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Lee Teng-hui plans another Japan trip

Former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) said yesterday that he is interested in visiting Japan this coming spring, saying he has been planning a trip but he wondered if "other people" would let him go.

He made the statement in Taoyuan after attending the closing ceremony for the Lee Teng-hui School's special program for Japanese professors and students.

When asked if he was planning to visit Japan next April, Lee said, "Yes, I'm planning [the trip], and I want to go there, too. But I wonder if other people would let me go."

Lee did not say who "other people" were, but it is generally considered that he meant China, which has pressured the Japanese government not to allow him to visit Japan.

Lee intends to visit Tokyo and pay a visit to a scenic spot in northeast Japan called Okunohosomichi. In an interview with the Japanese press, Lee has also mentioned that he wanted to visit the Yasukuni Shrine to perform a memorial service for his brother, who is enshrined there, according to a friend of Lee's, speaking on condition of anonymity.

At present, most of the newly appointed members of Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's Cabinet are friendly to Taiwan, which provides Lee with a good opportunity to revisit Japan, the friend said.

Lee has visited Japan twice in the past five years -- in April 2001 and last December -- and the spring is an advantageous time for Lee to go back to Japan, after his successful visit to the US last month.

"Although Lee's plan to visit Japan is not confirmed yet, the direction is quite sure and the plan will definitely move ahead," the friend said.
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