Japan’s former Prime Minister Taro Aso arrived on Monday with his delegation for a three-day visit in Taiwan.
He is scheduled to meet with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and several other senior officials which include Vice President Lai Ching-teh (賴清德), foreign minister Joseph Wu (吳釗燮), Taipei mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安), and former legislative speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平).
On Tuesday, minister Aso will be giving a keynote speech at the Ketagalan Forum, an annual event hosted by the foreign ministry and the Prospect Foundation that focuses on regional security issues.
Aso, who is a current member of the House of Representatives and Vice President of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has served as the foreign minister and finance minister previously. The last time he visited Taiwan was 12 years ago when he led a delegation to attend the national day ceremony.
The Japanese media has attached great importance to Aso's visit as this is the first visit by an incumbent vice president of the ruling Japanese LDP after Japan suspended diplomatic relations with Taiwan in 1972.
Aso’s visit also makes him the highest-ranking political figure of the Diet, Japan’s legislative body, to visit Taiwan. The Japanese media also pointed out that Aso's meeting with Taiwan senior officials may trigger a strong reaction from China.