TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Japanese councilors Kitamura Tsuneo, Horii Iwao, and Hirayama Sachiko arrived in Taiwan on Sunday (Nov. 24) for bilateral talks with top government officials.

During their three-day stay, the delegation will meet with Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍), representatives from the National Security Council, and legislators. Discussions will focus on enhancing Taiwan-Japan parliamentary exchanges and regional developments, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA).

The delegation members have long been dedicated to promoting parliamentary and people-to-people exchanges between Taiwan and Japan, MOFA said. Their trip underscores the solid friendship between Taiwan and Japan and will deepen practical cooperation across various fields, the ministry added. 

The lawmakers were part of the Japan-ROC Diet Members’ Consultative Council delegation in May to attend Lai Ching-te’s (賴清德) inauguration ceremony. Kitamura and Horii also met with Lai in February to promote bilateral relations.

Taiwan and Japan have a strong partnership based on universal values such as freedom, democracy, and the rule of law, MOFA said.