Taiwan Quick Take: First children off to Japan

President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) two children and their families left for Japan yesterday. Chen Chih-chung (陳致中) and his wife, Huang Jui-ching (黃睿靚), along with Chen Hsing-yu (陳幸妤) and her two sons were spotted by reporters at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport yesterday morning, the Central News Agency said. The report said they left for Tokyo for a vacation. The Presidential Office refused to confirm or deny the report, saying it did not have anything to say about the first family' s personal activities. Chen Chih-chung and his wife have maintained a low profile since they returned to Taipei from the US on Aug. 3, following calls for their first child to be born in Taiwan. Chen Hsing-yu, a practicing dentist, traveled to New York last month for a six-day training program on tooth implants.