The foreign ministry says it views Japan’s recent Cabinet reshuffle as a positive development, according to a statement released on Thursday.
The previous Cabinet resigned en masse on Wednesday just before the new Cabinet was announced. Several news outlets reported the move as Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s latest effort to boost his popularity before the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s (LDP) leadership election next year.
In response to the shakeup, Taiwan’s foreign ministry said that overall, the LDP senior party officials and new Cabinet members are friendly to Taiwan. Among the incoming new officials are defense minister Minoru Kihara, LDP Vice President Taro Aso and LDP Policy Research Council Chairperson Koichi Hagiuda who have all recently visited Taiwan and are members of a Japan-Taiwan inter-parliamentary group.
The ministry added that Taiwan and Japan are important partners that share core values. Based on the already solid foundation of relations, the ministry says it expects to deepen cooperation with Kishida's new Cabinet and work together to promote peace, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region.