Japan ex-PM Aso in Taiwan next week on highest-level Japanese visit in years

TOKYO/TAIPEI: Japanese former prime minister Taro Aso, who is vice-president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, will visit Taiwan next week, the island said on Friday, becoming the most senior Japanese political official to visit in decades.

Self-ruled Taiwan, which is claimed by Beijing, is at the centre of rising tensions in east Asia, which have contributed to a decision by close U.S. ally Japan to boost its defence spending.

Aso, who also served as Japan's finance minister for a almost a decade to 2021, will visit on Aug. 7-9, Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement welcoming the trip.

He will give a speech at the Ketagalan Forum, a security conference the ministry hosts on Tuesday, and meet Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen, the ministry said.

Aso's talks in Taiwan are expected to cover topics such as supply chains for semiconductors with a view to economic security, Japan's Nikkei daily reported.

It will be the highest-level visit by a Japanese ruling party official since Japan cut diplomatic ties with Taiwan and recognised Beijing as the "one China" in 1972, the Mainichi newspaper said.

There was no immediate comment on Aso's trip from China, which fiercely objects to perceived foreign interference with the island.