Japan-Taiwan Parliamentary League to Rename Itself, Signaling Deeper Ties
The Japan-Taiwan Parliamentary League (Nichika Kon), a cross-party group of Japanese lawmakers, plans to change its name to "Nittai Kon" by replacing the character for "China" (Ka) with "Taiwan" (Tai) to clarify its stance on deepening exchanges with Taiwan. The proposal is expected to be discussed at a general meeting on June 11. League Chairman Keiji Furuya has briefed Taiwanese officials, but the move may provoke China and faces some internal opposition.
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- 📰 Published: June 11, 2026 at 11:41
- 🔍 Collected: June 11, 2026 at 11:55 (14 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: June 11, 2026 at 12:44 (49 min after Collected)
(Central News Agency, Tokyo, June 11, Special Dispatch) The Japan-Taiwan Parliamentary League (Nichika Kon), a cross-party group of Japanese lawmakers friendly to Taiwan, plans to change its name. The group intends to replace the character "Ka" (華), which represents the Republic of China, with "Tai" (台), representing Taiwan, and be abbreviated as "Nittai Kon." This move is intended to highlight its position of deepening exchanges with Taiwan. The relevant proposal is expected to be formally discussed at a general meeting held today.
According to Kyodo News, citing sources, the league's chairman, Keiji Furuya, a House of Representatives member from the Liberal Democratic Party, has already explained the renaming plan to relevant parties in Taiwan. He stated that the new name "more clearly reflects the purpose and positioning of the league's activities."
The league was established in 1973 following the severance of diplomatic relations between Japan and the Republic of China. It has long served as an important platform within the Japanese Diet for promoting friendly exchanges between Japan and Taiwan. If the name change is successfully implemented, it will be seen as a symbolic move by Japanese political circles to further strengthen relations with Taiwan.
However, if the name change is formally approved, it could provoke dissatisfaction and backlash from the Chinese government. In fact, in March of this year, the Chinese government announced countermeasures against Chairman Keiji Furuya, including banning him from entering China (including Hong Kong and Macau) and freezing his movable and immovable property and other assets within China.
Furuya responded at the time that he had not visited China for many years and held no assets there, so the impact was minimal.
Furthermore, some lawmakers have reservations about the name change. Some members have questioned, "Is it necessary to go out of our way to change the name and deliberately provoke China?" (Editor: Tien Jui-hua) 1150611
According to Kyodo News, citing sources, the league's chairman, Keiji Furuya, a House of Representatives member from the Liberal Democratic Party, has already explained the renaming plan to relevant parties in Taiwan. He stated that the new name "more clearly reflects the purpose and positioning of the league's activities."
The league was established in 1973 following the severance of diplomatic relations between Japan and the Republic of China. It has long served as an important platform within the Japanese Diet for promoting friendly exchanges between Japan and Taiwan. If the name change is successfully implemented, it will be seen as a symbolic move by Japanese political circles to further strengthen relations with Taiwan.
However, if the name change is formally approved, it could provoke dissatisfaction and backlash from the Chinese government. In fact, in March of this year, the Chinese government announced countermeasures against Chairman Keiji Furuya, including banning him from entering China (including Hong Kong and Macau) and freezing his movable and immovable property and other assets within China.
Furuya responded at the time that he had not visited China for many years and held no assets there, so the impact was minimal.
Furthermore, some lawmakers have reservations about the name change. Some members have questioned, "Is it necessary to go out of our way to change the name and deliberately provoke China?" (Editor: Tien Jui-hua) 1150611