Candidates to become Japan's next prime minister all said on Friday that they supported Taiwan's application to join a trans-Pacific trade pact, echoing Japanese officials' remarks about Taiwan's shared values like democracy.
In a debate on Friday, Fumio Kishida, one of the candidates, "welcomed" Taiwan's application, and Taro Kono, his contender, said he also supported Taiwan's participation in World Health Organization.
(Reporting by Ju-min Park and Antoni Slodkowski; editing by Philippa Fletcher)
