Taiwan legislative speaker to visit Japan

TAIPEI, March 4 Kyodo -
Taiwan Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng said Thursday he will lead a
legislative delegation to Japan in March or April, another sign of improving
relations between Taipei and Tokyo.
At a conference at National Chengchi University in Taipei, Wang said the most
pressing issues involving Japan are fishing rights near the disputed Senkaku
Islands, known as the Tiaoyutai islets in Taiwan, and developing a free-trade
agreement.
Wang said that in Japan, apart from visiting politicians, government officials
and experts, he will present a medal to Masaki Saito, Japan's controversial
former representative in Taiwan, to help ''put to bed a number of unhappy past
memories.''
Amid disputes over territorial waters, relations between Taipei and Tokyo
soured in 2009 when Saito made comments on Taiwan's sovereign status that
angered the government and legislators of the ruling Nationalist Party (KMT).
Saito was ostracized by the government and eventually replaced by Tadashi Imai,
who was present at Thursday's conference.
Wang's trip will follow two other high-level exchanges between Japan and Taiwan.
Chao Chien-min, deputy minister of the Mainland Affairs Council, departs for
Japan on Friday to promote Taiwan's pending trade deal with China. On Monday, a
group of junior legislators will travel to Japan at the invitation of the
Japanese government, Taiwan's semi-official Central News Agency reported.
==Kyodo