Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen expressed hope that ties with Japan could be further bolstered when speaking to former Japanese Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Thursday, as the self-ruled island comes under intensifying pressure from China.
"Located at a critical node within the first island chain, Taiwan will continue to deepen cooperation with Japan and other democratic partners to jointly safeguard peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region," Tsai told Ishiba at the Presidential Office.
The first island chain is the string of islands that sit off the East Asian continent spanning the Japanese archipelago through Taiwan and the Philippines.
Ishiba led a bipartisan delegation of Japanese lawmakers focused on national security and arrived in Taiwan on Wednesday for a four-day visit at a time when Taiwan faces near-daily air and sea incursions by Chinese vessels and aircraft.
He told Tsai many Japanese people agree with late former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's comment in December that any contingency concerning Taiwan would be an emergency for Japan and for the Japan-U.S. security alliance.
Ishiba, a veteran lawmaker known as a hawk on China, said it was a shame Abe did not see his wishes on security come to fruition, adding that he is willing to make efforts to see the slain ex-leader's vision realized.
Abe, Japan's longest-serving prime minister, was assassinated by a lone gunman while giving a campaign speech in the city of Nara on July 8.
The delegation also met Vice President William Lai on Thursday.