Japan lawmakers show support for Taiwan’s WHO bid
A group of Japanese opposition lawmakers met with Taiwan leader Tsai Ing-wen on Monday and expressed their support for the island’s bid to participate in the World Health Organization, her office said.
Former Japanese Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara, who leads the delegation of some 10 lawmakers, said Taiwan’s inability to participate in the WHO is a “great loss” to the international community, noting how the island performed “very well” in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Members of the group are from the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, the Japan Innovation Party and the Democratic Party for the People, of which Maehara is a senior official.
Taiwan is excluded from most international organizations due to opposition from Beijing, which regards the island as one of its provinces and not a country.
Maehara said Taiwan is a very important friend of Japan, and Tokyo will fully support the Taiwanese people’s desire to maintain the status quo and oppose unilateral change by force.
Tsai said Japan has always been an important democratic ally of Taiwan in the face of various challenges and thanked the country for supporting Taiwan on the international stage.
Noting that Taiwanese people have made over 1 million visits to Japan since the start of this year, the president expressed hope that Taiwan-Japan relations can be even closer.
