Taiwan welcomes visit from Japanese politicians amid tensions with China

Amid heightened tensions with China, post the visit of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to the self-governed island, Taiwan's foreign ministry welcomed the upcoming visit of Japanese politicians.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) on Friday welcomed Furuya Keiji, Chairman of the Japan-ROC Diet Members' Consultative Council, and the council's secretary general, Kihara Minoru's upcoming visit to Taiwan, reported Taiwan News.

The two Liberal Democratic Party politicians will be in Taiwan from August 22-24 and will meet with President Tsai Ing-wen to discuss improving defence mechanisms with the US, and share views on the live-fire military exercise carried out by China.

They will also review plans to send a delegation of council members to attend Double Ten Day celebrations and participate in a meeting between lawmakers from Japan, the US, and Taiwan about regional strategic affairs, according to Kyodo News.

Furuya and Kihara will meet with Vice President Lai Ching-te, Premier Su Tseng-chang, Legislative Speaker You Hsi-kun, Foreign Minister Joseph Wu, and Taiwan-Japan Relations Association Chair Su Jia-chyuan.

The two will also stop by the Wuzhi Mountain Military Cemetery to pay respects to the late former President Lee Teng-hui, reported Taiwan News.

At a time when authoritarian states intend to invade and expand abroad, cause regional tensions, and challenge the fundamental international order, democracies should unite to defend the shared values of freedom and democracy, MOFA said.

Taiwan and Japan both belong to the global democratic camp and have a close friendship, the foreign ministry said, adding that Furuya and Kihara's visit will help deepen substantive cooperation between Taiwan and Japan, reported Taiwan News.

The Japan-ROC Diet Members' Consultative Council has more than 260 National Diet members who have spared no effort to promote friendly exchanges between Taiwan and Japan for many years, MOFA said.

Pelosi's trip to Taiwan this month triggered a new round of tensions in the region. And since the visit of a US delegation, Beijing launched large-scale military exercises in the vicinity of the island, which included live-fire drills and military aircraft overflights close to Taiwan's airspace.

China claims full sovereignty over Taiwan despite the two being governed separately for more than seven decades. Taipei continues to counter the Chinese aggression by increasing strategic ties with democracies including the US.