Taipei Times
Date: Oct 24, 2017
By: Staff writer, with CNA

President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Sunday congratulated Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on the landslide victory of his Liberal Democratic party (LDP) in the nation’s general election.

In a message released by the Presidential Office, Tsai said that she hoped Taiwan and Japan would forge closer ties in the wake of the party’s victory.

The president’s congratulatory message was conveyed via Taiwan-Japan Relations Association (TJRA) head Chiou I-jen (邱義仁), the semi-official Taiwanese agency that handles relations with Japan.

The LDP won a strong mandate in the snap general election on Sunday, taking two-thirds of the 465 seats in the Japanese House of Representatives, which is expected to strengthen Abe’s hard line position against North Korea and create room for the cabinet to push for revision of the country’s pacifist constitution.    [FULL  STORY]