A group of Japanese lawmakers from four different parties has arrived in Taiwan, a sign that support for Taiwan is becoming a shared national position in Japan rather than one party's preference — good news for Taipei, unwelcome in Beijing.

• Seven lawmakers led by Senator Haruo Kitamura came to Taiwan together, all agreeing that peace in the Taiwan Strait is directly tied to Japan's own security.
• Kitamura wants Japan to pass its own version of the US Taiwan Relations Act and Taiwan Travel Act, turning goodwill into actual law.
• The cross-party makeup matters most: if only one party backed Taiwan, a change of government could erase the policy overnight.
• China's growing military pressure on Taiwan is the driver — warm feelings between the two publics are no longer seen as enough.
• Ten years ago it was still sensitive in Tokyo to say "a crisis for Taiwan is a crisis for Japan"; now it is close to mainstream.

Outlook: Any Japanese Taiwan law is still years away and will face resistance at home and fierce objections from Beijing, but Taiwan-Japan ties are shifting from friendship toward a formal partnership.