2025 Taiwan–Japan Economic and Trade Forum: Japan–Taiwan Cooperation in a New Era

In an effort to boost Taiwan-Japan relations, CNAIC, in collaboration with the Third Wednesday Association, hosted the “2025 Taiwan–Japan Economic and Trade Forum: Japan–Taiwan Cooperation in a New Era” at Regent Hotel Taipei on May 5, 2025. The forum included a keynote speech by Mr. Yasutoshi Nishimura, Member of the House of Representatives of Japan, and a networking dinner, aiming to promote the business dialogue and exchanges between Taiwan and Japan as well as to highlight the deep friendship and strong potential for cooperation between the two countries.

Prior to his speech, Mr. Nishimura thanked the two host organizations and the delegates present at the event, showing the excitement and happiness of making the long-awaited Taiwan visit since his last trip 17 years ago. Recalling his interaction with Taiwan in the past, he recapped his close ties with Taiwan though the official duties had kept him from making frequent visits. While speaking of his long-standing cooperation with late Japanese Prime Minister Mr. Shinzo Abe, Mr. Nishimura expressed his gratitude for the profound friendship shown by Taiwan following Mr. Abe’s passing. The valuable bond with Taiwan left behind Mr. Abe will be sustained by the next generation of Japanese politicians, he added.

As the saying goes, “True friendship reveals itself through adversity,” Mr. Nishimura recognized the cooperation between Japan and Taiwan in terms of disaster prevention. Facing the threats of similar natural disasters, the two countries have long helped each other with physical assistance and mental support during major catastrophes, including Taiwan’s 921 Earthquake in 1999, the 7.4-magnitude Hualien Earthquake in 2024, the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011 and the Noto Earthquake in 2024, to name a few. He highly approved of Taiwan’s innovative approaches to disaster prevention, particularly in shelter management and multilingual consultation services, which could serve as Japan’s reference. It is his ardent hope that the two sides would continue working together closely and make contributions to regional and global emergency preparedness and response.

Regarding economic and semiconductor cooperation, Mr. Nishimura indicated that the semiconductor industry is undoubtedly a key pillar of Taiwan–Japan collaboration at present. A solid partnership on chipmaking has been forged with the synergy composed of Japan’s strength in advanced materials and equipment as well as Taiwan’s leading manufacturing capabilities. TSMC’s investment in Japan’s Kumamoto is a successful example of strengthening supply chain resilience that has not only encouraged Taiwanese companies’ expansion into Japan, but also increased Japanese investment in Taiwan. In the meantime, Mr. Nishimura also advocated the initiatives of launching a “Kyushu Science Park” and talent cultivation programs for semiconductor professionals as ways to further boost regional economic growth in Kyushu. To cope with the current geopolitical and economic risks, Mr. Nishimura underscored the need for Japan, Taiwan, and the US to establish closer trilateral cooperation in the semiconductor industry. He urged the three countries to form what he called a "semiconductor iron triangle" to ensure a resilient and trusted supply chain framework.

Aside from business engagements, there are also vast opportunities of cooperation in the areas of culture, sports and people-to-people exchanges between Japan and Taiwan, according to Mr. Nishimura. In terms of cultural exchanges, the phenomenon of “Anime Pilgrimage” developed from the animation and film industry has certainly promoted bilateral tourism. And the shared passion for baseball connects the people of the two countries whose friendship is expected to continue growing in the future with more sports events. He also highlighted the 2025 Expo held in Osaka as an arena for showcasing the cutting-edge technologies and diverse cultures from different countries, including Japan and Taiwan. Mr. Nishimura therefore extended his warm invitation and welcome to the Taiwanese to visit Japan for closer bilateral connections.

In closing, Mr. Nishimura once again reiterated his heartfelt appreciation and his commitment to advancing Japan–Taiwan friendship, hoping to build a comprehensive partnership benefiting both countries on fields of economy, disaster prevention, technology, and cultural exchanges, among others. The close-doored event attracted the participation of approximately 50 business leaders and delegates who conducted a wide range of exchanges and discussions with Mr. Nishimura. As the apex association representing the voice of the business community in Taiwan, CNAIC will continue its efforts in strengthening the bilateral economic and trade cooperation and making contribution to a shared and prosperous future for Taiwan and Japan.

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