Taiwan's Legislative Speaker You Si-kun led a trial run of a ferry service on Tuesday from the island's eastern county of Yilan to Japan's westernmost inhabited island of Yonaguni, in a bid to boost tourism and ties between the two sides.
You and his delegation of around 80 people, including some 40 tourism industry representatives, sailed from a port in Suao in Yilan at 9 a.m. and arrived at Yonaguni following a two-hour voyage.
They are expected to meet with Keiji Furuya, who heads a cross-party group of Japanese lawmakers dedicated to strengthening Japan-Taiwan relations.