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Lee's visa to Japan likely to be granted says representative

Taiwan's representative to Japan said yesterday that, given the excellent treatment accorded him last year, the Japanese government would likely grant former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) a tourist visa if he seeks a return there this year.

The Lee visa issue, which attracted such enormous attention last year, emerged yesterday at the legislature after Lee revealed his intention to visit Japan again this winter.

Taiwan's representative to Japan Lo Fu-chuan (羅福全), responding to reporters' questions, said that the Japanese government might consider granting Lee a visa if he makes the application "on a personal basis."

Lo said he had not yet been notified of the matter, so he could not make any further comments. But noting that Lee had received such good treatment and was treated with such great respect during his last trip to Japan, he believed Japan would consider granting him a visa again.

He said the Taipei's de-facto embassy to Japan would contact the Japanese government and offer any necessary assistance once Lee releases his application.

Lee expressed his intention to visit Japan by the end of this year during a dinner banquet last Saturday with visitors from Nagasaki University, according to TSU lawmaker Chien Lin Whei-jun (錢林慧君).

The lawmaker said that Lee told attending guests that he would very much like to make a trip to Japan this winter, not for medical treatment, but to visit a place where he had longed to go.

Lee said his cardiologist told him there was no need for a cardiac checkup for at least a few years, but he still wanted to go to Japan to visit a long-admired spot, Okuno Hoso-no-miji (奧之細道) -- an area in Northeastern Japan known to have been visited by prominent Japanese writer Matzuo Hashou, Chien Lin said.

Lee said that besides enjoying the scenery there, he would like to write about Japanese history while staying there, she stated.

Last April, Lee placed Japan in a dilemma after seeking physical treatment for his clogged arteries with a doctor in Kurashiki City, western Japan. Although fearing China's reaction, Japan ultimately approved the visa.

After Lee ended his trip, Japan's Foreign Ministry said in the future, it would exercise caution in deciding whether to issue another visa to Lee.
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