TAIPEI (TVBS News) — A high-profile Japanese political figure is set to make a diplomatically significant visit to Taiwan this weekend. Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA, 外交部), the island's diplomatic agency, announced Friday (April 25) that Sanae Takaichi, Japan's former economic security minister, will head a delegation to Taiwan for a three-day visit beginning April 27. Her itinerary includes meetings with Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te (賴清德), Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), who leads Taiwan's parliament, and former President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文).
The Japanese contingent consists of six officials, including three members from Japan's lower house of parliament: Hitoshi Kawatani, Masanao Ozaki, and Hajime Sato. Taiwanese diplomatic officials have extended a warm welcome to the visitors and indicated that the Japanese delegates will hold substantive discussions with members of Taiwan's legislature and Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍), who oversees Taiwan's international relations portfolio.
According to Taiwanese officials, the diplomatic talks will center on bilateral relations between Taiwan and Japan, security concerns in East Asia, and economic cooperation strategies. The discussions will explore potential defense collaboration within what strategists call the "first island chain" — the archipelagic line stretching from Japan through Taiwan to the Philippines that holds strategic significance in the Indo-Pacific region. The meetings will also address efforts to build more resilient supply chains among democratic nations, often referred to as "non-red supply chains" to distinguish them from Chinese-dominated manufacturing networks.
Takaichi brings substantial governmental experience to the delegation, having previously served in Japan's cabinet as Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications, a key domestic policy position. Taiwan's foreign ministry emphasized her credentials in security and economic matters, contextualizing her visit against the backdrop of escalating trade frictions between Washington and Beijing and ongoing global supply chain realignments. The ministry also noted Takaichi's close political association with the late Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who maintained particularly warm relations with Taiwan throughout his tenure. ★
