Former president Lee Teng-hui (
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.
Taiwanese barista Xie Yi-chen (謝溢宸) recently triumphed at the 2024 World Coffee Championships, taking home 1st place in the World Latte Art category. Xie, 28, impressed the judges in the final round with patterns of a whale, a moose, and a dragon in the three-day competition that took place in Copenhagen, Denmark from June 27-29, clinching the title of latte art world champion during his first time representing Taiwan on the world stage. At a press conference held by the Taiwan Coffee Association on Thursday, Xie said that creating latte art gives him a tremendous feeling of achievement. Speaking about his entries in
ANOTHER EMERGES: The CWA yesterday said this year’s fourth storm of the typhoon season had formed in the South China Sea, but was not expected to affect Taiwan Tropical Storm Gaemi has intensified slightly as it heads toward Taiwan, where it is expected to affect the country in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 8am yesterday, the 120km-radius storm was 800km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, moving at 9kph northwest, the agency said. A sea warning for Gaemi could be issued tonight at the earliest, it said, adding that the storm is projected to be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday or Thursday. Gaemi’s potential effect on Taiwan remains unclear, as that would depend on its direction, radius and intensity, forecasters said. Former Weather Forecast
TRAVEL CONVENIENCE: The program is to shorten wait times while passing through airport checks and would start for Taiwanese from January next year Japan is to launch a new program to expedite entry procedures for Taiwanese starting from January next year. The Japanese government is planning to introduce new rules to shorten the time it takes foreign travelers to pass through immigration, thereby attracting more tourists to visit, Japanese public broadcaster NHK reported yesterday. An airport preclearance program would be implemented to allow foreign travelers to finish some screenings at their departure airport’s terminals and undergo simple confirmation procedures upon arrival, it said. The program would initially be applied to travelers from Taiwan from January next year and could be extended to travelers from elsewhere depending
The annual Taipei Summer Festival, which starts today, is to tone down its fireworks displays, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said on Monday. Fireworks displays are to be held at the riverside site in Datong District’s (大同) Dadaocheng (大稻埕) area on four days at this year’s festival, with the first today, and then on Wednesday next week, July 31 and Aug. 10, the department said. There were eight displays last year, with the reduction aimed at minimizing inconvenience to local residents, it said. The first three shows, which are all on Wednesdays, are to last for five minutes, while the final