TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) on Friday (Aug. 19) welcomed Furuya Keiji, Chairman of the Japan-ROC Diet Members' Consultative Council, and the council’s secretary general, Kihara Minoru’s upcoming visit to Taiwan.

The two Liberal Democratic Party politicians will be in Taiwan from Aug. 22-24 and will meet with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) to discuss improving defense mechanisms with the U.S., and share views on the live-fire military exercise carried out by China around Taiwan following U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan. They will also review plans to send a delegation of council members to attend Double Ten Day celebrations and participate in a meeting between lawmakers from Japan, the U.S., and Taiwan about regional strategic affairs, according to Kyodo News.

Furuya and Kihara will meet with Vice President Lai Ching-te (賴清德), Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌), Legislative Speaker You Hsi-kun (游錫堃), Foreign Minister Joseph Wu (吳釗燮), and Taiwan-Japan Relations Association Chair Su Jia-chyuan (蘇嘉全). The two will also stop by the Wuzhi Mountain Military Cemetery to pay respects to the late former President Lee Teng-hui (李登輝).

At a time when authoritarian states intend to invade and expand abroad, cause regional tensions, and challenge the fundamental international order, democracies should unite to defend the shared values of freedom and democracy, MOFA said.

Taiwan and Japan both belong to the global democratic camp and have a close friendship, the foreign ministry said, adding that Furuya and Kihara’s visit will help deepen substantive cooperation between Taiwan and Japan.

The Japan-ROC Diet Members' Consultative Council has more than 260 National Diet members who have spared no effort to promote friendly exchanges between Taiwan and Japan for many years, MOFA said.