TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Former Japan Prime Minister Noda Yoshihiko emphasized that peace in the Taiwan Strait has become an international consensus in a speech in Taipei on Wednesday (Aug. 21).

The Japanese politician delivered the opening keynote speech at the eighth edition of the Ketagalan Forum, which also featured President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) and former United States Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley. Noda led Japan’s Cabinet from 2011 to 2012 and serves as top adviser to the main opposition party, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan.

He told the security forum how in recent years, bilateral and multilateral meetings had emphasized the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, per CNA. Japan used each opportunity to tell other countries, including China, about the need for cross-strait peace, according to Noda.

The former prime minister said he radically opposed any attempts to use force or threats to unilaterally alter the status quo. Noda also mentioned the special bond between Japan and Taiwan created through mutual assistance in the aftermath of natural disasters, including Japan’s 2011 Tohoku earthquake and April’s Hualien quake.

He condemned political interference in Taiwan’s efforts to attend the World Health Assembly (WHA) as an observer, and voiced support for Taiwan in its bid to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). As a member of the Diet, Noda said he would continue to consider how Japan could help Taiwan.