his first visit to Taiwan, and also welcome Representatives Nishime Kosaburo and Fukuhara Junji as they visit again. Thank you all for your enthusiasm and unwavering support for Taiwan. I remember that during the COVID-19 pandemic, Taiwan and Japan both faced serious challenges. As chief cabinet secretary during that period, Representative Kato actively promoted the provision of a large number of free vaccines to Taiwan from the Japanese government to help us make it through the pandemic ordeal. The people of Taiwan will always remember that act of friendship. On behalf of the people of Taiwan, I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude once again to Representative Kato and the Japanese government.

As we face the continued expansion of China’s authoritarian influence, I especially want to thank Prime Minister Takaichi for repeatedly expressing support for the friendship between Taiwan and Japan at major international venues and for underlining the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. I believe that under Prime Minister Takaichi’s leadership, Taiwan and Japan will be able to expand cooperation and deepen exchanges in more areas, and contribute even more to peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.

After taking office, Prime Minister Takaichi announced that she would focus on investing in 17 strategic sectors such as artificial intelligence, semiconductors, and aerospace. This aligns well with the Five Trusted Industry Sectors that I proposed after taking office as president. In December last year, we also signed a Taiwan-Japan Digital Trade Agreement and a memorandum of understanding on regional customs cooperation. These initiatives show that, going forward, there are even greater opportunities for cooperation in regional security, economic security, and high-tech industries.

In closing, I would like to thank Representatives Kato, Nishime, and Fukuhara once again for their long-term efforts to promote parliamentary exchanges between Taiwan and Japan. I look forward to further deepening our profound friendship based on our outstanding achievements of the past. Japan is currently celebrating the start of the New Year, so I would like to wish everyone a happy Year of the Horse, and all the best.

Representative Kato then delivered remarks, thanking President Lai for taking the time out of his busy schedule to meet with his delegation. He noted that President Lai personally met with numerous delegations from the Liberal Democratic Party that visited Taiwan last year, amply demonstrating the great importance that President Lai places on Taiwan-Japan relations, adding that it was very moving.

Representative Kato mentioned that last year during the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting, Japan’s Prime Minister Takaichi and Taiwan’s Leader’s Representative Lin Hsin-i (林信義) discussed cooperation in such areas as economic affairs and disaster preparedness. He pointed out that Taiwan and Japan share a commitment to the same fundamental values and maintain close relations in economic and trade cooperation as well as people-to-people exchanges. Moreover, he stated, we are important partners who support each other when either one encounters difficulties. He then gave the examples of the Great East Japan Earthquake of March 2011 and the Kumamoto earthquakes of 2016, recalling that Taiwan was quick to lend a helping hand. He also mentioned that last November Taiwan resumed normal management of Japanese food products, saying that this measure will be very encouraging to the people of the area who have been affected by the disaster.

Speaking on the topic of cooperation between Taiwan and Japan, Representative Kato stated that the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) fabrication plant in Kumamoto Prefecture now stands as an important symbol of economic cooperation between Taiwan and Japan. He said that the fab began mass production the year before last and expressed hope for further expansion and development. He also said he hopes that Taiwan and Japan can enhance cooperation in such diverse fields as investment, people-to-people exchanges, and supply chain resilience. Representative Kato thanked Taiwan for providing Japan with disease prevention supplies during the COVID pandemic and for sharing its experience in digital transformation and public health, which prompted Japan to actively promote digital transformation in healthcare. He expressed hope that the two countries will continue working together in the fields of public health and disease prevention and cooperate closely in the World Health Organization and other international bodies.

Representative Kato remarked that Expo 2025 in Osaka, Kansai was a big success, thanks in part to support received from Taiwan, and he expressed hope for continued interaction in future events, such as the World Horticultural Exhibition in Yokohama. He noted that public opinion polling has indicated that mutual favorability between Taiwan and Japan is at an all-time high, and that the current time is regarded as the best period in our bilateral relations. He expressed hope that such friendly relations will continue flourishing in the years ahead.

The delegation was accompanied to the Presidential Office by Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association Taipei Office Chief Representative Katayama Kazuyuki.