During a meeting with Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen, Aso Taro, the vice president of Japan's main ruling Liberal Democratic Party, expressed his willingness to further enhance bilateral ties.

Aso, who formerly served as prime minister, met Tsai in Taiwan's presidential office on Tuesday afternoon.

Tsai described Japan as Taiwan's important partner and voiced her willingness to cooperate on reinforcing supply chains and other areas of mutual interest.

Aso responded that even after diplomatic ties between Japan and Taiwan were severed, there has consistently been a sentiment within the LDP advocating for maintaining robust relations with Taiwan.

Aso said he hopes a Japan-Taiwan relationship will be characterized by mutual support during challenging times and shared celebrations in moments of happiness.

The two officials also reportedly discussed how to evacuate Japanese nationals in the event of a potential crisis involving Taiwan.

Prior to the meeting, Aso met Taiwan's Vice President Lai Ching-te, the ruling Democratic Progressive Party's official candidate for the upcoming presidential election in January.

Lai emphasized the significance of strong ties with both Japan and the United States.

Aso underscored the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, saying he is very concerned over emerging tensions in the strait resulting from China's expansionism.