The government and people of Taiwan extended their warmest congratulations Oct. 4 to Fumio Kishida, who was elected as Japan’s 100th prime minister at an extraordinary parliamentary session held earlier that day, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Taiwan and Japan are like-minded partners mutually committed to forging a free and open Indo-Pacific, the MOFA said. They also share the fundamental values of freedom, democracy and respect for human rights and rule of law, the ministry added.
President Tsai Ing-wen also offered her congratulation to Kishida in a statement. The government will continue to promote diversified cooperation with Japan to foster an even stronger bilateral relationship, the Presidential Office said, while thanking former PM Yoshihide Suga for his support of Taiwan, including the donation of five batches of vaccine doses to the country.
In a tweet on the MOFA’s official account, the ministry said “The government & people heartily congratulate @kishida230 on taking office. We wish the new prime minister & his Cabinet every success, & look forward to continuing close #Taiwan-#Japan cooperation based on our deep friendship & shared values across a broad spectrum of areas.”
According to the MOFA, Japan is Taiwan’s third-largest trading partner, while Taiwan is Japan’s fourth-largest. Japan is also the top destination for travelers from Taiwan, who made 5 million visits to the country in 2019, while Japan is Taiwan’s second-largest source of foreign visitors at 2 million annually. (DL-E)
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