Tsai Ing-wen. (Kyodo)
TAIPEI/TOKYO (Kyodo) — Former Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen is visiting Japan on a private trip with no plans to meet government officials or politicians, several sources familiar with Tokyo-Taipei relations said Tuesday.
It is believed to be the first known visit to Japan by Tsai since she left office in May 2024. The former president is expected to skip Tokyo and stay at a summer resort for several days, the sources said.
Tsai’s office said it will not disclose details of her private schedule, but the sources said she will not meet members of a cross-party group of Japanese lawmakers promoting ties with Taiwan, which had urged her to visit Japan after stepping down.
China reacted sharply to Taiwan Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung’s rare visit to Japan in July. Tokyo and Beijing were in the process of arranging a meeting of farm ministers the following month, but it did not materialize due to “scheduling conflicts.”
Japan switched diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China in 1972. Beijing regards the self-ruled island as a renegade province to be brought under its control, by force if necessary.
When former Taiwan President Lee Teng-hui visited Japan in 2001 for medical treatment, China postponed a trip to the neighboring country by Li Peng, then chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress.
AloJapan.com