Secretariat, Taipei City Government

On August 24, Taipei Mayor Wan-An Chiang received a delegation led by Kei Takagi, a member of Japan’s House of Representatives and Director of the Liberal Democratic Party’s Foreign Affairs Division, at Taipei City Hall. The two sides exchanged views on Taiwan–Japan economic and trade relations, intercity exchanges, and disaster preparedness and resilience. Mayor Chiang proposed bilateral cooperation in three areas: technology and the economy, disaster preparedness and urban resilience, and exchanges for young people. He also expressed his hope that Taiwan and Japan could leverage their respective strengths to promote mutual growth. Director Takagi stated that he hoped their meeting would provide an opportunity to promote intercity exchanges and expand engagement between Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party and Taiwan’s Kuomintang.

Mayor Chiang welcomed Director Takagi, noting that the Japanese lawmaker had visited Taiwan on numerous occasions and had conducted a field visit to Kinmen that had provided him with an in-depth understanding of Taiwan’s current development policies and progress. Director Takagi had also served as a member of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly and was well acquainted with the principles of sound local governance. Because of the longstanding close ties between Taipei and Tokyo, Mayor Chiang expressed his hope that their meeting could create further opportunities for exchanges.

Director Takagi stated that he had first visited Taiwan in 1995 and had since closely followed the island’s development. He noted that Japan and Taiwan face similar challenges, including declining birth rates and aging populations. Despite these challenges, Taiwan has maintained impressive economic growth; its economy expanded by 8% in 2025, and growth is expected to exceed 10% in 2026. Director Takagi suggested that Japan could learn from Taiwan’s development model and expressed his hope that Taiwan and Japan could promote mutual growth.

On the topic of economic security, Mayor Chiang noted that Taiwan had a comprehensive semiconductor supply chain, whereas Japan possessed strengths in areas such as materials and advanced manufacturing equipment. Given their respective advantages, he suggested that the two sides could combine their industrial strengths to generate mutually beneficial outcomes and shared prosperity.

Mayor Chiang observed that Taipei was promoting cooperation with Japan in three areas: technology and the economy, disaster preparedness and urban resilience, and exchanges for young people. Sharing Japan’s experience, Director Takagi noted that a stable and affordable electricity supply is crucial to economic development; he also revealed that Japan is restarting nuclear power generation and advancing nuclear fusion technology. Regarding disaster preparedness and resilience, he proposed that the two sides could extend the foundation laid by the Taipei City Fire Department’s participation in disaster-preparedness exercises in Tokyo by sharing experiences and deepening cooperation. Both sides also agreed to jointly promote a student exchange program between Tokyo Metropolitan University and the University of Taipei to expand engagement between members of the younger generations of Taiwan and Japan.

Director Takagi expressed his hope that their meeting would provide an opportunity to expand exchanges between Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party and Taiwan’s Kuomintang in addition to strengthening intercity relations. In response, Mayor Chiang thanked Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and the Liberal Democratic Party for their longstanding support and assistance to Taiwan in various areas.