A senior delegation from Japan's Innovation Party is in Taipei for talks with President Lai Ching-te, a modest but clear signal of warming Japan-Taiwan ties at a tense moment in the region.

• A 13-member group led by former party head Nobuyuki Baba is meeting Lai, the foreign minister, lawmakers, and national security officials.
• Talks center on closer Japan-Taiwan relations and the wider security picture in the Indo-Pacific.
• The party is a coalition partner of Japan's ruling LDP, so its friendly stance toward Taiwan carries weight in Tokyo.
• It is the first such visit since the coalition deal that brought Sanae Takaichi in as Japan's first female prime minister.
• The party has backed Taiwan before, donating money for rebuilding after the 2024 Hualien earthquake.

Outlook: Expect Tokyo and Taipei to keep deepening informal ties, and expect Beijing to object.