TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Furuya Keiji, chair of the Japan-ROC Diet Members’ Consultative Council, on Saturday (Sept. 17) announced he will lead a delegation to Taiwan next month to attend the Taiwan government’s Double Ten Day celebrations.

Speaking at the 2022 Taiwan Plus cultural event in Tokyo’s Ueno Park, Furuya said he will lead a group of 20 National Diet members to Taiwan from Oct. 8-10, CNA reported. "Taiwan's sense of crisis from China is higher than ours," the lawmaker said.

Furuya said he believes helping each other in times of need demonstrates trust. He pointed out that when Japan lacked face masks during the height of the pandemic, Taiwan donated N95 masks.

Later, Japan provided 4.2 million doses of COVID vaccines to Taiwan when it was desperate to acquire them. "Our Taiwanese friends know this demonstrates the old adage that you see your true friends are when you go through tough times together," he said.

During a House of Representatives meeting last week, Furuya said he felt that a Chinese military invasion of Taiwan may eventually happen and there is a sense of a crisis growing around Taiwan. Therefore, Japan, the U.S., Taiwan, Australia, India, and other like-minded countries should work together to deter China from attacking, he added.

The Taiwan Plus event, organized by the General Association of Chinese Culture, features brands and cultural experiences that best represent Taiwan to Japanese visitors. Additionally, there will be performances by famous Taiwanese music acts, such as Fire EX., Wing Lo, Misa, Suming Rupi, and Usay Kawlu, according to Businesswire.