| 12.22.2004 The Japan Times Lee gets visa; LDP is told to steer clear The government issued a visa Tuesday to former Taiwan President Lee Teng-hui and China quickly reacted by urging Japan to cancel the move. Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi told reporters his administration had "no reason to deny" a visa to Lee, because he wants to travel to Japan as a private citizen. In an apparent attempt to avoid politicizing Lee's visit, Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura said LDP lawmakers should avoid contacting the former Taiwanese president during his stay. "I realize your desire to meet him, but please exercise restraint. I don't want anybody to go and meet (Lee)," Machimura told LDP diplomatic panel members Tuesday. According to the Foreign Ministry, a single-entry tourist visa for a visit of up to 15 days has been issued by the Taipei office of the Interchange Association, the de facto embassy for Japan, which switched diplomatic allegiance from Taipei to Beijing in 1972. Lee, 81, received the visa at the office at around 10 a.m., a source close to him said. Lee, along with family members and a doctor, will arrive at Nagoya airport Dec. 27, visit Nagoya, Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture, and Kyoto, where his alma mater, Kyoto University, is located, and leave for home from Nagoya on Jan. 2. Beijing reacted quickly to the news. China's ambassador to Japan, Wang Yi, said in a speech in Tokyo that Lee "is a leading figure in activities to split (China) although he retired from public life. We want (Japan) to reconsider the decision." While labeling Lee a "troublemaker," Wang said Lee might become a "war maker" if his visit is realized. China sees Taiwan as part of its territory and should be reunited, by force if necessary. Senior lawmakers of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party have urged the government to grant Lee a visa, saying he is a private citizen who left public life a long time ago and is eligible to visit Japan as a tourist. On Monday, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroyuki Hosoda took a rare step of urging the media not to cover Lee's trip, saying, "It's a completely private trip and has no political implications." |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| moreAbout East Asia |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|