By HARUNA SHIROMI/ Staff Writer
August 8, 2023 at 12:15 JST
Taro Aso, center, vice president of the Liberal Democratic Party, stands with the family of former Taiwanese president Lee Teng-hui in front of his gravestone on the afternoon of Aug.7 in New Taipei City in northern Taiwan. (Haruna Shiromi)
TAIPEI—Taro Aso on Aug. 7 became the first incumbent vice president of the Liberal Democratic Party to visit Taiwan since Tokyo and Taipei broke off diplomatic relations in 1972, Japan’s ruling party said.
Aso, a former prime minister, is scheduled to meet with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen on Aug. 8 and will stay in Taiwan until Aug. 9.
The two leaders are expected to exchange views on the security environment surrounding the Taiwan Strait and other issues, with an eye toward China’s military buildup.
Amid growing fears of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, Aso, who is close to Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, is expected to convey his support for Taipei and stress the Japanese government’s willingness to promote discussions to defuse a possible “Taiwan contingency.”
Aso is also scheduled to meet with Vice President Lai Ching-te, chairman of Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party, who will run for president in an election next January.
On the afternoon of Aug. 7, Aso offered flowers at the gravesite of former Taiwanese president Lee Teng-hui in New Taipei City in northern Taiwan.
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