The speaker of Taiwan's parliament arrived at Fukuoka Airport in western Japan on Sunday, kicking off a five-day visit.

According to his Facebook page, You Si-kun will travel to Yamaguchi Prefecture before heading to Tokyo.

He plans to meet a nonpartisan group of Japanese lawmakers promoting exchanges with Taiwan, and inspect activities to preserve Japan's historical and cultural assets.

Lacking diplomatic ties with many countries due to pressure from Beijing, Taiwan has been focusing instead on developing external relations through lawmakers.

The speaker visited Europe in July, and gave a speech at the senate of the Czech Republic.

He says he hopes exchanges between lawmakers from Taiwan and Japan will be strengthened, making up for an absence of traveling during the pandemic.