TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait are vital for both Japan’s security and global stability, Japan-ROC Diet Members' Consultative Council Chairman Furuya Keiji said on Tuesday (Aug. 23) during a meeting with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文).

Furuya compared China’s recent large-scale military exercises to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. He said they were a pretext to launch missiles into Japan's exclusive economic zone, adding that these military threats were unacceptable to the people of Taiwan and Japan, who share the values of freedom, democracy, the rule of law, and respect for human rights, according to a Presidential Office press release.

The chairman also commended Tsai for responding calmly to China's military aggression. Furuya said he believed close international cooperation, led by Japan and the U.S., must work to counter China’s attempts to change the status quo.

Tsai said Furuya’s visit is a sign of support for Taiwan in Japan's National Diet and expressed gratitude for their backing.

China's recurrent military exercises in the Taiwan Strait threaten the stability of the Indo-Pacific and called on the international community to jointly combat authoritarian expansion and provocation, she said. The president warned that an invasion of Taiwan would greatly affect democratic values and the overall Indo-Pacific region.

Taiwan and Japan are committed to the values of democracy and freedom, and our partnership is vital to security, Tsai said. “We should continue deepening our cooperation to ensure regional peace, stability, freedom, and prosperity,” she said.

Furuya and the council secretary general, Kihara Minoru, will depart Taiwan later on Wednesday (Aug. 24) after meeting with top Taiwan government officials and politicians.