Taipei, Oct. 8 (CNA) United States congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson will arrive in Taiwan on Sunday for a four-day visit and attend the Republic of China's (ROC) National Day celebration, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said in a statement Saturday.
During her Oct. 9-12 visit, Johnson, chairwoman of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, will take part in ROC National Day events in Taipei on Oct. 10, and meet with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and Digital Affairs Minister Audrey Tang (唐鳳), the statement said.
The 86-year-old representative will also visit the National Space Organization in Hsinchu City and meet with representatives there to discuss possible ways to further bilateral science, space and technology partnerships, the statement said.
According to MOFA, the Democratic Party lawmaker from Texas has supported Taiwan's participation in international organizations, such as the World Health Organization and International Civil Aviation Organization, over her nearly three decades in the U.S. Congress.
Johnson's planned trip, which will be the eighth visit by U.S. lawmakers this year, will demonstrate Congress' support for Taiwan, the statement said.
In a separate statement issued the same day, MOFA said a group of 19 Japanese parliamentarians arrived in Taiwan earlier Saturday for a three-day visit.
The group, consisting of lawmakers from the Japan-ROC Diet Members' Consultative Council, a 270-member group dedicated to promoting Japan-Taiwan relations, will join Japanese lawmaker and council chairman Keiji Furuya at the National Day celebrations, MOFA said.
Furuya, who arrived in Taiwan earlier this week for the Yushan Forum, and the group will meet with Legislative Speaker You Si-kun (游錫堃) and former speaker Su Jia-chyuan (蘇嘉全), who is currently chairman of the Taiwan-Japan Relations Association, the statement said.
Before returning to Japan on Oct. 10, they will also pay their respects to former President Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) at a military cemetery in New Taipei, where the late president was buried, the statement said.
