Taipei, May 3 (CNA) A delegation from the Youth Division of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) arrived in Taiwan for a five-day visit Tuesday, according to Japan's de facto embassy in Taiwan.
The delegation, led by LDP Youth Division head Masanobu Ogura, a member of the Japanese House of Representatives, also included Diet members Norikazu Suzuki, Hayato Suzuki, Susumu Yamaguchi, and Daisuke Nishino, as well as other executives of the Youth Division, the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association said in a Facebook post.
The division, which consists of young Diet members, has long been an important Taiwan-Japan platform and sends delegations to Taiwan almost annually to exchange views on issues of mutual interest, it said.
The visit, which will last through Saturday, marks the division's first Taiwan trip since 2019 due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the association, which represents Tokyo's interests in Taipei in the absence of official diplomatic ties.
According to Taiwan's Presidential Office, the delegation is scheduled to meet with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Thursday morning.
Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, meanwhile, said the delegation would also meet with other senior government officials, visit Taipei, Taoyuan, and Hsinchu cities, and pay their respects at the grave in New Taipei of Lee Teng-hui (李登輝), Taiwan's first democratically elected president.
Lee, who passed away at the age of 97 in July 2020, was considered to be a pro-Japan politician due to his Japanese education and remains a highly respected figure in Japan.
