Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian met here Monday with Renho, Japan's newly elected Taiwanese-born parliamentarian, and said he hopes that her background will serve as a bridge between Japan and Taiwan.
Chen thanked Renho, who goes by one name, "for her long-term firm support for Taiwan, also known as her father's home country," according to a statement from the presidential office. "People here are proud of her political achievement."
The 36-year-old former television celebrity and newscaster, born to a Taiwanese father and Japanese mother, was elected to the House of Councilors on July 11 on the ticket of the opposition Democratic Party of Japan.
She was in Taiwan to attend a three-day Democratic Pacific Assembly launched by Vice President Annette Lu that ended Sunday.
During her stay, Renho also visited several government officials, including Foreign Minister Mark Chen, a distant relative.