Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) today embarks on a three-day visit to Japan where she is scheduled to meet with politicians from both governing and opposition parties.
Tsai will be leading a 50-member strong delegation, which includes former representative to Japan Koh Se-kai (許世楷), former premier Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) and several DPP legislators, for the short visit to Tokyo before returning to Taiwan on Wednesday.
The delegation is expected to meet former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, former foreign minister Seiji Maehara, Vice Speaker of the House of Representatives Seishiro Eto, as well as visit the headquarters of the ruling Democratic Party of Japan and the main opposition Liberal Democratic Party.
Tsai, the DPP’s presidential candidate, is expected to discuss a wide range of issues with their hosts, including bilateral relations, regional security and the impact of China’s rise, DPP spokesperson Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) said yesterday.
Tsai is scheduled to deliver a speech this evening at the Hyatt Regency Tokyo hotel and hold an international press conference at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan tomorrow.
Tsai had planned to visit Japan earlier, but the visit was pushed back because the DPP was not able to arrange the trip until last month, when the political situation in Japan had been stabilized, said Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴), Tsai’s foreign policy advisor and deputy executive officer of the DPP’s think tank.
The trip concludes Tsai’s overseas visits for this year, after trips to the Philippines, Europe and the US. It is also the second time she has visited the Northeast Asian country during her time as DPP chairperson.
In related news, DPP vice presidential candidate Su Jia-chyuan (蘇嘉全), during a campaign stop in Greater Taichung yesterday, said he would bow out of politics if he is ever exposed as being corrupt.
The remarks came in the wake of a recent series of allegations by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Chiu Yi (邱毅), who accused Su of breaking the law, including an allegation that the ancestral tombs of Su’s family are built on government property.
Saying it is not proper to criticize someone’s ancestors, Su added that he would be willing to resign if he were found to have embezzled a cent from public coffers or engaged in illegal business dealings during in his 25 years of public service.
Additional reporting by CNA
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