Taiwan’s Vice President William Lai arrived in Tokyo on Monday on a “personal visit” for late former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s funeral, according to the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association, Japan’s de facto embassy to Taiwan.
Lai’s previously unannounced trip makes him the highest-ranking Taiwanese official to visit Japan in 50 years since the severance of diplomatic relations in 1972 between Japan and the Republic of China — Taiwan’s official name.
China has consistently protested against foreign officials’ visits to Taiwan or countries allowing Taiwan’s senior government officials to visit or transit, as it claims the self-ruled democratic island as its own territory, despite the Communist Party never having ruled over it.
Taipei has downplayed the visit by Lai.
“Vice President William Lai has been a long-time friend to PM Abe and his family. The Vice President is deeply saddened by the passing of PM Abe and is grateful for his distinguished contribution to relations between Taiwan and Japan,” Taiwan’s presidential spokesperson Kolas Yotaka told CNN.
In a statement, Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it had no further information or comment on Lai’s “personal schedule,” adding that senior government officials, including President Tsai Ing-wen, Premier Su Tseng-chang and foreign minister Joseph Wu, had paid their respects to Abe at Japan’s de facto embassy in Taipei on Monday morning.
In a statement to CNN, Japan’s Foreign Ministry said Lai would attend Abe’s funeral “in private” during a “personal visit.”