The Japan Interchange Association in Taipei yesterday confirmed it has issued a visa to former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝). The visa will allow Lee to make a single entry into Japan for a maximum stay of 15 days, the same as other tourists from Taiwan, a spokesman said.
China, riled by Japan's decision to issue Lee a visa despite its protests, warned yesterday that the move might damage relations.
"The Japanese government acted in disregard of the Chinese government's solemn representation and firm opposition and stubbornly allowed Lee Teng-hui to go to Japan to carry out activities to split the country," Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao (劉建超) said at a news briefing.
"The Chinese government ex-presses strong dissatisfaction and again demands the Japanese side rectify this wrong decision," he said.
Liu declined to say whether Beijing would retaliate against Japan. Chinese envoy to Japan Cheng Yonghua (
Liu said Japan's decision to issue the visa was "a very significant incident in China-Japan relations."
"I want to emphasize that the Japanese side should learn from past experience and adopt a correct attitude and rectify its wrong decision in order not to impair overall relations between China and Japan," he said.
Liu said the political motivations of Lee's visit were obvious.
"His political motive is to find backing and create overseas conditions for his activities to split the country. We think the Japanese side should be clear about this," he added.
Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi told reporters yesterday that Lee wants to travel as a private citizen, so there is no reason to turn down his application.
"[Lee] also graduated from a Japanese university," Koizumi said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomed Japan's decision.
"The ministry and our representative office in Japan will offer necessary help for former president Lee," spokesman Michel Lu (
A friend close to Lee yesterday said that apart from family members and doctors, Lee will also bring two "VIP guests" to Japan. Lee's friend declined to reveal their identities.
Lee will fly to Japan on Monday and visit his alma mater, Kyoto University, during his stay.
Tropical Storm Usagi strengthened to a typhoon yesterday morning and remains on track to brush past southeastern Taiwan from tomorrow to Sunday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was approximately 950km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost point, the CWA said. It is expected to enter the Bashi Channel and then turn north, moving into waters southeast of Taiwan, it said. The agency said it could issue a sea warning in the early hours of today and a land warning in the afternoon. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was moving at
UPDATED FORECAST: The warning covered areas of Pingtung County and Hengchun Peninsula, while a sea warning covering the southern Taiwan Strait was amended The Central Weather Administration (CWA) at 5:30pm yesterday issued a land warning for Typhoon Usagi as the storm approached Taiwan from the south after passing over the Philippines. As of 5pm, Usagi was 420km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost tip, with an average radius of 150km, the CWA said. The land warning covered areas of Pingtung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春), and came with an amended sea warning, updating a warning issued yesterday morning to cover the southern part of the Taiwan Strait. No local governments had announced any class or office closures as of press time last night. The typhoon
DISCONTENT: The CCP finds positive content about the lives of the Chinese living in Taiwan threatening, as such video could upset people in China, an expert said Chinese spouses of Taiwanese who make videos about their lives in Taiwan have been facing online threats from people in China, a source said yesterday. Some young Chinese spouses of Taiwanese make videos about their lives in Taiwan, often speaking favorably about their living conditions in the nation compared with those in China, the source said. However, the videos have caught the attention of Chinese officials, causing the spouses to come under attack by Beijing’s cyberarmy, they said. “People have been messing with the YouTube channels of these Chinese spouses and have been harassing their family members back in China,”
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said there are four weather systems in the western Pacific, with one likely to strengthen into a tropical storm and pose a threat to Taiwan. The nascent tropical storm would be named Usagi and would be the fourth storm in the western Pacific at the moment, along with Typhoon Yinxing and tropical storms Toraji and Manyi, the CWA said. It would be the first time that four tropical cyclones exist simultaneously in November, it added. Records from the meteorology agency showed that three tropical cyclones existed concurrently in January in 1968, 1991 and 1992.
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